For the past nine months, St. John’s Lutheran Church has been commemorating its 175th anniversary, and that celebration culminated May 14 with a service held at Rickman Auditorium in Arnold, Senior Pastor Jeremy Schultz said.
He said 800 people attended the service.
“It was pretty much our whole worshipping community gathered together. It was phenomenal,” Schultz said. “Seeing everyone together like that was absolutely amazing. The worship was extremely spiritual and uplifting.”
On May 19, five days after that special service, St. John’s held its annual block party, which drew hundreds of people, he said.
The party, which was open to the public and was free to attend, featured games, bounce houses, music, food and a fireworks display, Schultz said.
“We heard such great things all night long. By the time the fireworks were going on, the parking lot was wall to wall people. We are glad to do it for the community. It is a good, free family-friendly event. That is what it is all about.”
Service
Schultz said his message at the May 14 service was based on Matthew 13 and the parable of the growing seed, which is the word of God and how God’s word grows among us.
He said along with celebrating the church’s growth since it and the school were founded in 1848, the service provided the congregation a chance to look to the future.
“We not only gave God great thanks for his faithfulness over the past 175 years to our church. We were able to take a peek at a vision for our future with a campus master plan and the idea of the kind of ministry he is calling us to here at St. John’s and in our community,” Schultz said. “It was a great day. People were riding such a high and walking 10 feet off the ground.”
Schultz said part of the discussion focused on the future of a 4.12-acre piece of land St. John’s purchased from the Keller Family Trust in May 2019 for $1.3 million. The land, which had been farmed by the Keller family since 1921, is at 3590 St. John’s Church Road.
“We know the ministries to which we are being called. Buildings and property will need to take shape to match that,” he said. “It was a sneak peek to get people geared up for the future and the next great calling that God will give us.”
Schultz said the parish has discussed building a new school on the land, but based on demographic studies and school growth, St. John’s may look at using the land for something else.
“You have to take a look at all of your property and infrastructure to determine what will be the best,” he said. “There is some significant wisdom that has been poured over and starting to materialize that takes our whole 15 acres into consideration.”
Celebrations
St. John’s began celebrating its 175th anniversary in September with former Pastor Jack Miller returning to officiate services.
The parish also had a pair of floats in the Arnold Days Parade on Sept. 18 to celebrate its milestone.
On Oct. 14, St. John’s received a proclamation from Arnold Mayor Ron Counts, and a commemorative tree was planted at the church’s cemetery, 3517 Jeffco Blvd.
On Dec. 9-11, the church held its annual Christmas production, which was titled “HIStory” and combined the story of the birth of Jesus with the telling of how the church’s members built a sanctuary in 1929 at the start of the Great Depression.
“Our Christmas production brought a ton of people here,” Schultz said. “That historical aspect was satisfying for our community and I think it was engaging for the community at large.”
St. John’s also participated in Wreaths Across America Day for the first time in its history on Dec. 17 at the cemetery.
On Feb. 18, a men’s prayer breakfast was held at Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort in Pevely, and an alumni weekend was held in March.
An anniversary dinner and auction was held March 24 at an Orlando’s Banquet Center in St. Louis. A special day trip for past students was held March 25, and a worship service was held March 26 when former and current students were recognized.
“The alumni event was unbelievable,” Schultz said. “We had so many people come back. We were able to raise over $100,000 for Christian education.
“The blessings were incredible this year. All of it was very enjoyable.”
History
The church and school were built by German immigrants and Dr. C.F.W. Walther, who was the president of Missouri Synod, and it was the first Lutheran church to organize in Jefferson County, according to St. John’s officials.
The first church was built on donated land, and in 1882, the log structure was renovated and enlarged. The church’s first organ was purchased in 1885, and a farmer donated a log house to be used as a school building in 1888, St. John’s officials said.
In 1929, a new church was built, and in 2005, a 605-seat sanctuary, church offices and additional classrooms were added to the church and school, officials said.
In July 2016, the church formed St. John’s Care Connections, which provides an array of free services to Jefferson County residents, thanks to a $27,000 Jefferson Foundation grant the church received that was used to renovate a strip mall at 3581 Jeffco Blvd that the church purchased in 2015.
The church currently has more than 2,000 members, and 226 students are enrolled in the school’s preschool through eighth grade program, Schultz said.