Keeping the faith alive: Churches enrich community

The village of Spencer has a long and storied faith tradition, with several churches that provided spiritual nourishment to the first settlers continuing to this day. Here is some information on local congregations, courtesy of the Spencer Centennial Book and church officials who provided information on the last 50 years.

St. John’s Lutheran Church In 1873, the Rev. W. C. Schilling of Stevens Point came to Spencer on a mission trip. This was the first Lutheran pastor to serve settlers in this area. Services were held in a log schoolhouse on the Naatz farm, two miles northwest of Spencer. Rev. Schilling’s efforts led to the organization of Saint John’s congregation on Oct. 27, 1878. The Rev. H. Erck, town of Wein, was called as the first pastor. He was asked to hold a preaching service every fifth Sunday, and give necessary instruction to children and adults. From 1880 until 1909, this congregation and Trinity’s in Spencer were served by one pastor.

The first church, a frame building, was built in 1881, for a sum of $2,000. The second church was built in 1910. The parsonage was built in 1912. Those members of the congregation who helped with the basement foundation or brought a team of horses for excavation received $1 and $2, respectively, per day.

Until 1930, services were held in German. From 1931 until 1942 services were alternately held in German and English. In 1945 the German was discontinued entirely.

After being struck by lightning several times, the steeple was shortened in 1949 to just above the belfry. In 1961 the educational unit was added to the church. In 1973 and 1974, extensive remodeling was done to the church itself.

In July 1963, the congregation formed a dual parish with St. John's Lutheran Church, Riplinger. Pastors who have served the congregation include Rev. H. Erck, Rev. Schuette, Rev. F. Siebrandt, Rev. J. Todt, Rev. A. F. Imm, Rev. E. J. Schmidt, Rev. A. F. Ziehlsdorff, Rev. H. C. Hinz, Rev. R. Scholz, Rev. A. Saremba, and Rev. M. Yonker. Subsequent pastors were as follows: Rev. David Ault began in 1969 and served 30 years, Rev. David Johnson one year, Rev. Steven Gjerde three years, Rev. Lowell Bolstad two years, Rev. Rebekah Tarras 16 years and Rev. Jeff Siegel began on July 16, 2023, and is currently serving.

The church has 286 active members with an average Sunday attendance of 100 people.

In 1978 the congregation celebrated “100 Years of God’s Grace” in honor of St. John’s 100th anniversary. St. John’s has helped to lead community ecumenical services, which began in the 1970s, including a church service typically held during Spencerama Days. Most recently St. John’s sponsored a Christian band called Breaking Chains to lead that service. St. John’s has also been an integral part of the Community Thanksgiving Worship Service held the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for the past 32 years, as a collaboration with Christ the King Catholic Church and Faith Journey Church.

In 1984, St. John’s chose to leave the Missouri Synod and become affiliated with the American Lutheran Church (ALC). In 1998, the church became members of the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). In 2022, they became members of the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC).

In 2000, St. John’s established a website. In 2003, they celebrated 125 years. Church members moved into their new building at 210167 State Highway 13, Spencer, in 2005.

St. John’s is community-oriented with funds raised for Acts of Random Kindness (ARK) and its Scrip Program, which donates funds to community members in need when sudden life changes strike. The church has also organized concerts and events such as Polka Sunday, Trunk or Treat and Back to Church Fun Day to include the community. In 2006, the church began sponsoring a free monthly in-house community hot meal, known as Community Outreach Meal for Everyone or COME, on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The building is also available for community groups to use.

Worship style The church offers communion weekly. There is a 9 a.m. service which offers a mix of hymns accompanied by the organ and video songs with liturgy and a sermon, and a relaxed 6:30 p.m. service with video music and interactive Bible teaching.

Education The church has groups for all youth ages 3 years to graduation that meet weekly during the school year. The youth attend rallies throughout the year. Since 2008, the middle and high school youth have the opportunity to attend a weeklong service-oriented mission trip. The church offers periodic adult Bible studies and recently began a senior ministry.

Christ the King Catholic Church With the influx of the lumberman and the building of the Wisconsin Central Railroad northwest of Stevens Point in the 1870s came the first missionaries and priests to this area. The first of these to care for the spiritual needs of Spencer people was Father Nicholas July, who was the pastor of St. Stephen’s, Stevens Point. Following this time, priests from Medford, Hewitt and St. John’s in Marshfield ministered to the people of the area, who were of Irish, German and French descent.

Father Ignatius Schaller was assigned by Bishop Flasch of the La Crosse Diocese to St. John’s, Marshfield on Aug. 8, 1881. He said Mass and held services in Prentice Hall at 9 a.m. on May 12, 1882, to survey the potential for a mission to be established in Spencer. The first meeting was held to organize a church in Prentice Hall on July 14, 1882. Land was purchased from the Wisconsin Central Railroad on the east side of Spencer, close to what used to be the Kerksieck Apartments on South Pacific Street. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on Aug. 8, 1881. lt was finished in the spring of 1873. It was a good-sized building set up on stilts. No name was given the church - except Catholic Church.

The first Mass and combined mission was held on June 10, 1883, and the following week three services each day and in the evening.

The church was damaged on Oct. 9, 1883, by a small cyclone, resulting in $500 worth of damage.

The census report for Marathon County shows there were about 1,742 people in Spencer in the early 1880s. Fires were a constant threat in woods and lumber towns, and Spencer was no exception. The Great Spencer Fire of Aug. 8, 1886, destroyed the new church.

An attempt was made to build a second church with the purchase of a plot of land on Main Street, lot 4, Plot of Irene. A building was erected and completed in the fall of 1888, again with no name. Financial trouble forced Bishop Schwebach to sell the property to Joseph Frane on Oct. 31, 1895. Priests served the area until about the beginning of World War I. From that time untiI 1937, people were left to attend neighboring parishes.

Father Graf. C.P.P.S. was appointed a chaplain at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. He met with the people in this circuit on July 19, 1938. There were about 20 Catholic families in Spencer at the time.

Bishop McGavick appointed Graf as the church’s first pastor on Aug. 1, 1938, with permission to build a new church, which was to be named Christ the King Church. The building

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