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The
History of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church 1899-1999
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For
the celebration of the 75th anniversary, a history of the church was written by
Amanda Larson and Rev. J. C. Warmanen. An edited text is followed by a
review of the last quarter century by Sylvia Kinnunen.
St.
Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Marquette, Michigan, is celebrated its
100th anniversary in 1999. It is fitting that the achievement of this important
milestone be accorded with reminiscing, rejoicing and renewing. Much of the
reminiscing of the early history of St. Mark's is based on the well- documented
report prepared in the Finnish language by the Rev. Frank Pelkonen for St.
Mark's 50th anniversary.
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The
First 75 Years
On
October 19, 1898, the Marquette Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was
established, with the assistance of the
Rev. K. L. Tolonen of Ishpeming, and immediately affiliated with the Suomi
Synod, headquartered in Hancock, Michigan. The Articles of Incorporation for
Marquette's Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church were drawn up on May 31, 1899.
Although its signers, Andrew Anderson, chairman, Jacob Mattila, secretary, and
John Akkala, Jacob Sippola, John Tuun, Mike Hakala, Kalle Johnson, Jacob
Porvoo, Elijas Savoia and Israel Luoma, have joined the Church Triumphant,
their names will be remembered and cherished in the annals of St. Mark's. We
also remember the names of Johann Hirvela, David Maki and Andrew Anderson,
who, on May 16, 1899, were elected as trustees of the congregation.
Worship services in the early years were held in homes, rented quarters,
sometimes in other churches and at other times in the Aalto (Temperance) Hall.
Pastors from the neighboring towns of Negaunee, Ishpeming and Gwinn and other
Suomi Synod pastors who happened to be in the vicinity preached at these
monthly worship services.
Because
the little group had no official pastor, difficulties were numerous. In 1906,
a substantial number of members became affiliated with the Finnish National
Sion church, now Redeemer Lutheran Church. As a result, congregational
activities subsided until on April 13, 1923, the Rev. Otto Kaarto and Dr.
Alfred Haapanen conducted a reorganizational meeting. The lot near the corner
of Prospect and Front Streets, which had been acquired earlier, was sold to
one Sam Michelson, and the moneys placed in a bank. (Because it was difficult
to document this early history, in 1932 an earnest effort was made to locate
the past congregational minutes which were believed to be housed in the
Negaunee Church, but which were never found.) The congregation resumed meeting
for worship with services conducted by Pastors Kaarto, Kononen and Mykkanen of
the neighboring towns, in borrowed facilities until in July of 1934, when the
congregation made an attempt to secure a pastor, but the financial situation
did not warrant this large step. The following year's plans also fell short.
The
desire for pastoral leadership continued, and plans were made with nearby
congregations in the same situation; many meetings were held with the Michigan
Conference, the Home Mission Board and other Suomi Synod officials. At a
meeting held in the Aalto Hall, presided over by the Rev. Antti Kononen of
Gwinn, the news was received that the Synod Board had undertaken to allot Home
Mission funds for St. Mark's, thus enabling them to call a pastor. This was a
time for rejoicing.
In
1940 the site for a church building on the corner of Presque Isle and Fair
Avenues was purchased for $1,000. A covered basement which had been a meeting
place for local Boy Scouts stood on the lot. The following year, Marquette,
Eben, Deerton, and Munising congregations were joined together to form one
pastorate. The Rev. Arnold Stadius arrived in July as its first resident
pastor and served until December of 1942, when he became a chaplain in the
country's armed forces. During his tenure, the first sanctuary, called the
Chapel, was built and dedicated on November 8, 1942. Statistics reported to
the Synod for the years 1940-41 reveal a total membership of 31 persons. In
1949, during St. Mark's 50th year of existence, baptized membership had grown
to 216. Growth continued steadily so that at the end of 1973 the baptized
membership totaled 402.
Christian
education was established in 1941 under Pastor Stadius. Sunday School classes
crowded into the small church basement and later into the pews of the
sanctuary. Children were released from school on Wednesdays for Christian
education as well. Confirmation classes were held for two continuous weeks
during the summer sometimes traveling to the outlying towns to gather a class
together. In 1973 the educational departments of the church included Sunday
Church School, Vacation Church School, Confirmation Ministry and Camp Weeks,
LCW Circle Bible studies and adult workshops. Much of this Christian education
was carried on in cooperation with Messiah and Prince of Peace Churches of the
Greater Marquette Lutheran Parish.
The
Ladies Aid had been organized very early and had always been considered the
domain of the older generation of women. They had been a great help to the
congregation, but the younger women were anxious to have a group of their own.
So, in January of 1942, ten young women held an organizational meeting and
called themselves "The Ardellas" in honor of the pastor's wife, Mrs.
Ardella Stadius. Dues of ten cents were collected at each meeting, and the
group immediately began the project of making one quilt to raffle for money
for the church treasury. As the years passed, this group changed its name to
The Guild, the LCW. General meetings are held four times a year with Circle
meetings held each month for Bible study and to work on a variety of projects.
In
June of 1943 the Rev. Hugo M. HilIila was installed and served the parish for
two years and two months. During his ministry, the congregation grew and
prospered such that Home Mission financial help was no longer necessary. On
reaching this status, the congregation again rejoiced and celebrated with
thankful hearts. During this significant time, lay leadership assumed a large
share of responsibility. An important leadership group for the congregation,
the members of the Board of Trustees in 1943 were: John Biekkola, Earl Hill,
Helmer Koskela, Waino Lahti, John Lake, Albin Liimatainen, Matt Maki, John
Rintamaki, Evald Sommers and Emil Wuori. The Board of Trustees has been known
by various names over time, such as the Valtuusto in the very early days to
the present Church Council. Today, women and young people join the names of
the men on the Church Council.
During
Pastor Hillila's time, a Diaconate was formed in connection with the Ladies
Aid for the purpose~ of visiting the sick, comforting the lonely and
spiritually supporting and strengthening fellow members. In later years,
these tasks have been the work of the pastor. The Altar Guild, in addition to
its special service of caring for the altar and Communion preparation, often
distributes the altar flowers to our sick and shut-ins.
For
many years the teen-aged youth were nurtured through the activities of the
Luther League. In the early years, three Northern Michigan University
students, Wayne Niemi, John Linna and Ray Holmes, all of whom were later
ordained into the ministry, were active in counseling and inspiring the youth.
At the time of the building of the present sanctuary, the youth of St. Mark's
raised the money for a special piano which matched the wood of the church
furniture. At the time of the 75th anniversary, youth were involved in
projects such as the Easter Morning breakfast, in banner making, in nurturing
one another and in helping with many tasks around the church and office. Both
junior high and high school groups participated in fellowship, education,
field trips, worship, camping, retreats, etc., as they matured in faith, in
life and in church membership.
Music
has always been an important part in the Lutheran tradition and it shines
brightly at St. Mark's. In the early days, choirs were directed by the
pastor's wife or some member of his family. Often three choirs, children's,
youth, and adult, were in existence. The youth choir, instrumental ensembles
and adult vocalists led the congregation in newer and older worship services
and anthems. St. Mark's has been fortunate to have the services of excellent
musicians through the years.
The
third pastor was the Rev. Onni Koski, who served from August 1945 to November
1947. During these years, a parsonage on College Avenue was purchased and the
congregation chose the offering envelope system of church support.
In
1947, the Rev. Frank A. Pelkonen arrived. During his ministry, a $3,500
Wurlitzer organ was purchased. In July 1949, the congregation celebrated its
50th anniversary with a special service of thanksgiving. The program was
highlighted by music from three choirs, readings, greetings from church
officials and former members and by the preaching of its first resident
pastor, the Rev. Arnold Stadius.
The
Rev. John E. Hattula arrived in February of 1954. During his term of service,
a new sanctuary was built. For many years, the congregation had been
collecting funds with the dream of a new place of worship as they had grown
too large for the small first sanctuary. As early as 1945, the women of St.
Mark's began serving noon lunches to the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs at the
former Hotel Clifton. At their first meal 103 men were served at a charge of
75 cents a plate. After the bills were paid, a total profit of $45 was
realized. The building fund had grown over the years, but often critical
necessities, such as the purchase of the parsonage, had depleted it. By 1954,
the building fund had accumulated just short of $11,000. Although this was a
mere fraction of the total needed for a new sanctuary, the building fever
began in earnest. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on Mother's Day of
1955, and the cornerstone was laid in 1956. The main portion of funds were
solicited during the summer of 1955 though the Columbian Plan of financing.
The cost of the new structure was $50,000, with approximately $20,000 of
additional volunteer labor
The
Rev. George Bush arrived in October of 1967. During his ministry, the new LCA
parish education curriculum was adopted. The former sanctuary was made into
office and lounge space and the first full-time Campus Pastor, the Rev. D.
Lothar Pietz, began his ministry in cooperation with the Presbyterians, using
St. Mark's facilities as a base of operations. The parsonage on College Avenue
was sold and a home almost adjacent to the sanctuary was purchased for the
pastor's use. In 1969, when Pastor Bush resigned, the Rev. Lloyd Hubert
faithfully fulfilled the duties of an interim pastor for a nine-month period,
during which time a new Baldwin organ was purchased.
On
July 15,1970, the Rev. J. Cyrus Warmanen began his ministry, having come
directly from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Suomi Seminary had
become part of this new Lutheran seminary by merging with the former Maywood
Seminary in 1954. In 1973, St. Mark's participated in the "Seminary Life
Appeal" to liquidate the building debt of the LSTC and realized a goal of
$3,000.
In
1971, the three LCA congregations in the Marquette area banded together into
the Greater Marquette Lutheran Parish for cooperative ministry. The principal
evidence of that cooperation was in Confirmation Ministry, with several
Confirmation Camp weeks enjoyed at Suomi College and Fortune Lake Lutheran
Camp. In August of 1973, the Rev. Sherwood Glover was called by St. Mark's, in
cooperation with the Greater Marquette Lutheran Parish. Pastor Glover worked
primarily on the campus of NMU, but his headquarters were at St. Mark's Chapel.
Support for his ministry was shared by the Greater Marquette Lutheran Parish
and Lutheran Campus Ministry of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
There
were many signs of life and God's presence with us. In 1973 we were a
congregation of over 400 persons, with a yearly budget of nearly $46,000. Of
that amount, some $7,000 was used to support benevolent causes of the Church,
such as American Mission, Carthage and Suomi Colleges, World Missions, LSTC,
Lutheran Social Services, Urban and Rural Social Concerns, Pastor's Pension
Fund, Lutheran World Action, Marquette County Finnish Ministry and the
"Love Compels Action" special appeal. In turn, the church-at-large
helped us directly in support of Lutheran Campus Ministry at NMU and in many
phases of congregational life. We were one active cell in the life of the
Lutheran Church in America.
A
snapshot of life at St. Mark's in 1973 reveals some of the innovations which
progressed in its life. Sunday Church School met each week at 9:00 a.m. during
the school year. Worship services were held at 10:15 a.m., with a summer
worship schedule of 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. At
worship, St Mark's had enjoyed the best of the traditional as well as the best
of contemporary forms. Weekly celebration of Holy Communion was practiced
during some seasons of the Church year, with children as young as fifth grade
receiving the Sacrament after a period of instruction as part of Confirmation
Ministry.
St.
Mark's and Messiah women cooperated to provide a pleasant and nutritious meal
for some 45 senior citizens one day each week in St. Mark's fellowship room.
RAP Line, a crisis intervention counseling service, operated out of the old
kitchen room in the basement of the Chapel. At Childbirth Education classes
young couples prepared for the birth of a child by learning and exercising on
the floor of St. Mark's fellowship room each week.
St.
Mark's has long seen its facilities as a tool for service to the community.
Groups such as a temperance society, a nursery school, Lake Superior Arts
Association, Lutheran Student Association, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the
Marquette Figure Skating Club have made use of church space. The carpeted
floor of the fellowship room has provided sleeping quarters for traveling
youth groups and overnight retreats.
St.
Mark's is in a unique position as a congregation, for it is faced with a
three-pronged mission. First, there are still many Finnish speaking members
that appreciate ministry in their own language. Secondly, there are many
non-Finnish oriented persons and families that can appreciate but not
participate in Finnish language and culture. Thirdly, our facilities are
located very close to Northern Michigan University, which is thoroughly
American in its outlook and community makeup. As a Christian community, we
want to share the Good News of God's love to all sorts of people, not
restricting our mission to age, language or culture. This can be a challenge.
Our
congregation has played a full part in the life of the Church-at-large. For
many years, St. Mark's has given its full share to the mission work of the
Church. Its one-time members, the Rev. Wayne Niemi, Dr. Peter Pelkonen, Rev.
David Kallio and the Rev. Peggy Rose, are in the ranks of the Lutheran clergy
serving in other places. Lorraine Sommers Grislis was involved in seminary
education, Ruth Esther Hillila taught at a college in Hong Kong and Patricia Lelvis
served for many years as a mission teacher in Pakistan.
The
Fourth Quarter of the Century 1974-1999
Worship
Services have continued without interruption at St. Mark's. Since 1993 there
have been two services each Sunday except for special days when all have
worshiped together. The 9:30 service is the traditional service when the Lutheran
Book of Worship is used; the organ is used for accompaniment; and the
choir sings. The 11:00 AM service is of a more contemporary nature with piano
accompaniment usually, although a variety of instruments may be utilized;
Ylvisaker's Borning Cry hymnal is used as well as With One Voice, Marty
Haugen's liturgy Now the Feast and Celebration and Pauline Kiltinen's Liturgy
of Joy. Holy Communion is offered at both services each Sunday.
A
few times each year plus monthly during the summer season the Finnish African
Gospel Mass with its upbeat music is employed with a band of approximately ten
musicians.
Outdoor
services are held once each summer followed by a picnic lunch.
Whatever
form the service takes, God's Word has been joyously proclaimed by Pastors
Paul Hayes (1975), Ingolf Kindem (1979), Douglas Pohlman (1983), Peter Hutter
(1991), James Fogle (1999) and Nancy Amacher & Timothy Bernard (2003
Shared Ministry with Messiah Lutheran). Pastors Rudolph Kemppainen, Peter
Hutter and George Kaiser have served us well as interim pastors.
During
the past quarter century two additional women from St. Mark's have become full
time church workers: Becky Elson Erickson who serves as a missionary in
Africa, and Rev. Peggy Rose who serves as Assistant to the Bishop in Lansing,
Michigan. two other members, Katie Kershke Gallagher, and Eric Kiltinen are
pursuing theological careers and we pray for their success. The Northern Great
Lakes Synod has been conducting a Lay School for Mission where two of our
women have in recent years competed their training: Kathy Godec and Sherri
Bohjanen who became an Associate in Ministry at St. Mark's in 1996.
Special
services have been held annually since 1992 when the wheelchair bound and the
homebound have been transported to the church; after the service the
fellowship hour has been held in the sanctuary since St. Mark's Fellowship
Hall is not accessible to the handicapped.
The
need for Finnish language services gradually disappeared. After Pastor Kuusisto
left in 1978, a Finnish chaplain, Rev. Markku Nurmesviita served Marquette
County holding services in several churches including St. Mark's and in local
nursing homes. Pastors Kemppainen and Keljo had Finnish language services at
St. Mark's on a monthly basis thereafter for several years.
St.
Mark's properties have undergone some changes. In 1974 the choir lofts were
removed with the choir pews lowered to floor level. A new piano was purchased
in 1980. Three years later new church doors, painted a brilliant red, were
installed as was a new sign on the corner of Fair and Presque Isle. With
volunteer labor many improvements were made to the chapel. In 1993 the glass
block cross above the altar was fitted with a stained glass insert to match
the windows in the sanctuary.
In
the year 1993 many other changes were made in the sanctuary. The new $21,575
organ was dedicated at a service led by Pastors Hutter and Kalweit and Bishop
Skogman with Mrs. Ruth Matthews presenting an organ recital. On this festive
occasion, the free standing altar and pulpit which stand on a newly extended
platform were also dedicated. Several of the front pews were replaced by
nicely upholstered, comfortable chairs. The pastor's office was moved to the
old cloakroom and a new cloakroom was partitioned off in the northeast corner
of the sanctuary.
Inasmuch
as the church had long needed parking, the old chapel was razed after much
discussion and 21 parking spots were made available. The secretary's office
was moved from the chapel to the basement and later to the balcony in the
church. New Sunday School quarters were formed in the basement by installing
moveable partitions for privacy, and a new corral became the play area for the
very little ones. Although space is at a premium in the one remaining
building, the rearrangement does make some space for all.
The
number of children at St. Mark's has proportionately declined during the last
quarter of a century as reflected by the pastoral acts of 1998 when there were
only two baptisms and four first communicants as compared to 14 funerals. But
the education of the young continues to be a priority item with dedicated men
and women teachers. Cooperation between Messiah Lutheran Church and St. Mark's
has provided continuing confirmation school and vacation church school;
occasionally St. Michael's Catholic Church and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
have been involved. The work of the Church Council has not always been easy,
but strong leadership has been provided during the past 25 years with six
different men and four women taking their turns as president, Glenn Beckman
serving for more terms than anyone else. At present (1999) Judy Quirk is the
president.
n
1977 the committee structure was strengthened by the Council. Each member was
to serve as the chairman or at least a member of one of the following standing
committees: Christian Education, Church Properties, Evangelism, Finance,
Parish Life, Stewardship, Youth Ministry, and Long Range Planning. Many hours
of work by committee members proved to be a blessing to St. Mark's. To cite
just one example, when there were some financial problems - and there were, on
occasion - the Properties Committee members took it upon themselves to clean
the church to save a custodian's salary. They faithfully did this for six
years when other volunteers took over.
Many
groups have been active over the last decades. The Altar Guild has functioned
continuously for it is vital to our worship service. Five Circles met once a
month for Bible study based on the studies in Lutheran Woman Today. The
meetings also serve to strengthen ties between church women through pleasant
visiting around the coffee table, and through work on whatever projects they
select. The number of Circles dwindled to three: the Miriam, Hanna and Sarah
Circles, but then a new Circle of Grace was formed in 1998 consisting of women
from Messiah as well as St. Mark's. The WELCA organization for all the women
of the congregation was inactive for a few years but resumed activities in
1998 under the leadership of Helen Koski.
A
Men's Club in the1980's and a Couple's Club formed in 1994 were mainly for
fellowship, but are now inactive. There have also been several Bible Study
groups and book study groups for educational purposes as well for the
strengthening of faith.
Lutheran
Campus Ministry has been close to the hearts of many at St. Mark's. It has
been a blessing to have Lutheran Campus Pastors (Carl Mangold, Greg Ormson and
most recently Jon Magnuson) as members or friends of our congregation willing
to share their talents and faith with us.
Music
has been an integral part of each worship service at St. Mark's with Pauline
Kiltinen serving as the organist and Judy Quirk as choir director for almost
two decades. The choir members also need to be thanked for their faithful
attendance at weekly practice sessions, and complimented for the inspiring
music they provide. Each year, events are held to reflect the Finnish
beginnings of St. Mark's by the celebration of two Finnish holidays: Pikku
Joulu (Little Christmas) at the beginning of the Christmas season, and
Juhannus (Midsummer's Day). These appeal to many older people in the
surrounding area as well as to members.
Services
of various types have been made available to members and friends of St. Mark's
over the years. A Blood Bank was established at Marquette General Hospital in
1978; by 1990, 208 units had been donated for use as needed. CPR training was
provided on several occasions. In 1991, a Parish Nurse Program was established
by Jo Skogman, RN who takes blood pressures once a month during the coffee
hour between the two worship services. She also visits our members in Nursing
Homes and those who are homebound. She instituted a Helping Hands program
whereby people needing help were matched with someone from the congregation
willing and able to help. Outreach into the community has occurred often. Each
year since 1978, with financial help from the Lutheran Brotherhood, a
Thanksgiving dinner has been offered free of charge to people who might
otherwise be alone for the holiday. Especially invited are the elderly and
college students who don't go home for the vacation. This has become an
ecumenical enterprise with the ladies from St. Michael's Catholic Church
providing all the pumpkin pies and with members of the Temple of Beth Shalom
setting up the tables, for example. In 1998, a member of Messiah Lutheran
Church served as the overall chairman. Over a hundred dinners - turkey,
stuffing, mashed potatoes, rutabagas, gravy, cranberry sauce, salad, pie and
coffee - have been served annually in the Fellowship Hall and an additional
100 dinners, approximately, have been delivered to shut-ins.
In
1996 when the national Finn Fest was held in Marquette, many of the over 1,000
unique blue and white chairs were painted in the St. Mark's parking lot;
morning devotions were held in the sanctuary each day; a Friday luncheon was
served to former members and friends; and the Sunday morning Worship Service
held at Northern Michigan University, was the St. Mark's organized
Finnish-African Gospel Mass.
St.
Mark's participates in the Habitat for Humanity program by providing workers,
financial aid, as well as some noon meals for all the workers. Knitters
(especially Hilda Brunngraeber) knit mittens all year to be distributed to
needy children at Christmas time. Members, including Sunday School children
and their teachers, take part in the Walk for Hunger fund-raising program.
Contributions have also been made to the Marquette Coalition for Emergency
Services at St. Vincent's and to the Salvation Army. Also, as a community
service, St. Mark's provides a meeting place for three AA groups.
There
have been frequent occasions when the congregation has reached out to the
wider world through its support of synod projects, through direct support of
missionaries, and through its Lutheran World Relief projects. For twenty-eight
years a dedicated group of quilters has been shipping out quilts each year in
ever increasing numbers (195 in the year 1998). Soap, layettes, health kits,
sewing kits and school kits have also been sent overseas.
Centennial
Services May 30, 1999
St.
Mark's is grateful to the Aid Association for Lutherans for the matching funds
it has provided for fund raising activities held for the benefit of the
Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp, tuition aid for a seminary student, the church
kitchen renovation fund, and for help in sending some NMU students to El
Salvador, on a pilgrimage. In this, our centennial year, St. Mark's is
operating on a budget of approximately $100,000. Remodeling of the kitchen has
been completed, but additional improvements are anticipated, such as needed
roof repairs, replacement of the furnace, new storage space and a vestibule
entry at the back door of the Fellowship Hall.
Two
centennial church services were held on May 30, 1999 with Bishop Skogman
preaching at the morning service and Pastor Olaf Rankinen at the afternoon
Finnish service. Special choir music was presented at both services.
On
the following day, May 31, - exactly 100 years after the signing of the
Articles of Incorporation - There was a memorial walk in the Park Cemetery. A
short service led by Pastor Peggy Rose and John Kiltinen was held after which
the group paused and reminisced at the graves of many of St. Mark's earlier
members.
An
amazing choir from the Eastern Coastal Diocese of Tanzania, Africa and their
pastor Rev. Mwangota appeared at St. Mark's. As a one hundredth anniversary
gift, St. Mark's gave them a gift of $500 to help them in their efforts in the
Lord's vineyard.
It
is appropriate to conclude this history of St. Mark's after 100 years as a
family of faith by quoting the last two paragraphs of the 75th Anniversary
Celebration History, which are as true today as then: "A history usually
concerns itself with reminiscing. We remember dedicated pastors and dedicated
laymen. We remember people for progress made in building and in community
building. We are thankful that our forefathers built on the solid rock of
Christ, firmly grounded in Word and Sacrament, in the Name of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. We are not perfect as a congregation and never have been, but
for what we have achieved by God's grace, we are most thankful. May our prayer
be that the present and future generations will cherish this heritage of faith
and continue to grow in their understanding of God, His will and His ways.
We
cannot know what the future holds, but let us look with anticipation to the
opportunities to be God's servants. Let our dreams be unfettered by building,
by location, by culture, by language, but always free enough to be about the
business of our Lord, to bring peace and healing to all mankind. The situation
in which we operate may change greatly - it certainly has changed much since
1899 - but we can be sure that the love of God is constant. 'God is love, and
he who abides in God abides in love.' Let us walk with confidence to our
mission and challenges which lie ahead."
Finding
your way to St. Mark's:
