St. John’s Riverside Church - Gillett
We are a part of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). At the heart of our congregation is the good news of Jesus Christ. Everything we do is centered on God's Word, rooted in His promises, and strengthened through worship, prayer, and Christian fellowship.
Whether you've been part of a church for years or are just beginning to ask questions about faith, you'll find a welcoming community eager to walk alongside you. We invite you to learn, grow, and experience the joy of God's grace with us.
THE HISTORY OF OUR CHURCH
Over one hundred years ago, in 1902, a group of Lutheran's joined together to create the Wilhelmswald Lutherans Incorporated. On August 25, 1903, the congregation purchased the land (on which St. John's Riverside now stands) for one dollar, with the intention of building a place to worship the God Triune, with the celebration of the Sacraments, and to bury their dead in the hope of resurrection. The original sanctuary was built in 1905, about 40 feet south of the present location, out of lumber donated by the Depner family and cut into boards by hand. On April 20, 1905, the founders signed the Articles of Organization of the German Evangelical Lutheran Wilhelmswald Church, German Lutheran Synod of lowa and other states. At that time the church was served by Pastor C. S. Gerlach until 1912, when E. C. Kumpf accepted the call. Both pastors served both our church and St. John's in the City of Gillett.
In the early days, church services were in German, but as the years passed, the German services were phased out in favor of English services. A collection was taken at the altar to cover the cost of communion and, as was customary in many churches, the women and young children sat on the left side of the church while the men and older boys sat on the right side. That custom faded over the years as people began sitting together as families.
From 1922-1927, the Wilhelmswald congregation was served by Pastor Schultheiss from Oconto Falls, until his retirement. Mrs. Schultheiss served as the organist during that same period. In 1930 the Iowa, Ohio, Texas, and Buffalo Synods joined together, and the American Synod was formed. At that time our church was a member. Our congregation was served by Pastor Kumpf, who sought to merge the congregations of Wilhelmswald and St. John's in 1939. The congregation of Wilhelmswald did not accept the proposed merger.
Pastor William Schroeder, who was serving the Lutheran Church in Zachow, was asked to serve us. Since he was a Pastor of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we became a Missouri Synod congregation. In the early 1940s our name was changed to St. John's Lutheran Church. Schroeder served us until he was called to another parish in January of 1950. Mrs. Loretta Specht was the organist during this time. While we are not sure exactly when the Ladies Aid was formed, the ladies have faithfully served St. John's for decades and would meet in the homes of the members until the basement was added to the church.
Pastor L. J. Ave-Lallemant then served as our vacancy pastor, and in April 1950 members of the Zion Lutheran Church in Oconto consented to joining with us to form one parish. In 1950, a basement was built and the sanctuary was moved over it. In 1961, we studied the Missouri Synod Constitution and, with the help of Pastor Ave-Lallemant, a constitution was written and accepted. Pastor Ave-Lallemant continued to serve the joint parish until his retirement from the active ministry in 1962.
Pastor Martin Sengele served as vacancy pastor until our call went out to Pastor Harold Bode. He accepted the call and was installed as pastor of the Zion/St. John's joint parish on April 1, 1963. While we were being served by Pastor Bode, we became self-supporting and would no longer receive subsidies. Although the money had not been plentiful, we reached our mission goal for the year and hoped to achieve more with God's help. The Ladies Aid joined the LWML in August of 1964. In December 1965, Pastor Bode received a call to Antwerp, Ohio. He accepted the call and left our parish.
Pastor Martin Sengele was again called to serve us. He was assisted by Pastor Henry Nau from Shawano. Zion and St. John's again jointly called a pastor. Pastor James Slow answered our call on June 26, 1966, and was installed on September 4, 1966. Pastor Slow served us until he started to serve a Marinette church on September 15, 1968. To give him more time to work in this new church, St. John's released Rev. Slow from his preaching duties
In 1970 an addition was made to the church which included the pastor's room and a meeting room.
Rev. John Westphal, of Immanuel, was our pastor on call, and Rev. Henry Nau was our vacancy pastor until August 31, 1973.
Pastor Roger Eden, from Immanuel Lutheran Church of Gillett, served from 1973 until December 28, 1975.
Rev. Sengele was our vacancy pastor, and Rev. Glenn Stroschein and Rev. Edward Steyer instructed the confirmation class. Pastor Floyd Grothman, from St. John's in Pulaski, was installed on August 5, 1979.
In 1980, a new entry with restrooms was added to the church and the entire structure resided. In 1989 our name was changed to St. John's Riverside, to avoid confusion with St. John's on Main Street in the city of Gillett. 1989 Pastor Grothman helped us draw up a new constitution and for the first time St. John's Riverside had the right to vote in the Missouri Synod.
On November 1, 1991, our sanctuary was virtually destroyed by fire. On Sunday, November 3, services were held at the Kuehl Funeral Home. Until our sanctuary was rebuilt, worship services were held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Gillett. In January of 1992, Van Rite & Father Inc. of DePere was contracted to rebuild our church, and on June 21, 1992, our new sanctuary was dedicated.
Pastor Grothman continued to serve both St. John's Riverside and St. John's in Pulaski until his retirement in July 1992 at which time he was succeeded by Pastor Steven Kline. Rev. Kline also served both churches, until St. John's in Pulaski called him to serve them only.
Pastor M. Thur served as our vacancy pastor from 1993-1994, until Pastor John Laastch answered our call to serve us in 1994, and shortly thereafter agreed to serve St. John's, in Pulcifer as well. Lowell Wians became our organist in 1999, when Liz retired. In 2004, Lowell's poor health forced him to retire, and Liz returned to lead us in song. In 2004, we were asked to join with St. John's, in Pulcifer, and Immanuel, on County Road H, in Gillett, in forming one congregation, and eventually build a new Sanctuary large enough for all three congregations. We decided against joining with the other two churches (which later became known as Faith United) and in August 2004 Pastor Laastch left our service in order to serve the newly formed Faith United Church.
With Pastor Laastch's departure, we called for Deacon Michael Zamzow to serve our congregation, and he accepted the call in September 2004.
As we look back with gratitude for God's faithfulness throughout our congregation's history, we also look ahead with hope and confidence in His promises. While much has changed over the years, our mission remains the same: to faithfully proclaim the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and share the love of Christ with our community. We thank God for those who have come before us and pray that He continues to guide and bless our congregation for generations to come.