"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 13:8
St. John's Lutheran Church - Yesterday
St. John's Lutheran Church and School have been a part of McHenry County's History for more than 130 years. Many who moved to the Algonquin area in late 1800's were deeply concerned about their spiritual life. In the early 1870's Rev. J.H.C. Steege, of Dundee Immanuel was asked to conduct a Lutheran Church service in the Algonquin Area. He consented and conducted his first service in the E.A. Dickensen School House at the intersection of routes 25 and 62. Thirteen families attended and soon, many more followed. Before long, so many attended that they were able to build their own house of worship.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Algonquin was organized as a congregation March 1, 1876. These thirteen families welcomed others and together, in 1877, they constructed a wooden frame church at the corner of Jefferson and Washington Streets. This church building was designed with a large vestry so that it could also serve as a schoolroom. St. John's first "Called Pastor" was Rev. Henry Freese, installed December 10, 1876.
Signs of The Times
In these early years, parishioners traveled to and from church in horse drawn carriages. A special shed was created to keep the carriages under cover in bad weather. The music program required a number of volunteers to pump air into the organ bellows, by hand, as the organ did not have an electric motor. By 1914, the congregation had outgrown the original church building and a second church structure was built in its place. The cornerstone was laid in 1915 and the dedication of the second church building was held on March 26, 1916 (40 years after St. John's formal organization).
From its organization, St. John's also supported a Christian Day School, Grades 1-8. The Preschool and Kindergarten were later added in the 1970's. Both were built to provide a "Christ-Centered Education" to the increasing numbers of children of the church and the community. The original day school classes were held in the church vestry of the first church structure. As the congregation grew, so did the number of students attending school. In 1901, a modest school building erected on a lot next to the church. At the time, corncobs and wood were used to heat the school.
This little old school house still exists today. In 1982, the building was moved across the street to the corner of Jefferson and Washington streets. It now serves as the home for St. John's Ladies Mission Resale Shop. The Resale Shop has served the community for over 50 years by helping needy families in the community as well as donating monies to mission churches in the area. The ladies have also been gracious in their gifts to support St. John's Church and School.
School Building: A Labor of Love
In 1954, St. John's current school building was erected. The structure was built, in part, by volunteer members and friends of the church. These men put in over 4000 hours of labor into the building. The roof of the school was completed in 1 day by approximately 40 of St. John's Church members.
Melahn Construction served as the general contractor. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Melahn donated $12,000 toward the construction of the building. In addition, Mr. Paul Wendt provided a great deal of the carpentry and window work. The building served grades 1-8 until 1973 when a Preschool and Kindergarten Program was introduced. In 1982, the school was extensively remodeled and today serves students in Preschool through Eighth Grade programs.
In 1982, St. John's also dedicated its multi-use Activity Center. This building serves as the gymnasium, program area, banquet hall and meeting area for larger groups.
St. John's Family
Many McHenry County residents remember St. John's Men's Basketball Team won the All Midwest Lutheran League Conference in Ft. Wayne Indiana. St. John's Algonquin competed against teams from New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and more to win the Midwest Conference Championship Title in the 1950s. Longtime member Ed Hepfinger fondly remembers over 200 friends and neighbors gathering on St. John's front lawn to welcome the team home. Algonquin's Fire Department met the team in front of the then Eastview School and rode them across the river in siren blowing, horns tooting parade at midnight!
Programs. Art wrote the minutes to the 1st Men's Club Meeting, Ed still has those minutes 50+ years later.
St. John's Today and Tomorrow
On May 18, 1997, St. John's Voters' Assembly approved a resolution to construct its third church building on this same site in an effort to serve the growing community and better serve the needs of the current church membership. The new sanctuary offer almost twice the seating as the former church and preserves the history of the former church. Then Pastor Rollin Kuznik and a team of church planning volunteers ensured the rebuild, refurbishment and re-installation of the pipe organ that was originally dedicated in 1940. They also ensured the installment of the former church structure's beautifully crafted stained glass windows; they now share the message of God's blessings on both the north and south walls of the sanctuary as well as throughout the steeple tower.
In addition to these changes, other new amenities include first level entry, handicapped access, air conditioning and an area for fellowship outside the Church Narthex. This new fellowship area allows Church Members a place to share with one another before and after services.
Church Members prayed for and watched the construction of the new church with great anticipation of serving yet another generation of the McHenry County area friends and families. The crew members who labored in building the new church were lifted in weekly prayers offered at weekend services. St. John's members served the crew a barbecue lunch in late June that summer, in thanks for their hard work and dedication.
Church Members prayed for the safe and successful completion of the building, but all are reminded that the Church is not the building but the people who gather to celebrate the Lord and his Grace. This "Family" feeling is what has been the foundation of St. John's from its inception. And, like all families, St. John's has grown, generation after generation, into a community that welcomes new family members each day.