St. Mark's Lutheran Church & School

Dedicated on December 26, 1875

Torn down in 1896 w/ lumber saved to build a Parsonage, which was completed in September 1898.

Completed & Dedicated on September 12, 1897

Wings to the north and south were added with the chancel section being extended to form a cross and the new space was Dedicated in November 1922.

The Fellowship Hall and new handicap accessible rest rooms were added in 1999.

New siding was added in 2019 and new paint on ceiling and throughout the sanctuary was completed in 2023.

A Brief History of St. Mark's

1874—2024 

In the 1830's, German Lutherans from Missouri began to move to Southern Illinois, and some settled in this area. In 1872, Pastor Tegtmeyer of St. John's Lutheran, Bremen (Illinois Synod) began preaching regularly to a group in Steeleville for two years. On February 15, 1874, this group drew up a constitution and officially became "St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church U.A.C. Steeleville". Trustees were A. Begemann, F. Maasberg and H. Krantz. Other charter members were H. Edler, Sr., H. Beisner, Sr., H Beisner, Jr., F. Neuhausz, H. Lueders, G. Knapp and H. Fiene. Pastor Liebe of Wine Hill assisted with the organization and served St. Mark's until they could call their own pastor. Services were held in the Methodist church until a new church, dedicated on December 26, 1875, was built at a cost of $1,527.68, on land donated by James Malone, with the stipulation that it was to be used forever for church purposes only.

Pastor Liebe was called to serve St. Mark's, as well as Wine Hill, and was installed on May 18, 1876. St. Mark's joined the Missouri Synod in 1878. During this year, an acre of land for burial purposes was bought, as well as six city lots and 1/2 acre. One of the existing buildings on these lots was used for a school and another for a parsonage. Because of the increasing attendance at school, a new building was built on one of the lots and was dedicated on November 3, 1885, at a cost of $596.20. It was decided to call a teacher, since up until then the pastor had served as teacher, W Koch accepted the call and was installed in August 1895.

Discussion began about building a new church and parsonage. The church was completed at a cost of $3,079.95 and was dedicated on September 12, 1897. At this time there were 334 souls with 188 communicants, and 57 children enrolled in St. Mark's School. Good lumber from the old building was saved and used for building the parsonage at a cost of $1,106.89. By 1906, more room was needed for school, so an addition was added to the present building,

In 1918, since all services were conducted in German, St. Mark's was harassed by mobs of anti-Germans, so volunteers guarded the church at night to prevent vandalism or even fire. It was also decided to close the school for one year or until things calmed down. After one year, the school reopened.

In 1922, north and south wings with balconies were added on the west end of the present church building and the cancel area was extended to the west to form a cross, estimated seating was 800.

A new school building, built on land donated by Albert Gilster, was dedicated in December 1928, it was a two-story brick building. The old school building was remodeled into a residence and sold in 1944. From 1926 to 1949, vicars and assistant pastors were required to also teach school.

In 1934, it was decided to conduct all voters' meetings in English. Due to problems during WWI, it was decided in 1941 to conduct all church services in English. In 1944, a basement, bathrooms and furnace were installed in the church.

As a special project for the 75th anniversary of St. Mark's, new art glass windows were installed in 1949. This was made possible by individuals donating windows as memorials or gifts. A new Moeller organ was installed on the back balcony in 1950. The old organ located in the front of the church was sold.

An addition to the west side of the school, costing $117,500.00 was dedicated on October 23, 1960. In 1963, St. Mark's bought the Weaver house adjacent to the school property, so that school grounds now consisted of one square city block.

In observance of its centennial in 1974, St. Mark's voted to do remodeling and decorating of the church. A new building attached to the west end of the church would contain offices, meeting room, working kitchen, restrooms, storage, etc. The narthex was enlarged, new chancel railings, new pews, new carpeting in the aisles and open areas, and new tile under the pews were installed. A special service was held on October 20, 1974, to bury a time capsule, which could possibly be opened at the 150th anniversary in 2024. This is located south of the church next to the flagpole.

In 1980, it was decided to sell the teacherage. Air conditioning was added in 1984. In 1985, it was decided to tear down the old garage at the parsonage and build a new three-car garage. Organ rededication was held on November 25, 1990, after it had been converted from pneumatic action to solid state electronic action. In 1992, it was decided to have a Saturday evening church service, and this service is still popular today. Redecorating of the church was done in 1993 with redoing the lighting system, putting wood tile in the chancel area, installing new carpet, and building a free-standing altar.

In 1995, a carillon bell system was donated and installed in church. An addition of a fellowship room and handicapped accessible restrooms was added to the north side of the church and a meeting room and storage room were added to the office complex to the west. Expenses were lessened by Using Laborers for Christ. This was done in 1999.

To protect the church windows from storm damage, it was decided to install storm windows in 2005, Funds received from an estate were used to blacktop a parking lot located west of the parsonage in 2006. This was also the year that Lutheran Service Book was adopted for use by St. Mark's to replace previous hymnals used.

In 2008, a "Peace In the Parish Consultation" program was conducted. A bad hailstorm in 2009 caused damage to roofs of the church, gym, and houses and resulted in needing new roofs on these buildings. Insurance covered the expenses. On April 21, 2010, a new constitution was adopted by the voters which allowed all communicant members of St. Mark's, who were in good standing, to be Voting Members. This meant that women could now serve on Boards, with the only exception being the Board of Elders. Women also could not hold the office of President or Vice-President.

An unsettling and sad time in the history of St. Mark's came during the years of 2014-2017. The pastor was notified that he had been suspended from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The decision was appealed and despite many efforts by the Board of Elders and members of St. Mark's, the decision stood, and he was removed from the clergy roster of the Synod on July 31, 2015. St. Mark's was then suspended from Synod because we were being served by a pastor not recognized by Synod and were eventually removed from membership in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in August 2017. Upon the resignation of the pastor, St. Mark's was able to apply for reinstatement into Synod. The Southern Illinois District Board voted to reinstate St. Mark's as a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri on November 4, 2017. We were served with a trained interim pastor, until a new pastor accepted a call to St. Mark's.

In March 2019, a hailstorm hit portions of Steeleville. Properties of St. Mark's suffered major damage. As a result, new roofs were needed, and siding needed to be replaced. Insurance covered most of this expense. St. Mark's celebrated its 145th anniversary in September of 2019, with a former vicar serving as the speaker. A picnic was held in the city park. In November of 2019, the voters' assembly voted to purchase a new digital organ from Rodgers Organ Company for $155,850.00. This would be integrated with pipes from the old Moeller organ.

2020 was a year to remember. A highly contagious virus called COVID-19 spread worldwide, causing much disruption in our lives. Schools were ordered to close their doors in March. Students received packets of homework to complete at home. They were able to have in-school classes again in August 2020, but with restrictions. Churches were closed and the last service held at St. Mark's was the weekend of March 14/15. Services, however, were available online. Services in church resumed on June 13/14, 2020 with masks being required and seating in every other pew. Private communion was available but did not become available during church services until September 2020. Restrictions were finally lifted on June 11, 2021, so seating in church was, again, everywhere. Sadly, several members of St. Mark's died because of Covid.

In 2023, for the first time in the history of St. Mark's, we were served by both, an intern deaconess and a student from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, who served as a fieldworker.

With the 150th anniversary of the founding of St, Mark's coming in 2024, plans were made to redecorate the church during 2023. The paint on the metal ceiling of the church was peeling very badly. Sandblasting was done, followed by painting. The entire inside of the church was redecorated, plus making changes in the office area. New flooring and carpeting were installed. The total cost of the project was $300,225.77. Plans were made to have various monthly speakers during 2024. A time capsule which had been buried at the 100th anniversary, was designated to be opened during the observance of the 150th anniversary.

God has truly blessed St. Mark's. At the October 2023 Voters' Meeting, it was reported that St. Mark's had 1,003 Baptized Members, with 799 of these being Confirmed Members. Attendance at St. Mark's School in Pre-Kindergarten — Grade 8 was 122 students. We are thankful for many members who have given special gifts to St. Mark's - giving of their time, talents, and money. Some have chosen to leave a portion of their estate. Various organizations have played a big role in special projects for the church and school. St. Mark's has had a Lutheran Laymen's League, Ladies Aid, Priscilla Club, Walther League (now the Youth Group), Couples' Club, Women's Missionary League, Parent Teacher League, Adult Choir, Children's Choir, Bell Choir, and Fellowship Club. Some of these have disbanded because of lack of attendance.

In closing, even though buildings may rot & decay, let us remember that the church's sure foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord — to Him be the Glory!

Much of this history was condensed from one completed by Harold "Hack" Mueller in 1999. Updated By Erna & Olin Edler 2024.