Church changes affiliation, preserves founders' doctrine

As of January, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pocahontas has become a member congregation of The American Association of Lutheran Churches. The AALC is a conservative church body based on the theme: "Faith Alone, Grace Alone and Scripture Alone."

Practices of the large Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church body were of grave concern to the small rural congregation, especially issues concerning the ordination of gays and lesbians and interpretation of scripture. After months of prayer and study, St. John's voted to leave the ELCA in late 2010.

The members of St. John's Lutheran Church continue to base their ministry on Jesus Christ as the head of the church, with his word as the final authority for our lives.

St. John's has a long history of sharing the gospel of Christ in Pocahontas, beginning shortly after the Civil War in 1867.

The area had experienced many changes by that time. It had been about 10 years since the last American Indians had moved from the area, and immigrants from Germany and Austria had been arriving since about 1858.

Pocahontas was laid out as a village in 1861, but wasn't incorporated as a town until 1893.

The dedicated group of Lutherans forming the new church at Pocahontas were originally members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, Mo., nearly eight miles away. Most of them resided in the village of Pocahontas or the surrounding hills of the tiny settlement.

The distance to the church in New Wells would not be an issue in today's world, but in the 1860s with travel by horse and buggy or on foot, it was a great distance.

A Christian education for their children and Sunday worship were top priorities to these determined Lutherans. The following names can be found in the church records belonging to the founding fathers of St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas: Bruhl, Edlinger, Gamsjaeger, Gratz, Haberfellner, Hoehl, Leimer, Ludwig, Petzoldt, Pilz, Putz, Rastl, Schattauer, Schmidt, Steiner and Walmann.

Repeated requests were made to the church in New Wells for a school to be built in Pocahontas. These requests were denied, so the group decided to leave the church and start one of its own.

Even without a church building in which to hold services, they found a way to worship. A Lutheran pastor from Altenburg, Mo., was invited to conduct services in the homes of the small group.

It wasn't long before land was purchased, and in 1868 work began on a new church building. That first church building was completed in 1870. The first pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church was Joseph Westenberger, who also conducted the parochial school.

Over the last 143 years St. John's has seen many changes.

The church building has had to be rebuilt twice, with the present building being completed in 1910. The first parsonage was built in 1903.

Sunday school was organized in 1920 and the Luther League in 1922. In 1928 a new pipe organ was dedicated, and in 1929 the liturgy was introduced in the English services. In 1938 the St. John's Ladies Aid was organized, and the church, parsonage and school were provided electricity.

The parochial school was discontinued in 1940, having been in operation nearly 70 years. Adult Sunday school was organized in 1945 and adult choir in 1946.

The Young Married Peoples Society was started in 1947 and continued for thirty years. Building projects during the 1950s included a new parsonage in 1951 and a new parish hall in 1958.

Women were received as voting members in 1969. In 1974 the Ladies Aid and the Miriam Circle were replaced with St. John's Lutheran Church Women.

The interior of the church has been redecorated at various times. The most recent redecoration was completed in 2010, as the building turned 100 years old.

St. John's Lutheran congregation has 196 baptized members, some of them direct descendants of the founders of the church.

It is with new vigor and dedication that, just as their forefathers before them, they teach and share the true word of God and Christ crucified with their fellow man.

Worship services, led by the Rev. Bruce Ritter, are at 10 a.m. Sundays. Children and adult Sunday school begins at 8:45 a.m.

For more information call 573-833-6260, visit www.stjohnsaalc.org or email stjohnspocahontas@gmail.com.