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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Service of Dedication September 13, 1970 “NOT TO BE MINISTERED TO, ….
BUT TO MINISTER” (Church motto on baptistery
destroyed by fire of January 27, 1914) The pioneer village of Waupaca on
the Indian Trail between the Wisconsin River and the Fox River Valley was
established some years before Wisconsin became a state. Before any churches were organized,
itinerant preachers and circuit riders of various faiths came to hold services
in homes, frequently in the farmhouse of Sheriff Vaughn, near our present
airport. Often, Rev. D. A. Peck, a
Baptist, led in services and on Jan. 21st, 1854 he organized a
“society for religious instruction” as recorded in the first record book of the
church. He became the first pastor,
holding meetings in the schoolhouse. On
October 28, 1854 at a business meeting, it was voted to adopt the “Articles of
Faith and Rules of Order” as contained in the New Hampshire Confession of
Faith, which is a statement of distinctive Baptist beliefs, together with
scripture references upon which such beliefs are based. Prominent among these
beliefs is the right of a church and the individual to be independent of all
higher authority, “EXCEPT GOD HIMSELF”.
This action by the church has never been rescinded. A lot was purchased on the corner of Randall
and Division Streets and the first church building was completed in 1863. Kerosene lamps and wood burning stoves
furnished the light and warmth. Horse
sheds were erected to the north and west sides of the building to fill the
parking needs of those days. It seemed to be a continuous
financial struggle to meet expenses during this early period and often they
depended on mission pastors to supply the pulpit. They were finally advised, since they had no financial future,
and were unable to keep the church functioning, that the building would have to
be closed. A small group of pioneer
women rose to this challenge and determined to hold prayer meetings, thereby
keeping the building in use. Finding
the doors locked, they managed to climb thru a window and hold their meeting,
thus accomplishing their purpose. A
furnace was installed in 1892 and Sunday school rooms were added when Rev.
Colby was pastor. Six years later with
Rev. Robinson as pastor, an extensive remodeling project was undertaken, the
steeple was torn down from the center of the east front and moved to the south
east corner and the small paned windows were replaced with diamond shaped
frosted panes. In 1912 during the ministry of A. T.
Erickson, one of the members, Mr. Herman Ewald sold his farm, giving a
substantial legacy to the church. A new building program added a wing to the
south with a balcony and kitchen facilities in the basement. On the night of January 27, 1914 the
church was almost destroyed by fire. Other churches in the city responded with wonderful good will,
offering their facilities. Preaching
services and Sunday school classes were held in the Methodist, Danish Baptist
and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches. As the bell rolled down from the
tower during the fire, it tolled mournfully, with what sounded like a sad
farewell. The motto which was above the
baptistery, NOT TO BE MINISTERED UNTO BUT TO MINISTER, could still be read,
even after the fire. All went to work cleaning away
debris, to make ready for re-building and on July 12 to 14th
re-dedication services were held.
Former pastors, A. Jacobs, A. T. Erickson and E. R. McKinney evangelist,
along with Methodist pastor S. A. Sheard participated. As our pastor Rev. Milne waved his hand
toward the tower with “Let the bell ring out” it was a joyful time of
thanksgiving for the congregation. In this building were installed
beautiful stained glass windows, some given in memory to those who had gone on
before, but whose faithful work remained, and others sponsored by Sunday school
classes. In the summer of 1914 Division
Street on which the church’s main entrance is located, received its first
paving of Macadam. Gone forever now the
mud of spring and fall and the dirt and dust raised by the increasing number of
automobiles churning about Waupaca’s streets. The real need of a parsonage for the
church’s pastor and family had been evident for quite some time and the
congregation recognizing this, voted on April 16, 1918 to build a home for its
pastor. Construction began on May 1 and was completed on Septem-ber 20 of that
year. During its fifty-two years of
existence this sturdy building has furnished the needs of sheltering for ten of
the church’s pastors and their families. In this present day of inflation and
high cost of living, it’s interesting to not the cost of construction for the
parsonage totaled $4,975.00 and that of the garage, which came along in 1929,
was $229.36. In the spring of 1919 the great
influenza epidemic which was sweeping the nation and had killed thousands,
moved into Waupaca. It succeeded in
doing what the devil had never been able to do: It closed the doors of the church for a period of seven weeks. In February of 1916 as again in the
summer of 1920 the church united with the Methodists for a six week
Evangelistic campaign. The services
were held in huge tents fronting Fulton Street in 1916 and in the school yard
in 1920. The records show a period of steady
growth during the following decades to the present day; times of Grace and
periods of real trial and testing for the membership, also. That the effects of the market crash
of 1929 and Depression years of the 1930’s were felt by the congregation are
vividly revealed in the budget for the church business year of 1934-35. The total budget was $1,910.00 of which
Pastor Doody’s salary was $1,200.00.
Two years previously his salary had been $1,400.00. These figures in contrast with the 1970
annual report of $65,000, total receipts, reveal how financially difficult
among other things the great depression was, for those who endured it. Pastor Turk made note in his
farewell remarks to the congregation on Sept. 2, 1945: “Today we celebrate the first Sunday in this
present century that this church has been entirely debt free.” He further stated; “Truly, it has been
miraculous how God has Blessed us as we have labored for Him.” To which we in 1970 also attest and add
amen! The purchase of a new organ in 1948
seemingly marked the beginning of a new period of remodeling and renovating for
both the building and parsonage. Some
of these major projects undertaken by the members included a new roof and
chimney for the church, redecorating the main auditorium and basement, laying a
new sidewalk and curb-ing, adding additional Sunday School rooms, new restroom
facilities, fire escape, heating plants in the church and parsonage, remodeling
the church kitchen, besides many smaller projects too numerous to detail
here. The painting of the parsonage in
1967 by the members marked the close of this busy span of activity. Starting with the ministry of Dr.
Russell and continuing during Pastor Stuermer’s term and that of our present
Pastor; it had become increasingly evident that more class rooms for an
expanding Sunday school and church membership was needed. That the building’s facilities could no
longer adequately fill those needs was also apparent. Thus it was that a building
committee, members of the Board of Deacons and Trustees, were formed and
directed by the church to look for a building site and to develop plans for a
new building. On the recommendation of the building committee, the church voted
on Nov. 2, 1966 to purchase a tract of land in the south-eastern part of the
city, looking forward to the building of a new church on that site. Ground breaking ceremonies were held
following the morning worship service of June 29, 1969. Construction commenced August 11, 1969 and
the building was completed in July of this year. The doors were opened for
worship services for the first time on July 19, 1970. We are here today, Sunday, September 13, 1970, to dedicate this
building to the Glory of God. ************ PASTORS THROUGH THE YEARS 01. Rev. D. A. Peck January 21, 1854 – October 29, 1959 02. Rev. W. Levisee February 10, 1860 – December 1, 1860 03. Rev. Fuller February
23, 1861 – March 31, 1863 04. Rev. John Post April 30, 1864 – February 29, 1869 05. Rev. Thos. Bright March 26, 1870 - ? 06. Rv. S. C. Sale September 28, 1872 – September 16,
1976 07. Rev. J. W. Fish December
30, 1976 – March 13, 1878 08. Rev. H. L. Kutchin June 9, 1878 – Sept. 25, 1880 09. Rev. Edwin Jones October 30, 1881 – March 12, 1883 10. Rev. A. Jacobs March 22, 1883 – July ? – 1884 11. Rev. MacLeod October
5, 1884 - ? 1885 12. Rev. C. T. Roe December 16, 1885 – May 28, 1887 13. Rev. W Schleiman June 25, 1887 – August 24, 1887 The
five years between 1887 and 1892 were very hard for the church. They are best revealed by the following
notation of an unknown member in the church records: “Nov. 29, 1890 … Prayer meeting today and I sit here alone.” 14. Rev. R. H. Colby August 26, 1892 – April 5, 1897 15. Rev. A. Goodwin April 25, 1897 – December 15, 1897 16. Rev. Henry Robinson January 4, 1898 – September 27, 1899 17. Rev. H. Proctor October 25, 1899 – January 7, 1902 18. Rev. F. Hayward March 5, 1902 – November 3, 1905 19. Rev. A. T. Erickson June 20, 1906 – July 24, 1912 20. Rev. M. B. Milne October 1, 1912 – December 1, 1914 21. Rev. A. Jacobs November 8, 1914 – November 8, 1922 22. Dr. J. W. Clevenger December 1, 1922 – October 12, 1925 23. Rev. W. W. Woodward 1925 – 1928 24. Rev. G. N. Doody July 18, 1938 – April, 1942 25. Rev. G. E. Turk June 17, 1942 – September 2, 1945 26. Rev. P. E. Lorentzen October 3, 1945 – July 30, 1947 27. Rev. V. D. Byers November 19, 1947 – January 18, 1955 28. Dr. A. U. Russell January 23, 1955 – November 17, 1957 29. Rev. H. A. Stuermer 1958 – 1962 30. Dr. Harold Reemstma July 1, 1962 – January 24, 1972 31. Rev. Leon Leeds December 15, 1975 – February 1986 32. Rev. Larry G. Gross 1986 -
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