Heritage
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Church of Our Saviour has been a presence in the Fond du Lac community since 1923. It was first envisioned by a group of area Lutherans who saw a need for a less-conservative and English-speaking congregation, at a time when many area Lutherans were recent immigrants who still worshipped in their native German language. Organized as a mission congregation of the United Lutheran Church by the Rev. B. J. Stecker and chartered in January, 1925, the parish soon acquired the property at 9th and Main Streets, where a basement was built in which to hold worship services. Although plans for a church building were delayed by the Great Depression, the church building that still stands today was finally completed and dedicated in 1937, with the educational wing added in 1961.
Five years before the parish's yearlong celebration of its 75th anniversary in the year 2000, a committee was formed for the sole purpose of creating a small book on the church's history. The committee spent countless hours researching their history, divided into five eras defined by the senior pastors who led the congregation: Stecker, Kuenning, Englund, Goodrich and Wisner.
Over the course of the project, committee members included Dan and Char Honold, Pat Wallender, Lois Weigelt, Elaine Lerch, Marilyn Koepp, Patrick Schuppe, Karen Mertens and Connie Weiss, Laura Korff, Helen Glissendorf and Bob Miller. The project seemed to take on a life of its own - giving birth to little known facts and touching stories. At that same time, Connie Weiss - a member of the parish and professional writer and video producer, planned to produce a 60-minute documentary on the congregation's history. The book committee then approached Connie to add to her mission the writing of their book.
The project's culmination was no small pamphlet, but rather a 250-page book containing not only the parish's story, but a synopsis of events happening on a local, national and world scope during the same time frame. Because of this design, the reader is able to understand how events of the world around them affected Church of Our Saviour and in many cases put their faith to the test. (The "history timeline" link on this page leads to a chart excerpted from the book, showing side-by-side a chronology of events in the parish, the county, and the world.) Along with a vast collection of photographs reproduced in the book are the first-hand personal accounts about the people and events that surfaced during those eras. The 60-minute video documentary also recounts the church's 75-year history. However the story is not narrated, but more appropriately, is told by the members themselves who lived that history. Over 60 people interviewed recount personal stories that give personal witness as this congregation lived through a depression, great wars, civil unrest and the demands for change that come with each new pastor.
The links below provide more information on the history book and video, along with excerpts that may be viewed online.
Book & Video: Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us -- The 75-Year History of Church of Our Saviour
Pastors / Eras in the Life of Our Saviour's