Holy Lutheran Church

Holy Lutheran Church. Historical Sketch. , Holy Cross Congregation holds the distinction of worshiping in the oldest church building in Ste. Genevieve. Lutheranism in the second oldest Christian faith to have been established in Ste. Genevieve; the Roman Catholic faith being first., The congregation was founded in January, 1867, just after the Civil War, by a small group of German Lutherans living in and around Ste. Genevieve. For the first two years, they worshiped in homes or available halls., The trustees of the new congregation purchased the present church property from Francis A. and Louise Kempf for $660. The congregation was incorporated in the Ste. Genevieve County Circuit Court on May 11. 1867, under the name "The German Lutheran Evangelical Church.", Little time was lost in building a church to house the small congregation. Work began in early spring, 1867. The building was roughly finished and occupied in 1869, but it was not until 1875 that all the finishing touches were added. The church was built from native materials, including the limestone rock foundation, the hand-made brick and the wooden beams., While construction costs of $3,000 seem insignificant to us today, this was no small undertaking for this smallngroup of Germans. In fact, Roman Catholic friends andbneighbors stepped forward to give finacial help., A German Luieran elementary school was opened and conducted within the church building from 1871 to 1890., In 1868, the congregation received its first resident pastor, the Rey Otte F. Voigt.