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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives would like to congratulate the congregation of
4St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wheeler on the occasion of its
5150th anniversary; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The history of St. Paul Lutheran Church has its
7roots in the heavy German immigration to Effingham and Jasper
8Counties in the 1860s and 1870s; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The census of 1870 listed 2795 foreign born in
10Effingham County, of which 2121 were German; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Among the Lutherans settled in St. Francis
12Township were two men named Gerhard Siefken and Herman
13Engelbarts; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Mr. Siefken purchased 160 acres of land in 1863
15at $10 an acre, and a part of that land was sold to the
16congregation for the pastor's pasture land; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Mr. Engelbarts purchased 56 acres of land in 1865
18and donated ground for the church buildings and cemetery; and
 
19    WHEREAS, At first, services were held in homes and, soon

 

 

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1after, in the public log school house, which stood on the
2section of land opposite the present location of the church;
3St Paul's congregation was taking on its permanent form and
4resolved to erect its own house of worship; and
 
5    WHEREAS, An important day in the congregation's history
6came on Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 1871, when the new frame
7church measuring 24x40 feet and costing about $1,100 was
8dedicated; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The church was built by 14 original charter
10members, consisting of Fredrich Garbe, Fredrich Behrns,
11Gerhard Siefken, Andrew Blievernicht, August Piel, Carl
12Hasting, Herman Engelbarts, John Fritz, Christoph Raabe,
13Christoph Fritscher, August Gust, Fritz Fritscher, Henry
14Fritscher, and Toenies Harting; and
 
15    WHEREAS, By 1900, the congregation had outgrown the small
16frame church and decided to build a new brick church; Charles
17F. May of St Louis was the architect; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The new building was to be 60x36x18 feet and of
19the Gothic style, including a metal ceiling, an extended
20chancel for the alter, and a slate-covered tower topped by a
21cross to fit the symbol of the faith of St. Paul's members; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The first stone was laid on July 2, 1900, and the
2new church was dedicated on November 19,1900; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The church records were in German until 1934, and
4there have been approximately 1300 confirmations in the last
5150 years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Since 1934, there have been 306 baptisms, 121
7marriages, and 228 burials at the church; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Church membership is currently 146 and is served
9by Rev. Dean Herberts; therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
11HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
12we congratulate the congregation of the St. Paul Lutheran
13Church on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, commend the
14continued good work of the church within and beyond the
15community of Wheeler, and wish them many more years of faith
16and fellowship; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to the congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church as
19an expression of our esteem and respect.