Congregation prepares to say goodbye to Oconto Falls church after 73 years

The final amen at St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church in Oconto Falls on Sunday, Aug. 4 will have a little more emotion.

The church, affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, will hold a closing service after more than 73 years.

The church, 301 S. Chestnut Ave., had its final weekly worship service on Nov. 26 after being without a full-time pastor for nearly three years, after Rev. Matthew Arnold, left after nearly 25 years to go a church in Vassar, Michigan, in early 2021.

"You’ve got to pull the pin at some time and unfortunately, everything hit us at just the right time," said Jim Kardoskee, the church's secretary and former deacon. "You know the WELS is dramatically in need of pastors. There is like 150 vacancies in the synod so that’s why. There are 150 out there waiting, and our wait just ran out."

Kardoskee said the church kept things running with a vacancy pastor from an Abrams church, but it is too difficult to rely on that endlessly.

"We went through almost three years of calling and we just kept getting nope, nope, nope, nope," Kardoskee said. "We even went to the synod three years in a row and asked them for a graduate, and we were never high up enough on the list there so we never got anyone. Unfortunately you cannot go on forever using somebody else’s pastor, so the tough decision was made to close the doors."

The service will be at 3 p.m., conducted by Arnold, the church's longest-serving pastor who will return for the service, and Seminary student John Wenzel, who was confirmed at the church in 2010. Participants will take part in a meal afterward.

Church expanded, grew over the years

A group of WELS members who wanted a church in Oconto Falls founded it on Sept. 5, 1950.

Its first pastor, Rev. Herbert G. Walther, was also pastor of Our Savior's, forming a joint parish between the two churches, according to information provided by Kardoskee.

Parishioners held the church's first service Oct. 1, 1950, at the home of Carl Meyers on South Main Street. They held subsequent services in the basement of the Kiwanis Hall, 101 N. Main St.

On March 31, 1951, the congregation purchased five lots on the corner of South Chestnut Avenue and Cedar Street to build a permanent church, which after hard manual labor was dedicated on Nov. 2, 1952.

Growth continued as St. Mark's Lutheran of the town of Spruce joined in July 1957 to create the Lutheran Tri-church Parish.

The parish eventually needed a larger facility, and on June 27, 1976, they held a groundbreaking service for a new church to be built next to the existing building. Its first service was held Dec. 12, 1976.

In 1988, St. Paul withdrew from the Lutheran Tri-church Parish as it called its own full-time pastor.

The church's final expansion began on Aug. 24, 2003, with the groundbreaking for an addition with an elevator and bell tower; the datestone was laid on Sept. 27, 2007.

8 pastors served St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church

Walther remained the church's first pastor for about four years, leaving on Oct. 24, 1954, according to Kardoskee.

The others who guided the congregation throughout its 73 years were Rev. Wayne Schmidt (July 1955-Jan. 27, 1957), Rev. Arlyn L. Schmeling (June 24, 1957-Oct. 30, 1960), Rev. Victor C. Schultz (Dec. 11, 1960-January 1967), Rev. Warren R. Steffenhagen (July 9, 1967-October 1988), Rev. Charles Heup (Oct. 23, 1988-Oct. 24, 1993), Rev. Steven J. Arndt (July 24, 1994-May 19, 1996), and Arnold (July 21, 1996-Jan. 10, 2021).

What is next for the church?

The church is listed for sale for $400,000, through Ed Rudd Jr. for Keller Williams.

Its description says, "This Church is Very Clean and well cared for. This could have other potential uses, Medical, School Groups, Office, etc."

Both the first and lower levels of the church have 5,830 square feet of space, bringing it to 11,660 total square feet. The lot is just over an acre.

Kardoskee said many of the church's nearly 200 members have transferred to Calvary Lutheran, the WELS church in Abrams, while others have opted to attend churches in Lena, Coleman and Grover.

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Congregation prepares to say goodbye to Oconto Falls church after 73 years