Church History

The congregation of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Grandview was organized by the Rev. Peter Glenn January 23, 1853. Originally, the church was called New Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church because it had its beginning at New Hope Landing northeast of the present site of Grandview. During the pastorate of William H. Dolboor (1889-1892) the name was changed to First English Lutheran Church and entered as such in the Olive Branch Synod.

At the time of the celebration of the church's centennial, it was discovered in the Olive Branch archives that Grandview Church at one time had been called St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. This was during the pastorate of William L. Guard (1898-1902). At a congregational meeting August 16, 1953, it was unanimously decided to re-adopt the name St. Mark's.

When the Rev. C.L. Kuhlman (1895-1898) helped organize a new Lutheran congregation in Rockport, the two churches became the Rockport-Grandview Lutheran Parish.

St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockport was organized March 20, 1870, by the Rev. P.M. Reidenbach. However, because services were held in the German language, a group of members met on October 9, 1896, to form a new congregation. This congregation was to become Trinity Lutheran Church and under the guidance of the Rev. Kuhlman was received into the Olive Branch Synod in October 1896. Rev. Kuhlman traveled back and forth between Grandview and Rockport by river packet to administer to the two churches.

Because the new congregation had no church home, services were held in the Rockport Christian Church. It was recorded that on October 11, 1896, the church collection was $1.35. The total collection for the first four months of the new year was $36.13 with disbursements of $4.30.

In the spring of 1897, the cornerstone for a new church building on Elm Street in Rockport was laid and on November 21,1897, dedication was celebrated.

The lectern, baptismal font and pulpit, designed and made by the Charles Lieb Chair Mfg. Co., was donated by Mr. Lieb and his associate. L.F. Weiss, and placed in Trinity Church at the time of dedication.

Fire in 1892 destroyed the parsonage in Grandview along with all the church records. This left the Parish without a home for the pastor and so on November 24, 1900, ground was broken for a new parsonage on the lot west and adjacent to Trinity Church in Rockport. In 1907, a bell was hung in the steeple at Trinity at a cost of $100.

On April 30, 1933, a new altar at Trinity was dedicated, and on August 6 of that year, through a gift of Mr. Weiss, a new basement for Sunday school, fellowship hall and kitchen, also was dedicated to the memory of Walter J. Weiss and a plaque was placed on the wall there. On May 12, 1940 a new Wicks pipe organ was presented to the congregation by Mr. Weiss in memory of his wife. Many other memorials and gifts to the church are recorded in the church archives.

The formal celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. Mark's was held Sept. 27, 1953, at which time a new electric organ, purchased especially for the occasion, was played for the first time. Another major improvement to the church was the placing of a new altar, presented by Mrs. Martha Haines in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John G. Foertsch. Other gifts were presented by the Lloyd, Biedenkopf, Thurman and Cadick families and organizations within the congregation.

An outstanding gift to the congregation at St. Mark's which previously had been given by Edward Valentine Wilbern in memory of his parents, John and Mary Wilbern, included a set of 10 tubular tower chimes. The chimes were dedicated on June 6,1931 after the church building had been remodeled to construct a tower for the chimes. At this time, stucco also was applied to the exterior and a porch with columns was added. Two beautiful art glass windows were installed at the entrance way. One of the windows bears the inscription, "In Memory of the Wilbern Family and the Wenner Family."

During the 1937 Ohio River flood, St. Mark's was extensively damaged and the mechanical instruments of the chimes were ruined. After flood damage to the church had been repaired, a re-dedication ceremony was held December 19, 1937, with the Rev. Wilbur M. Allen, Parish pastor, presiding.

In September 1953, when the Southern Conference meeting was held at St. Mark's, the Rev. Eugene DeJerus, Parish pastor and conference chaplain, told the gathering that the conference had been brought to Grandview in order to join in the celebration of the centennial of the church.

[It should be noted here that the founder and first pastor of St. Mark's, the Rev. Peter Glenn, died as a martyr. He left Grandview to serve the parish in Corydan, Indiana, and while there was sought out by Morgan's Raiders and shot far his outspoken opposition to slavery. This was during the Civil War in 1863. ]
[It can also be noted Chat the Rev. John H. Diehl, 1909-1923, served the parish for the longest period of time of any pastor before or since. While here, he also served as superintendent of the Rockport public schools.]

In January 1936, Trinity church received a monetary trust fund following the death of the Rev. Karl W. Kramer. A trust fund previously had been established by his mother, Mrs. Catherine Kramer. Other trusts include those provided by the late Victor Mohr and the late Elizabeth Murray Fowler.

As indicated by the breaks between dates of some pastorates in the Parish, as listed at the close of this brief historical account, it became more and more difficult to obtain permanent pastors for the two churches.

Richard G. Recker, a theology student, served as supply pastor during the summer of 1948 and then for three difficult years, the two congregations struggled to keep their members together without a pastor to lead them. Sunday school classes were conducted each Sunday and worship services were held whenever a supply pastor could be obtained. It was in November 1951 that the prayers of the two congregations were answered when the Rev. Lewis C. Westenbarger, then serving a church in Indianapolis, answered a-call to the Rockport-Grandview parish.

In 1952, Trinity celebrated its 56th anniversary and at that time, pictorial booklets relating the history of the church were printed by Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Patmore and presented to the members of the congregation as a memorial to Louis F. Weiss.

In 1965, St. Mark's remodeled the basement of the church to use as a fellowship hall and Sunday school room. A fully-equipped kitchen also was added. In 1971, extensive remodeling was done to the sanctuary which included a new altar, lectern, pulpit, pews, wall cross, lighting, carpeting and various other improvements. By 1978, a Hammond electric organ was purchased to replace the organ which had been in use since the celebration of the centennial.

In the fall of 1979, a doublewide mobile home was purchased for use by church pastors.
With the exception of general needed maintenance at Trinity Church and the parsonage, no major changes were made until wall paneling was installed in the church sanctuary. New carpet was laid in 1979.

For many years, various pastors had attempted a merger of the two churches into one congregation and during the pastorate of the Rev. Gerald North, the merger came closer to reality than ever before. Once again the matter was abandoned.

In November 1981, Trinity council received a message from St. Mark's council asking for a discussion of a merger. On Sept. 15, 1982, during a joint meeting of the councils with Bishop Ralph Kempski and his assistant, Rev. Lowell Buss, an ultimatum was laid down that a merger was urgent if Lutheranism was to continue in this community.

From that time on, through the dedicated efforts of Pastor John Pavelka and many members of both congregations, the merger was finally becoming a reality and everyone was asked to propose a name for the new church. Holy Cross was chosen by the joint council at a meeting Dec. 6,1982.

There followed many months of legal work in both the merger and in securing a site for Holy Cross, but after many delays, the merger was accomplished. A site on State Road 66 west of Rockport was purchased from the county and construction was begun in 1985.

The parsonage in Rockport was sold in May 1984, the purchase of the new church site was finalized in August, and Trinity church was sold in May 1985. Up to that time, worship services had been held during alternate months in the two churches.

Following the sale of Trinity, all services were held in Grandview until Sunday, August 3, 1986, when the first worship service was held in the new church building. Even though the new building was not yet finished, it was necessary to make the change due to refinishing and reupholstering furniture at St. Mark's. A folding table covered with a white cloth served as an altar in the fellowship hall of the new church, folding chairs were set up and the antique lectern out of Trinity was used as a pulpit for Vicar Mark Sloss, who was serving in the absence of Pastor John Pavelka. From then until today, services were held in the new building with each day bringing more exclamations of joy at the beauty unfolding before the eyes of the beholders.