History of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
Brodhagen
Settling in Logan
In the 1850’s, Logan Township saw the rapid settlement of
German immigrants who possessed a firm commitment to the Lutheran
faith. The majority of these stalwart Lutheran pioneers in the
Brodhagen area came from the northern provinces of Germany, namely West
Prussia, Hanover, Hessia, Mechlenburg, and Saxony. The first
years in Canada were spent at hard labor clearing the land, building
log houses and roads.
First Lutheran Congregation
Two years after organizing St. John’s congregation at Wartburg
in 1856, Rev. John Hengerer of Seebach’s Hill traveled west into Logan
Township and found German settlers on Concessions 6 and 7 and on the
next concession north he found more Lutherans without a pastor.
For months these families were meeting on Sunday to read scriptures and
Lutheran sermons. On November 8, 1858, Rev. Hengerer met with
these two groups and it was decided to form one congregation called The
First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Logan township.. Since the
membership was too large for one meeting place, services were held in
two local school houses. The group from concession 6 and 7 met in
the School at Section No.3 and the second group
from Concessions 8 and 9 met in the School at Section No.
4 near Brodhagen.
The First Pastors
Pastor Hengerer of St. John’s continued to serve them until a
permanent pastor arrived. The new congregation received its first
pastor, Rev. H. Hoehn in the summer of 1859. Rev. Hoehn served
only one year and then returned to the United States. He was
followed by Rev. Carl Rudolph Gerndt, who led and served the
congregation for eleven years.
Expansion
As more and more people settled in the area served by
School No. 4 , the school building was too small to accommodate
the people who wanted to attend Sunday services. School No.
3 was large enough for the group attending there. The
church council now had to consider the need for a church building large
enough for the entire congregation. It was decided to
call a meeting of the congregation for December 5, 1865. This
meeting recognized the need for a church building but could not agree
as to the location for their church.
Two Congregations
Two years later, in 1867, First Lutheran decided to divide
into two congregations, elect two church councils which were installed
February 17th, and to erect two church buildings. That section
which met in School No. 3 represented 30 families and the other group
using School No. 4 represented 72 families. The records
show that the group which had used School No. 4 agreed to have the
smaller group retain the name First Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Logan township. There was a group of Lutherans in nearby McKillop
Township who referred to themselves as St. Peter’s congregation.
This group now worshipped with those in School No. 4 and the name of
St. Peter’s was adopted by that congregation. They also adopted
the original constitution, changing only the name and retained their
affiliation with the Canada Synod. Both congregations were served
by Pastor Gerndt.
The First St. Peter’s Church Building
In January, 1867, School No.4 was destroyed by fire.
Both school and church services were then held in a woodshed belonging
to the school. This made the building of a church an immediate
necessity. St. Peter’s congregation had purchased an acre of land
from Karl Rock opposite School No. 4. They also were
granted 50 acres of land from the Canada Land Company to help support
the church. The cornerstone for the first St. Peter’s Lutheran
Church building was laid May 5th and was dedicated August 25th,
1867. The church was a white frame building, 60 feet by 30 feet
and constructed at a cost of $1,200 Two large bells, cast in
Cincinnati, Ohio and dated 1889, were installed in the tower. The
larger bell was named Mary and the smaller bell Martha. These
bells were later installed in the second church and today still call
the people to worship.
Parsonage
Soon thereafter, St. Peter’s congregation built a parsonage
for Pastor Gerndt. It was completed in December 1868. The present
yellow brick parsonage was built in 1896 during the pastorate of Rev.
Weigand at a cost of $2,000. The old frame parsonage was moved to
Brodhagen where it served for many years as a house.
Cemeteries
In 1869 a new cemetery was established behind the church,
previous burials since 1858 having taken place on the school grounds.
In 1974, three acres of land just west of the cemetery were purchased
from Allan Siemon for future cemetery expansion.
Sheds
In 1877 an acre of land was purchased for the erection of
church sheds. The church council decided each shed should be
built by those wishing to use one. The first set of sheds were
close to the road along the east side of the church and eventually
extended a full 200 feet back to the end of the property and made an
“L” turn west to the edge of the cemetery. In 1904 a second
set of church sheds was built on land across the road from the church.
. In 1938, these sheds were replaced by a single cement walled shed,
but with the advent of motor cars, the need for the sheds was
questioned. However, until roads were passable in the winter, horses
continued to bring the faithful to church. In 1951, the shed was turned
into a community rink by asphalting the floor. Unfortunately, the new
millennium has seen the shed fall into disuse, and despite a grand
effort, it is scheduled for demolition in the near
future.
The Second St. Peter’s Church Building
Eventually the congregation outgrew its facilities and it was
decided to erect a larger church. On April 3rd, 1921 the final worship
service was conducted in the old church building .The following day
volunteers started to tear down the building. On May 22nd that
same year, the cornerstone was laid with two thousand people in
attendance. In November the basement was dedicated. Worship
services were held there until the $45,000 structure was
completed. Even before the building went up, all the stained
glass art windows were purchased as memorials. The young people’s
group supplied the Delco Electric Lighting System by contributing
$1,500. Built during the pastorate of Rev. Alberti, the second
St. Peter’s church building was dedicated on July 2nd, 1922.
Property and Improvements
Continual upkeep and modernization have kept the building a
proud landmark in the community. When the brick towers began to
deteriorate, they were repaired in 1940. Further repairs were made in
1949 when the towers and south wall of the church were clad with
permastone. In 1955 the roof was reshingled and the brick walls
further repaired. In 1966 the failing permastone on the towers
was removed and the towers were completely rebricked, but permastone
still remains on the south wall. The interior of the church has
been redecorated and the stained glass windows repaired. In 1980
the basement was renovated by leveling the sloped basement
floor. Two new furnaces were installed and the Sunday School
rooms and the kitchen were remodeled. An elevator that services the
basement and nave were built in 2001 with a new entrance on the west
side of the church.
Music
Since the congregation’s beginning, music has played a
large part in worship. To assist the congregation and choir, a
small organette was purchased in Guelph in 1874 at a cost of $200
and is still in working condition today. In 1903 a pipe organ was
purchased at a cost of $1,000 and was placed at the rear of
the old church. When the new church was built, the organ was installed
at the front of the church on the west side along with choir benches in
an enclosure. In 1960 the organ was rebuilt and electrified and the
console was moved to its present location facing the choir. In 1996 the
organ was again extensively upgraded. It has been estimated that it
would cost at least $100,000 to replace this beautiful pipe organ today.
St. Peter’s congregation has had a choir ever since Mr. C.
Brodhagen organized one for the dedication of the church in 1867.
Mr. E. Brodhagen also served in the same capacity. Later Mr.
Louis Becker directed the choir for forty years. He was followed
by Mr.George Geil. A number of talented organists have played for the
services over the years. The congregation owes a debt of
gratitude to the many members who have sung in the choir over the years
including the junior choir.
Sunday School
The Sunday School at St. Peter’s was first started during the
pastorate of A.R. Schulz in 1874. Classes were held for two hours
in the afternoon and were conducted in German. The Sunday School
has continued and flourished over the years under the guidance of many
dedicated teachers and superintendents. They have presented many
inspirational Christmas Eve programs.
Other Ministries
Other organizations in the church include the Ladies Aid begun
in 1933 by Pastor Friedrichsen. As time passed, the name of the
group has changed from United Lutheran Church Women to Lutheran Church
Women and now to Evangelical Lutheran Women. Over the years the
group has been very active and has participated in many worthwhile
endeavors both at home and abroad.
The Young People were organized into a youth group in
1920. In 1936 they joined the Luther League, affiliated with the
Senate. Through the years, the group have had different names, but the
purpose has been the same-an organization to involve the young people
in activities to further their Christian education and
fellowship.
In 1950 a young married couples group called Stewards of the
Christian Home was organized. For a number of years they
contributed to various projects at the church such as converting the
church sheds into a skating rink for the children and buying new
equipment for the Sunday School and the church.
Today
The membership of St. Peter’s congregation has remained stable
over the years with approximately 450 confirmed members and 150 child
members. St. Peter’s is proud of its heritage and committed to serving
the community as Christian people dedicated to giving praise, honour,
and glory to God.
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