County of church: Warren County
Location of church: Church St, Holstein
Built: 1884
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
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IMMAMUEL AT HOLSTEIN
HERO CENTRAL VBS
July 17-21 8:80-11:30am
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Sunday Worship 10AM
Rev. Jeanne Lischer Pastor
"This brick church, the third building the congregation in Holstein has constructed, was dedicated on 28 October 1884.
"The large stone in the foreground of this picture, with a brass plaque, was erected across the street from the present church in April 1990 to commemorate the congregation's 150th anniversary.
"The stone stands on the former site of the first two church buildings and is surrounded by the oldest of the three cemeteries at Holstein.
"The first church in Holstein was the German Lutheran Church on Charrette, established in February 1839 (Charrette Creek runs southward through the area to the Missouri River, and gives this region of Warren County - the Charrette Hills - its name).
"Herman Garlichs, the pastor of the church at Femme Osage, St. Charles County, Missouri, served as the first minister at Holstein. He was a Reiseprediger or circuit minister, traveling regularly among the congregations under his charge. For several years he held services once a month at Holstein; on other Sundays, the services were led by local elders.
"A log building was raised in Holstein during the winter of 1839-1840. The first service in the new church was held on 2 February 1840 and a constitution was adopted.
"A new constitution was drafted in 1848 when the Holstein congregation joined the Evangelischer Kirchenverien des Westens. The church at Holstein changed its name to the German Evangelical Church on Charrette.
"A fire on 2 January 1855 destroyed the log church. By the end of November 1855 a new brick church building had been erected, at a cost of $1,593.43.
"In 1883, during the ministry of Rev. Andreas Johann Heinrich Bierbaum, plans were made to build an new and larger church building of brick and stone, with a full basement. The new building would stand across the street from the old church. At the annual church meeting in January 1884, the congregation changed its name to the German Evangelical Immanuels Church of Holstein. In October 1884, the new church building (shown above) was dedicated. Construction had cost $6,702.23.
"In 1934, following the merger of the Evangelical Synod of North America and the Reformed Church in the United States, the congregation at Holstein changed its name to Immanuels Evangelical and Reformed Church.
"In 1939, the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary.
"In 1957, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Church merged to form the United Church of Christ. The Holstein congregation adopted a new name to reflect this union, and became Immanuels United Church of Christ.
(source: Immanuels United Church of Christ. Anniversary Book Committee. The History of Our Church, 1839-1989: One Hundred Fifty Years. Holstein, Missouri: Immanuels United Church of Christ, 1989.)" ~ Fiegenbaum Family Web Site
"Immanuel Evangelical and Reformed Church
A church at Holstein. The institution was organized about 1848 as a result of the efforts of Joseph Riegen. The congregation first worshipped in a log building which burned in 1855, but a new church was erected the same year. In 1884 this structure was torn down and replaced by a new brick building. During its early history, it was generally known as the Evangelical Church, a descriptive name. Since 1936 when the Evangelical and Reformed Churches united, it has been called the Immanuel Evangelical and Reformed Church. Immanuel is a Biblical name for Christ and means "God be with us" (cf. MAT. 1:23). It is also called the German Church for the nationality of most of its congregation." ~ History of St. Charles, pages 1011, 1046, 1047