Title: St. Luke's United Methodist Church (La Crosse, Wis.) Records
Date: 1858-2001

Creator:

• St. Luke's United Methodist Church (La Crosse, Wis.)

Unique Identifier: MSS 073

Quantity: 4.8 cubic feet

Physical Description: 10 archives boxes, 1 large flat box

Repository:

La Crosse Public Library
Contact Information

Archival Location:

La Crosse Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 1858-2001, is located on the North Side of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The congregation, begun in 1856 under the name La Crosse Second Church and later known as the Caledonia Street Methodist Church, is still active and is affiliated with the United Methodists.

Records include historical materials, including photographs, clippings and historical booklets, as well as materials related to buildings and grounds, Christian Education, events, financial materials, membership, a few sacramental records (1897-1918), church clubs, the West Wisconsin Methodist Conference, and the Bice Family (a family with a long association with the church).

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.lcpl-mss073

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(Accession no. 2002.019) Donated by St. Luke's United Methodist Church via Delores E. Teachout and the Historical Committee.

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

[Identification of item], St. Luke's United Methodist Church (La Crosse, Wis.) Records, MSS 073, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

Processed by Christine Stolz, October 2004.

Records include photographs, clippings and historical booklets, as well as materials related to buildings and grounds, Christian Education, events, financial materials, membership, a few sacramental records (1897-1918), church clubs, the West Wisconsin Methodist Conference, and the Bice Family (a family with a long association with the church).

St. Luke's United Methodist Church can trace its beginnings to a small group of Methodists living in North La Crosse in the year 1856. The group did not have a formal meeting place, but was under the guidance of the Onalaska Methodist "Circuit." Meetings were held in individuals' homes. The first formal meeting place was a schoolhouse at 927 Rose Street in La Crosse. A membership list from 1858 lists twelve members of the group: Albion Clark, Mrs. Clark, Cyrus Lambert, Catherine Lambert, Leander Soules, Mrs. Soules, Elizabeth Ghetts, Mrs. M. A. Knox, Susan Carr, Mrs. Whitbeck, Mrs. Mary Collins, and Mrs. Clarissa Boardman.

In 1866, land was purchased on present day Caledonia Street from William R. Sill for $75. The first section of the church was built in 1867 and was known as the La Crosse Second Church. A small parsonage was built in 1886 close to the church. A second parsonage, at 2420 Wood St., was used from about 1952 to 1965.

In 1887, the original church building was remodeled, pews were added, and an addition to the building was made. The church was renamed the Caledonia Street Methodist Church in 1889. The church continued to be served by the Onalaska Circuit until 1874 when it became independent.

In 1894, this congregation sponsored a mission church on French Island. Services were held there for fifteen years before the mission church was sold.

By 1917, membership in the church had grown to a point that the facilities were inadequate for church programs. Sunday School classes met all over the sanctuary, in the kitchen, and in the parsonage. The church was remodeled that year at the cost of $7000 by adding a basement under the church which included a social room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a coal burning furnace. The upstairs sanctuary was also redecorated.

While many pastors served the Caledonia Street Methodist Church over the years, the pastor who served the longest was Rev. Hugh R. Kinley. Kinley began his work in 1923, and became a popular minister among his congregation. Members of the congregation requested that he be allowed to continue his work there when opportunities for transfer to another congregation arose. Kinley passed away on July 26, 1943.

St. Luke's faced numerous financial difficulties over the years. During Rev. Kinley's tenure, there were times the congregation was unable to pay him his full salary. After Kinley's death, the congregation continued to have difficulty generating contributions so bills could be paid. In addition, the church building was deteriorating. Birds and hornets entered the church through broken windows in the church.

In 1950, members Raymond and Myrtle Bice, who were late for Palm Sunday services, decided to enter the church through the basement in order to quietly make their way upstairs to the rear of the sanctuary. The Bices heard a cracking sound in the basement ceiling and discovered that beams supporting the floor of the sanctuary were near collapse. Word was sent to Rev. George Bell that the congregation must quietly exit the building. It was discovered that termites had significantly weakened the structure. Repairs were made so the building could continue to be used, but the congregation's board of directors, under the guidance of Rev. Lee Holmes, instituted a building fund on March 1, 1953.

A ground-breaking service for a new church building was held on March 23, 1958. The new church, designed by Hackner, Schroeder and Associates, was built in two phases and the educational unit was built first. This section included a social hall, classrooms, kitchen, youth room, chapel, and offices. Once the educational unit was completed at the end of 1958, church services were held in the social hall, and the old church building was razed in 1959.

A consecration service for the new building was held on Feb. 8, 1959. On that same date, the congregation voted to change the name of the church from the Caledonia Street Methodist Church to St. Luke's United Methodist Church.

The second phase of construction, during which the sanctuary was built, began in April 1962. Work was completed that year, and the first service was held in the new church on Dec. 23, 1962. The complete cost of this construction project was $300,000 with the sanctuary making up $110,000 of that cost. A consecration service for the sanctuary was held on Feb. 10, 1963.

St. Luke's was host to the 110th session of the West Wisconsin Annual Conference from June 9-12, 1964. 125 pastors and 150 laypeople representing 256 Methodist churches in Wisconsin met to discuss important issues, such as civil rights, which were confronting the Methodist Church at the time.

Between 1965 and 1966, a new parsonage was built at 1220 Sill Street with volunteer labor donated almost entirely by the members of the congregation. The new parsonage was dedicated on Sunday, May 22, 1966.

In 1980, Raymond C. Bice, Sr., wrote a detailed history of the congregation entitled The Story and History of St. Luke's United Methodist Church 1856-1980.

St. Luke's extended an invitation to Rev. Dorothy Kuechmann, of the First Congregational Church in La Crosse, to help with their social programs, and as of January 1980, Kuechmann began a shared ministry between the two churches. She assisted St. Luke's pastor, Rev. Billy Bross, with services and developed a senior activity program for senior citizens in the community. Kuechmann served St. Luke's until Sept. 1986 and resigned to work on other projects.

In 1994, Rev. William R. McBride expressed concern about the loss of membership at St. Luke's and instituted a contemporary worship service lead by the Great Awakenings Band. The goal was to reach out to people between 29 to 47 years old who were not currently attending church. These services were eventually discontinued, but contemporary worship services resumed once a month during the fall of 2003.

Another outreach program designed to draw younger people into the congregation, began in 1996, involved serving a Wednesday night supper with a worship service following the meal. This program was discontinued after a year or two.

The Monday's Meal program was started in Sept. 2002 as an ecumenical effort involving several congregations. As of Oct. 2004, this program continues. Free meals are served on Monday evenings at St. Luke's Church to any one who wants them. Sometimes additional food distribution takes place after the meal.

In January 2004, Rev. Dominik Israel arrived from India to become pastor of St. Luke's. Israel met with leaders of the church to develop a vision and mission statement for the congregation.

(Clipping file)

La Crosse--Churches--Methodist--St. Luke's United Methodist

(Ephemera file)

Churches--Methodist--Caledonia Street Methodist Church

(Ephemera file)

Churches--Methodist--St. Luke's

(287.677571 SA244LS 1980)

The Story and History of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 1856-1980, by Raymond C. Bice

(287.677571 SA244LSD)

St. Luke's Methodist Church pictorial directories

Arranged in four series:

Series 1: Historical Materials

Series 2: Official Congregational Records

Series 3: Club Records

Series 4: Financial Records

• St. Luke's United Methodist Church (La Crosse, Wis.)
• Church records and registers--Wisconsin--La Crosse
• United Methodist Church (U.S.)--Wisconsin--La Crosse

(Series 1)	Series: Historical Materials
Box 1   Folder 1	Bice family, 1904-1994
	Church history materials
Box 1   Folder 2	General, circa 1920s-1980
Box 11   Folder 1	Memorabilia, 1867, 1898
Box 11   Folder 2	Oversize poster, circa 1980s
Box 1   Folder 3	Newspaper clippings, 1893-1986
	Pastoral memorabilia
Box 1   Folder 4	Benson, Rev. J. H., undated
Box 1   Folder 5	Bross, Rev. Billy, 1977-1980s
Box 1   Folder 6	Fraley, Rev. Douglas, 1979
Box 1   Folder 7	Holmes, Rev. Lee, 1963-1964
Box 1   Folder 8	Kanhai, Rev. Cornelius, 1986-1988
Box 1   Folder 9	Kinley, Rev. Hugh, 1924-1944
	Photographic images
Box 1   Folder 10	Church building photographs, 1978
Box 1   Folder 11	Confirmation class photographs, 1956-1982
Box 1   Folder 12-13	Miscellaneous photographs, 1916-1980s
Box 1   Folder 14	New member photographs, 1994
Box 11   Folder 3	Oversize photograph, 1916
Box 11   Folder 3	Conference in Richland Center, WI, 1914
(Series 2)	Series: Official Congregational Records	⇧
	Building and grounds
Box 2   Folder 1	Building and grounds maintenance, 1917-1967
Box 2   Folder 2-3	Building fund, 1917-1969
Box 2   Folder 4	Building project, 1957-1962
Box 2   Folder 5	Church use policy statements, 1966-1970
Box 2   Folder 6	Groundbreaking, 1958
Box 11   Folder 4	Mortages, 1866-1894
Box 2   Folder 7	Parsonage (1220 Sill St.), 1965-1966
	Caledonia Street Methodist Church membership and sacramental records
Box 4   Folder 7	, 1882-1912
Box 4   Folder 8	, 1901-1937
Box 4   Folder 9	Miscellaneous membership lists, 1858-1960s
Box 2   Folder 8	Correspondence, 1919-2000
	Events
	Anniversaries
Box 3   Folder 7	75th, 1931
Box 3   Folder 8	85th, 1941
	100th
Box 3   Folder 9	Guest book, 1956
Box 3   Folder 10	Memorabalia, 1953-1956
	125th
Box 11   Folder 5	Sketch, 1981
Box 4   Folder 1	Memorabalia, 1981
	Consecreation services
Box 4   Folder 2	, 1959
Box 4   Folder 3	, 1963
Box 4   Folder 4	Dedication Sunday, 1978
Box 4   Folder 5	General, 1942-1956
Box 4   Folder 6	Guest book, 1941-1949
	Minutes
	Board of Directors
Box 4   Folder 10	, 1895-1917
Box 5   Folder 1	, 1918-1927
Box 5   Folder 2	, 1953-1959
Box 5   Folder 3	Committees, 1930-1956
Box 5   Folder 4	Missions, 1948-2001
Box 5   Folder 5	Officers, 1949-1960s
Box 5   Folder 6	Organ, 1906-1977
	Publications
	Annual reports
Box 5   Folder 7	, 1953-1965
Box 5   Folder 8	, 1977-1980
Box 5   Folder 9	, 1986-1989
Box 5   Folder 10	Directories, 1915-1993
Box 5   Folder 12	Newsletters, 1957-1960s
Box 5   Folder 13	Worship bulletins, 1918-1980
	Sunday School
	Classroom attendance books
Box 2   Folder 9	, 1883-1885
Box 2   Folder 10	, 1887-1900
Box 2   Folder 11	, 1950-1952
Box 2   Folder 12	Directory, 1917
	Financial materials
Box 2   Folder 13	Bills, 1961-1962
Box 2   Folder 14	Treasurer's book, 1913-1963
Box 2   Folder 15	Minutes, 1930s
Box 2   Folder 16	Miscellaneous materials, 1866-1970s
	Record books
Box 2   Folder 17	, 1899-1900
Box 2   Folder 18-20	, 1902-1907
Box 3   Folder 1-3	, 1908-1913
Box 3   Folder 4	, 1935-1937
Box 3   Folder 5	, 1945-1951
Box 3   Folder 6	Student questionnaires, 1991
	Western Wisconsin Quarterly Conference materials
Box 6   Folder 1	Miscellaneous reports, 1933-1964
Box 6   Folder 2	Record book, 1889-1893
Box 6   Folder 3	Treasurer's reports, 1957-1962
(Series 3)	Series: Club Records	⇧
	Methodist Men
Box 11   Folder 6	Charter, 1953
Box 6   Folder 4	Miscellaneous materials, 1950s-1968
	Women's groups
	Cradle roll
Box 6   Folder 5	Photographs, 1910-1920s
Box 11   Folder 7	Oversize photographs, 1912
Box 6   Folder 6-7	Dorcas Circle minutes, 1952-1974
Box 6   Folder 8	Elizabeth Kinley Circle, 1976
Box 11   Folder 8	King's Daughters, 1880s
	Ladies' Aid
	Financial records and minutes
Box 6   Folder 9	, 1866-1873
Box 6   Folder 9	, 1870s
Box 6   Folder 12-13	, 1928-1934
Box 6   Folder 10	, 1930-1941
Box 6   Folder 11	Hostess reference book, 1920s
Box 7   Folder 1	Miscellaneous materials, 1905-1956
Box 7   Folder 2	Roll call, 1938-1942
	Martha Circle
Box 7   Folder 3-5	Cash books, 1955-1993
Box 7   Folder 6	Correspondence, 1970-1994
Box 7   Folder 7-9	Minutes, 1963-1994
Box 7   Folder 10	Miscellaneous women's circles treasurer's reports, 1933-1934
Box 8   Folder 1	Rachel Circle, 1956-1974
Box 8   Folder 2	United Methodist Women, 1972-2000
Box 6   Folder 6	Women's Foreign Missionary Society Treasurer's book, 1930-1940
Box 8   Folder 3	Women's League, 1893-1895
	Women's Society of Christian Service
Box 8   Folder 4	Financial materials, 1944-1955
Box 8   Folder 5-9	Minutes, 1938-1966
Box 9   Folder 1	Miscellaneous materials, 1943-1974
Box 9   Folder 2	Young Women's Foreign Missionary Society, 1930-1932
	Youth groups
Box 9   Folder 3	Epworth League, 1890-1934
Box 9   Folder 4	Miscellaneous groups, 1950s
Box 9   Folder 5	Oxford League, 1887-1890
(Series 4)	Series: Financial Records	⇧
	Benevolence fund
Box 9   Folder 6-7	Cash books, 1952-1982
Box 9   Folder 8	Miscellaneous materials, 1958-1982
Box 9   Folder 9	Budget, 1958-1965
	Cash books
Box 5   Folder 1	, 1918-1927
Box 9   Folder 10	, 1930-1955
Box 10   Folder 1-3	, 1963-1977
Box 10   Folder 4	Loans, 1897-1925
Box 10   Folder 5	Miscellaneous materials, 1912-1959
Box 10   Folder 6	Offering record, 1919-1924
Box 10   Folder 7	Pledges and cultivation fund, 1955-1989
Box 10   Folder 8	Treasurer's reports, 1919-1965