A Confessional Lutheran Congregation in the Village of Fredonia
St. John Lutheran Church sits along Fredonia Avenue in the small Village of Fredonia in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, where it has ministered to the surrounding community since 1846. The congregation is a confessional Lutheran church, subscribing to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and the Lutheran Confessions as found in the Book of Concord, and is a member of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS). Its mission is simple and direct: "to bring Christ's salvation to the people."
The congregation worships in a lannon stone sanctuary built in 1958 and renovated in 1979-1980, with stained glass windows that illustrate the Lord's Prayer and depict the Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - above and around the altar. Attached to the church is the Education Building, dedicated in 2002, which houses the Preschool & Childcare center. The Rev. Arthur & Olga Senn Memorial Library was remodeled in 2022 and is open to visitors during regular building hours.
Worship Centered on Word and Sacrament
Worship at St. John is liturgical and centered on God's Word and Sacraments, "the places in which He has chosen to come among His people with power to create and nourish faith." Divine Services are held on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with a Bible Study Hour for all ages at 9:15 a.m. between them. During the summer, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, a single service is held at 9:00 a.m. and Sunday School and Bible Studies take a break.
A midweek Divine Service is offered on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., typically resuming each February after a break in January. Holy Communion is offered at every service for properly catechized LCMS members; visitors wishing to commune are asked to speak with the pastor before the service, and Pastor tries to greet everyone at the door before church.
The congregation's musical life includes a choir, children's choir, hand chimes, and special music. Worship is accompanied by a 13-rank Steiner-Reck tracker organ, dedicated in 1993, which was designed to lead congregational singing and liturgy in the Lutheran tradition. The organ replaced an earlier Schaefer pipe organ (installed in 1933) and a later Schaefer-Haase combination.
One Hundred Eighty Years of History
The beginning of St. John Lutheran Congregation dates back to 1846, when German immigrants from Hessen Darmstadt, Saxony, and Bavaria settled in this area. Lutheran services were first conducted in the John Laubenstein home and the district school house by the Rev. Romanowski of Milwaukee. A letter in German signed by Pastor Romanowski and dated November 1, 1848 is filed in the congregation's records at the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis.
The congregation officially organized in 1861 as "The Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Congregation of the Town of Saukville," with the Rev. Frederick Ahner signing the founding document as the congregation's first president. A 22-by-26-foot log cabin church was soon built across the highway from the cemetery. As the worshiping community grew, members began moving into the village of Fredonia, and in 1885 the congregation relocated to its present site on Fredonia Avenue. A 1,000-pound bell installed in the steeple in 1896 was rung before each service, at 6 p.m. every Saturday evening to alert the community to the coming Sabbath, and tolled once for each year of a member's life upon their death.
In 1875, the congregation joined the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States (now The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod). A new lannon stone church with redwood trim, clear glass windows, and a copper spire was dedicated on June 8, 1958, at a cost of $150,000, replacing the white frame building that had served since 1885. A major renovation in 1979-1980 turned the worship space around, adding a balcony for the choir and organ, new stained glass windows, cushioned pews, and carpeting throughout. A 19-foot copper-colored fiberglass spire was placed on the cupola in 1982, and a new steel bell tower was erected in 1987 to house the original 1896 bell.
Until 1934, all worship services, church meetings, and confirmation instruction were conducted in German. Two services - one in English and one in German - were then held each Sunday until 1958, when German services were discontinued and a single English service was held. The Ladies' Aid, organized in 1917, became the Ruth Guild after joining the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) in 1947, and remains active in the congregation. The congregation marked its 150th anniversary on September 11, 2011, with a single service featuring the processional cross, scripture readings by pastors confirmed or ordained at St. John, and a sermon by the Rev. Kevin Ader based on Romans 10:12-17.
Christian Education from Cradle through Confirmation
Christian education is central to St. John's mission. The Sunday morning Bible Study Hour at 9:15 a.m. offers classes for preschool, kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, and high school. On Wednesdays during the school year, students in grades five through eight meet for confirmation classes that include snacks and a game. Catechesis at home, First Communion classes, and Vacation Bible School round out the year.
During the summer, six Sundays are set aside for children's Lord's Supper classes, when kids of any age and their parents gather with the pastor to study Luther's Small Catechism. In the first full week of August, Vacation Bible School runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., with Bible challenges, stories, crafts, snacks, games, and music, followed by Family Day with the children singing their VBS theme song in church. On Reformation Sunday (the last Sunday in October), current third graders receive the gift of a Bible during the service.
A High School Youth Group meets on the third Sunday of every month from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for fellowship and Bible study, with additional events throughout the year for middle school and high school youth. Adult Bible study is taught by the pastor on Sunday mornings during the Bible Study Hour, and weekday Bible studies include a Men's Bible Study on Thursdays at 6:15 a.m. at Fredonia Family Restaurant and a Women's Bible Study on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the Church Library.
St. John's Preschool & Childcare
St. John's Preschool & Childcare has been a state-licensed Childcare Center serving the community since 2001, operating in the education wing of the church in a safe, quiet neighborhood on Fredonia Avenue. The Preschool program itself began in 1992, with a modern classroom and childcare facility added in 2002 when the Education Building was completed. The mission of the center is to "provide a safe, Christ-centered environment for children to grow and thrive while supporting their spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development."
The center is licensed to care for 80 to 100 children from age six weeks through twelve years, and is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., year-round except holidays. Part-time and full-time care are both available, with family discounts and two snacks included in the full-day program. In 2024, a large fenced-in playground was added.
Programs include Infant/Toddler Care for ages 0-2, Junior Preschool for two-year-olds, 3-Year-Old Preschool on Tuesday and Thursday or Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., 4 & 5-Year-Old Preschool on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., and a School-Age program offering before- and after-school care with transportation provided by the Northern Ozaukee School District, along with a popular summer program of themed weeks, field trips, water days, and Vacation Bible School.
Cheryl Krueger leads the center as Director, supported by Rebecca as Assistant Director. All staff meet or exceed state requirements for childcare center teachers, and full-time staff are committed to 25 hours of continuing education per year.
Mission Support and Outreach
St. John supports several mission efforts. The Beckers serve as missionaries in Africa, where Vance teaches at Matongo Lutheran Theological College in Kenya and Linda teaches adults and children and works with deaconesses in training. The congregation also supports A Place of Refuge, an LCMS Registered Service Organization that provides caring advocates and a shelter for women facing crisis pregnancy, as well as the Port Washington Food Pantry in the local community.
Members of the congregation also serve through a Camo Quilt Project, meeting twice a month (September through May) in the Fellowship Hall to sew camouflage quilts sent with deployed service men and women, and a separate project sewing simple dresses for girls in Haiti. A Women's Prayer Group meets twice a month to bring the needs of members, family, friends, and the world before the Lord in prayer.
Getting Involved at St. John
Congregational life is shaped by several boards and many volunteer opportunities. The Board of Elders meets on the second Monday at 6:00 p.m. and assists the pastor with spiritual matters including distributing Holy Communion and reaching out to members and visitors. The Board of Trustees oversees groundskeeping, snow removal, and building care. The Board of Education meets monthly to plan for the Childcare Center, Sunday School, and educational events. The Church Council gathers on the second Monday at 7:00 p.m. to discuss updates, budget, and plans.
Volunteers are needed as ushers, acolytes, altar and flower committee members, Sunday School teachers, Bible study leaders, preschool and childcare substitutes, Vacation Bible School station leaders, Trunk or Treat hosts, and meal providers for families going through new births, illness, surgery, or loss. Musical opportunities include the adult choir, children's choir, hand chimes, and special music. The church also encourages fellowship through events like Men's Softball (Monday nights from May through early August), Ladies' Night in late June, and Men's Night in late July.
Looking ahead, the congregation is currently receiving God's Word and gifts from a vacancy pastor while awaiting the calling of a new shepherd. Those interested in learning more are invited to call the church office at 262-692-2734 or visit 824 Fredonia Avenue, where the building is open during regular hours and the library, sanctuary, and fellowship life all reflect a community that has, by the grace of God, preached the same eternal Gospel for more than 175 years.