Lutherans celebrate group’s 100 years in Oklahoma and historic church gets new designation

Members of the Lutheran denomination will gather at a historic Oklahoma church to mark a milestone anniversary and another cause for celebration.

The 100th anniversary of the formation of the Oklahoma District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will be celebrated with a special worship service on May 19 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 408 W Colorado in Okarche.

The festivities will include another reason for celebration: St. John’s, the oldest house of worship in the Lutheran Church-Missouir Synod in Oklahoma, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Rev. David Nehrenz, the current Oklahoma District president and longtime senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman, said the Lutherans traveled from New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis, Missouri, where they decided to settle and form the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod denomination. Nehrenz said members of the faith group eventually traveled from Missouri to Indian Territory shortly after the Land Run of 1889 and their churches were under the jurisdiction of the denomination’s Kansas District.

But in 1924, Oklahomans decided they wanted their own district. So, in May 1924, the Oklahoma District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod denomination was established at a convention at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Nehrenz said Lutheran farmers signed the constitution of their new Oklahoma District in the basement of the Okarche church. He said there are currently 80 Oklahoma District churches in the state.

The worship service to celebrate the Oklahoma District’s centennial is set for 4 p.m. Sunday, with Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, national president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, serving as the event’s preacher. Readers at the service will include Nehrenz, the Rev. William R. Diekelman, former Oklahoma District president; and the Rev. Justin Panzer, Kansas District president. Nehrenz said it will be livestreamed so that people who can’t attend in person will be able to view the celebration.

Special choirs made up children and adults from across the state will sing during the service. A centennial banquet will be at 5:30 p.m. and include VIP speakers and a presentation by the mayor of Okarche.

Nehrenz said he will be part of a special first-ever performance by the Pickin’ Parsons, a bluegrass quartet that will aslo feature Harrison, and pastors Joel Heckmann, of Okarche, and John Wackman, of Stillwater.

“That’s an Okie thing,” he said, chuckling. “It’s the 100th anniversary and we’re having a bluegrass band - talk about Oklahoma!”

The Oklahoma District is one of 35 districts of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The denomination has more than 6,000 congregations and 2 million members.

Paying Homage to a historic Oklahoma church

Also on Sunday, a special ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. to celebrate the National Register of Historic Places designation for St. John’s Lutheran Church. The church will presented with a bronze plaque commemorating this honor. Representatives from the Oklahoma Historical Society will be on hand to present certificates designating St. John’s as a new listing in their records.

The church was established in 1892. St. John’s members dedicated their new building at Okarche’s Fourth Street and W. Colorado Avenue on June 11, 1922.

To commemorate the special occasion, St. John’s current congregation placed a 12-foot granite cross on the front lawn. The cross features a Luther rose medallion at the center and sits on a pedastal inscribed with “He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia.” A matching bench accompanies the cross. These will be dedicated at Sunday’s ceremony at St. John’s, where the Rev. Joel Heckmann is senior pastor.

The 6,000-square-foot building originally cost $55,000 to build and furnish, St. John’s members said. Builders for Christ, a group of men from St. John’s, helped the contractor build the church and later traveled to help build other churches in the area. These days, the original altar, organ, bell, windows, pulpit and pews remain.

“We envision many future generations worshipping in the beautiful church with which we are blessed,” Heckmann said.

For more information, go to www.oklahomalutherans.org.