The arrival of German rocket and missile scientists in 1950 made possible the birth of St. Mark's. These scientists were part of the reactivation of Redstone Arsenal; these men and their families had come to America under the guidance of the United States Army. They first settled in El Paso, Texas before moving to Huntsville.
In the summer of 1950 the Reverend Dr. Charles E. Linn, President of the Georgia-Alabama Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America was contacted to organize a Lutheran congregation for these German space scientists. A Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary student, William Hartman, was sent to survey the field and conduct services for interested persons. That September, the Reverend Dr. William Stup came from Atlanta each Sunday for the services. Roughly 30 people met each week in the former Fifth Avenue Elementary School for worship. The Episcopal Church of the Nativity helped with office supplies and equipment, church furnishings and facilities to aid the Lutherans in their efforts to initiate a mission. Seven men from the group secured earnest money to purchase a funeral home to be converted into the first church and a house for a parsonage. This property was located on the northwest corner of Franklin Street and Longwood Drive.
On February 1, 1951, the Board of American Missions called the Reverend George F. Hart of Jacksonville, Florida to organize the work in Huntsville. A committee composed of Edward Tesmer, H. Cole Reasin, Hans Freidrich, Fred Schwarz, and Robert Axelson served as a temporary council. By October, 77 adults and 43 children were on St. Mark's membership roles. When the congregation was organized formally on Reformation Day, 1951 sixty-six of the confirmed members were German scientists and their wives.
In March 1952, the Board of American Missions loaned $38,000.00 to the Georgia-Alabama Synod to buy the lots at the southeast corner of Franklin Street and Longwood Drive for the future home of the congregation.
On April 28, 1957, Synod President, The Reverend Dr. Charles Fritz, dedicated the new building at Franklin and Longwood. The Reverend Dr. Raymond D. Wood, pastor of Ascension Church, Savannah, Georgia, delivered the sermon. The Savannah congregation, the home church of St. Mark's first pastor, had adopted St. Mark's as its mission church.
A German touch within the church is an original bronze plaque of Martin Luther, which hangs in the narthex of the current church building. While serving as legal counselor and Judge Advocate for the General's Staff of the United States Army in Berlin, Robert Kirk Bell saw the plaque on a monument in the Berlin Tiergarten and arranged to get it. Through Mr. Bell's efforts, the Federal Republic of West Germany presented the plaque to St. Mark's "as a token of appreciation for the spiritual ministry to the German rocket scientists and engineers who relocated to Huntsville in 1950."
Celebrating a decade
St. Mark's was honored to have the President of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, The Reverend Dr. F. Eppling Reinartz, participate in its 10th Anniversary Celebration. At the event, Dr. Reinartz presented Pastor Hart the Scout Lamb Award for distinguished service to boys. This was the first presentation of such an award in the Southeastern United States. A festive anniversary dinner was held at Central Presbyterian Church.
Due to desperate need for Sunday School classroom space, the Church Council appointed an Educational Building Committee: Wilhelm Angele, chairman; R.C. Burkhardt, Harvey Chapman, Walter Dale, R. L. Griebel, Hilmar Haenisch, and Mrs. A. J. Weaver. After much hard work on the part of the committee, the beautiful parish educational building was dedicated April 21, 1963. The guest speakers for the week were the Reverend Dr. Raymond D. Wood, the Reverend Waldemar Lefstead, and Dr. A. G. D. Wiles. Honored guests were Mayor R. B. Searcy and County Commissioner James Record. The old church across the street was sold to Nolan Roper.
In early 1965, the Westmoreland Avenue property was purchased for use of the church schools and scouts. In May 1965, construction of an addition to the church nave and balcony began.
In the midst of the expansion program, the church was saddened by the death of its beloved pastor, Dr. Hart, on October 22, 1965. The funeral was held October 25 with the Reverend Dr. Raymond D. Wood, President of the Southeastern Synod, the Reverend A. Richard Smith, Dean of the Cumberland District, and the Reverend Curtis E. Derrick, Jr., Ascension Church, Savannah, Georgia, officiating.
When the Reverend James Wessenauer was called as another mission developer in Huntsville, the Synod's executive board appointed him as St. Mark's Vice-pastor. He and the Reverend Joseph Holt, pastor of Prince of Peace Church, worked together to minister to the St. Mark's parishioners during this interim period.
During the spring of 1966, a call was extended to the Reverend Curtis E. Derrick, Jr., S.T.M., pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Savannah. Pastor Derrick and his family arrived in Huntsville on June 10, 1966, and he was installed as St. Mark's second pastor on July 10, 1966.
The 20th Anniversary of the founding of St. Mark's as Huntsville's first Lutheran congregation was a memorable occasion, doubly significant in that it also marked the first citywide Lutheran Reformation Festival. Nearly 500 people attended a festive service the afternoon of October 31. A Reformation choir, under the direction of Paige Stagner, Jr., was gathered from members of Ascension, Emmanuel, Grace, Prince of Peace and St. Mark's Lutheran churches. Accompanying the singers were Peter Jenke, organist, and a brass septet, which included Kevin Asa, Robert Burkhardt and Summers Taylor on trombones, and Conrad Derrick, Stephen Hill, Ronald Robb and Paige Stagner Ill on trumpets. As the principal speaker, the congregation was privileged to have the president of the Southeastern Synod, LCA, the Reverend Harvey L Huntley, D. D.
After serving St. Mark's for more than six years, Pastor Derrick submitted a letter of resignation, effective August 31, 1972, to accept a position as director of development at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. The Reverend R. Paul Counts served as vice pastor for St. Mark's during this period. The Reverend Dr. Donald S. Armentrout, Associate Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the Episcopal Seminary in Sewanee, Tennessee, was supply pastor and delivered a series of sermons based on the teachings and beliefs of Martin Luther.
After more than a year without a pastor, an official call was issued to The Reverend Robert H. Loshuertos on October 15, 1973. In his letter of acceptance, The Reverend Loshuertos wrote, "Both you and we have prayed over this decision. You have been led by the Holy Spirit to issue the call. I, by the aid of the same Spirit, am now led to accept it, effective December 1, 1973. These will be exciting and challenging days for all of us that will demand mutual encouragement and support, a common commitment to ministry, to persons and to the community, and a willingness that together, we can love, trust, risk and give as a community of God's caring people." Pastor Loshuertos was officially installed as the third pastor of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church at the 11 a.m. service on December 16.
In September 1974, a Half-Century Club (now the Free Spirits group) was formed to help minister to the increasing number of "senior" members at St. Mark's. This group meets regularly for fellowship and programs as they share luncheons.
Silver Anniversary
For months, the anniversary committee, under the chairmanship of Harold Peterson, worked to plan a gala year of festivities for St. Mark's 25th Anniversary. To add to the exciting year, St. Mark's joined all of the Lutheran churches of Huntsville in a Bicentennial Celebration in the Concert Hall of the Von Braun Civic Center. The theme of the celebration was "Faith and Freedom, '76." Lutheran clergymen participated, and the combined all-Lutheran choir was under the direction of Paige Stagner, Jr., with Peter Jenke at the organ. Liturgy for the worship service was the same as used by the early churches during 1748-1786.
On November 15, 1980, Pastor Loshuertos submitted his resignation to become Director of Interfaith Mission Service in Huntsville. In October, 1980, Bishop Gerald Troutman appointed Pastor R. Paul Counts of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church to be the Vice-Pastor until the arrival of the interim pastor, Dr. Theodore Matson, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Dr. Matson arrived with his wife, Evelyn, for the Thanksgiving service, and Dr. Matson was installed on December 14, 1980. He served until Easter of 1981, effectively serving the church and touching the lives of many parishioners during this difficult time.
On May 19, 1981, the Reverend Henry M. Williams of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Addison, Illinois, accepted a call to St. Mark's. Bishop Troutman, assisted by Pastor Richard Smith, conducted the installation service August 16, 1981.
On September 13, 1981, the congregation approved the renovation project for the Westmoreland annex. This building included offices for the pastor, secretary, and a third staff member. St. Mark's members showed their talents when they devoted time and effort to paint, plumb, do woodworking and manual labor, as well as interior decorating. In February 1982, the congregation was delighted to view this facility.
On June 3, 1984, St. Mark's issued a call to The Reverend Allan Simms of Grace Lutheran Church, Virginia, Illinois, to serve as Associate Pastor. He served until September 30, 1986, when he resigned to serve Grace Lutheran Church in Carrollton, Georgia.
In a letter dated July 6, 1990, Pastor Williams submitted his resignation, effective Sept. 30, 1990. On October 21, 1990, retired Pastor Carl Berkobin of Atlanta came to serve as St. Mark's Interim Pastor.
The congregation met on Sunday, April 14, 1991, to vote on the recommendation of the Call Committee to extend a call to Pastor W. Vernon Luckey, Jr., of the Lutheran Church of the Apostles, in Atlanta. He accepted the call and began his service on July 1, 1991. He was installed on Sunday, July 14, by Bishop Harold Skillrud.
Celebrating 40 years
The 40th Anniversary celebration was held on Reformation Sunday, October 27, 1991. Carl Rieger served as master of ceremonies. After members snacked on hors d'oeuvres, the church recognized confirmed and baptized charter members. A special thanks was given to Violet Hart, the wife of our first pastor, for traveling to Huntsville specifically for the event.
By 1992, St. Mark’s Food Pantry had become busy, giving food to as many as eight families each day. During the year, food was distributed to approximately 800 families. The ministry was made possible through donations from numerous other churches around town.
In 1993, the church extended a call to John Means to be assistant pastor at St. Mark's, a position created to replace that of program director. The recommendation was unanimously approved at a congregational meeting on May 15, 1994. He served until the fall of 2000 when he left to become the pastor of a new parish in McDonough, Georgia.
Under the direction of Pastor Luckey a Care Team Ministry was established in 1997. This ministry and the Prayer Team ministry, which he established in 1998 are still very active. These are only two of the very meaningful ministries left by his legacy at St. Mark’s.
The New Century
St. Mark’s continued to grow throughout the 1990’s. At a December 1999 meeting, the congregation voted to keep St. Mark's at its current location. The board of support made a number of improvements to the building, in preparation of the church's 50th anniversary celebration. The church hired architects Fuqua Osborn to conduct an evaluation of the facilities and recommend a renovation plan to accommodate the church's growing building needs. The congregation approved a construction plan for St. Mark’s current facility at its November 2000 meeting.
On February 27, 2001, Pastor Luckey announced in the newsletter that he would retire June 2, 2002. Pastor Janice Mynchenberg was appointed in November 2001 by the Bishop of the Southeastern Synod to serve with Pastor Luckey. Following Pastor Luckey’s retirement in 2002, she assumed the role as Transition Pastor. She served in this roll until July 18, 2004.
A Half-Century of Service
During 2001, St. Mark's coordinated a year-long celebration to honor the church's 50th anniversary. Former pastors, interim pastors, and former members were invited to participate in the monthly celebrations. Groups recognized at the monthly celebrations included baptized members, those who were married in the church, the choir, WELCA members, those confirmed, Sunday and Bible school teachers, current and former council members, pastors, interim pastors, interns, and ministerial sons and daughters. The celebration concluded on Reformation Sunday.
In December 2001, a “Building to Serve” campaign was kicked off to help pay for the planned renovations to the church. In June 2002, following Pastor Luckey’s retirement, the church office was moved across the street to 2102 Franklin in order for the Westmoreland house to be torn down so that construction could start on the new facility. The office remained in this location until January 31, 2004. On Sunday, February 22, 2004, the beautiful new sanctuary and renovated facility was dedicated.
On July 22, 2004, Dennis R. Fakes accepted the call to become the sixth pastor of St. Mark’s. He and his wife, Hilda, were welcomed on August 15, 2004. They came to us from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lodi, California.
Diamond Anniversary
Now we are celebrating our 60th. year! Every month special ministries are emphasized. In January we plan to honor all those who have been BAPTIZED at St. Mark's.
