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5705 Lacy Rd.
Fitchburg WI 53711
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608-273-1008
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| Our History |
 The beginningsAs Madison entered the year 1917, it was in the midst of one of the great transformations in its history. A new state Capitol building was being completed, a new meatpacking plant had just opened on the east side of the city and new battery plant opened on Winnebago Avenue. The city council petitioned the Legislature to give women the right to vote in school elections and the number of cars in the city had just surpassed the number of horses. Two great social debates were underway. On April 3, Madison voted to ban all saloons and become a “dry” city. On April 6, President Woodrow Wilson took the United States into World War I, a move that roiled the waters in this city where a quarter of the population was of German ancestry. The debate over the war divided the city and by the end of the year had given birth to a new newspaper, The Capital Times. This was the context in which Memorial United Church of Christ was born. Rev. Josias Friedli, who helped organize the congregation in 1916 and 1917, tells a bit of the story in a letter he wrote in 1952. “For years the numerous Swiss Reformed people from Green County and from the north had been gathered into other churches, especially the German Presbyterian church,” he wrote. “It was natural that the members regarded themselves as Reformed rather that Presb. They suggested that they might join our church as a congregation.” The German Presbyterian Church was on the verge of being disbanded. The pastor of the Swiss Reformed Church in New Glarus invited Friedli, who was general secretary of the Board of Home Missions for the Reformed church, to look into establishing a mission church in Madison, something the Reformed church had been contemplating for some time. The initial thought was to do this in cooperation with the Presbyterians, but Friedli writes that did not work out so well: “We soon learned that the authorities in Presb. church looked upon our efforts as an intrusion into their field. There was therefore nothing to do but go on on our own. This we did with the loyal cooperation of a small group of members.” Starting in November, 1916, Friedli came to Madison regularly to lead worship at the gathering place for Civil War veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Hall at 118 Monona Ave. (That’s now the site of the State of Wisconsin Justice Center on what is now known as Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) “As soon as possible,” writes Friedli, “the church was organized, a property purchased and Rev. Lehman called as the first Pastor.” The organization took place on June 10, 1917, in the G.A.R. Hall with 64 members present. The name “Memorial Reformed Church” was chosen in the hope that people would make memorial contributions to help build a church.  Rev. William C. Lehman came from Nashville, Tenn., as a missionary, starting his work as pastor on May 20, 1917. On Aug. 12, the congregation adopted its constitution and charter and on Sept. 30, the congregation voted to purchase a large stone house at 14 W. Johnson Street to serve as its church. The house was remodeled and dedicated on June 9, 1918. Rev. Edwin Vornholt arrived as pastor in 1921 and led Memorial through its first decade of getting settled.The basic elements were now all in place for a congregation that would grow and move with the needs of its members and the wider community. The themes Over the past 90 years of the congregation’s history, a number of themes have emerged that help define what Memorial United Church of Christ is in the year 2007.  A church on the move – Memorial since its earliest days has been a congregation that has adapted to the needs of its members and the community around it. This has not come without cost and controversy at times, but ultimately, Memorial has always chosen to adapt to its future rather than to get trapped by its past. We started in the G.A.R. Hall, a gathering place for Civil War veterans. We moved to a stone residence at 14 W. Johnson St. as our first church. We started to build a new church facility there in 1930, only to have it stalled by the Depression. When the lack of parking downtown was hampering the life of the congregation, we moved to 1510 Madison St. near the University of Wisconsin Field House, where parking was adequate and we were within easy reach of the students and workers at the university. But as the congregation  aged and the nation’s religious currents shifted away from established traditions, Memorial became a congregation in decline. During the 1970s, the congregation struggled with what to do. The number of children in church school dwindled. At the same time, the Southwest Wisconsin Association of the United Church of Christ was looking to start a congregation in Fitchburg. Sandy Henshue had done a lot of investigating the feasibility of starting a new church in Fitchburg and Southwest Association leaders approached the leadership at Memorial about becoming the core of that new congregation. After much discussion,  the members voted on Nov. 30, 1986 to begin the process of relocating in Fitchburg. Chuck Schoenwetter made the motion, Ted Peterson seconded and the vote was 60 in favor, 37 against with one abstention. Members at Memorial cut strips of cloth in all the colors of the rainbow, were dedicated at the last service in the church on Madison Street, stitched together by quilters and then formed the rainbow banner that accompanied the congregation through the transition to Fitchburg and now hangs in our fellowship hall. Other churches in the Southwest Association donated money to help with the transition. The Memorial congregation began worshiping at our new church on Feb. 12, 1989. To see videos of the groundbreaking, steeple raising and dedication the new church, click here.A church that crosses boundaries – We grew out of a Presbyterian church in Madison. When we installed Rev. William Lehman as our first pastor in 1917, we used the Unitarian Church in downtown Madison. When we were building our new church in 1930, we again shared space with the Unitarians. Although our earliest roots were in the Reformed tradition of Christianity, we joined with the German Evangelical denomination in 1931 to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Then when the E-R joined with the Congregational-Christian Church in 1957, we became part of that new denomination known as the United Church of Christ. When the Wisconsin Congregational Conference joined with the North and South Synods of the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1962, it was Memorial that hosted the E-R gathering. We have long worked in partnership with other denominations in the Madison area on a wide variety of community projects. When we moved out to Fitchburg, we bought our land from the American Lutheran Church and we shared space in 1987 briefly with the Missouri Synod Lutherans at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church and then through 1988 and early 1989 with the scientists at Nicolet Instruments, setting up a worship space under the beautiful rainbow banner each week. Our old church on Madison Street now serves as the Madison Chinese Christian Church. As we tried to define ourselves as a congregation open to everyone on a faith journey, we began using a statement in 1997 that says: “We welcome persons of all ages, races, sexual orientations and church backgrounds to participate in the life and ministry of our church.” We officially became an Open and Affirming congregation in 2002. A church where members participate – One of the early slogans of Memorial was “every member a worker” and that has been one of the hallmarks of this congregation. In the 1920s, the Ladies’ Aid Society, the Sewing Circle and the Women’s Missionary Society worked vigorously to raise money to keep the church going. In the 1930s, it was chicken dinners that were open to the public that raised money to pay for the fuel for the building on Johnson Street. There were times in the 1940s where a basket was passed around at church council meetings to raise money to pay the utility bills. In the 1950s and 60s, the Women’s Guild raised money with dinners in order to buy the dishes and silverware that we still use. It was that Women’s Guild that wove together much of the fabric of church life through many tough stretches.  That tradition of involvement continued with the move to Fitchburg in the late 1980s as some 80 members donated about 15,000 hours to staining the wooden panels that now fill our church and to cleaning up after the contractors. One of our members, Jim Tetzlaff, made the communion table, lectern, cross and baptismal font as well as the sign out front. As young people began to return to the life of the church, Doug Haynes led the youth in painting the Noah’s Ark mural that graces the education room. People donated sweat equity on our expansion projects in 2001 and 2006. Members host fellowship time, organize garage sales and silent auctions. The tradition of giving countless hours to the work of the church continues on.A church that reaches out – From its earliest days, Memorial was a church that went beyond the needs of its own members. Whether it was reaching out to university students far from home or to people living on the other side of the world, Memorial looked outward. One of the earliest organizations in the church was the Women’s Missionary Society, started in 1921. The group sent four missionaries to Japan in the 1920s. The Women’s Guild in the 1940s and 1950s gave special attention to the Indian missions in northern Wisconsin and helped support Sunburst orphanage in Neilsville. The Sewing Guild made lap robes to help provide warmth at institutions in the Madison area. That impulse to reach out has remained strong over the years, with a trip to South Carolina in 1990 to build a Habitat House or work trips to Back Bay Mission in Bilxoi, Mississippi in more recent years. In 2003, we have formed a partnership with Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and sent several delegations to Israel/Palestine. Closer to home, Memorial helped start Madison-area Urban Ministry, was an original partner in the Community Meal Program at Luke House, was a founding member of Allied Partners on Allied Drive, participates in the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The group that formed Hospice of Dane County had its first meetings in 1978 in the basement of our church on Madison Street. A church for students – Part of the impetus to form Memorial was a desire to serve Swiss Reformed students at the University of Wisconsin. The original church on West Johnson Street was within walking distance of the campus. During the 1920s, university students led the Christian Endeavor Society, which included “social gatherings and devotional meetings” as well as raising money to advertise Memorial among university students. Pastor Calvin Zenk noted in 1930 that in the first 12 years of the church’s existence, “more than 400 young people have been directly connected with its work.” One particular draw was music. In 1930, the students had a mixed choir of 20 voices and a male choir of 12 men, both led by Mrs. E. Marie Zenk, wife of the pastor. One of the early students at Memorial was Henry Ahrnsbrak, who once he left Madison, created a Student Alumni Association in the late 1920s. He would return to the congregation later after he joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin. When the congregation moved to Madison Street in 1942, university students continued to be part of the life of the congregation, particularly in helping to provide music. In 1948, the United Student Fellowship was formed to provide an expanded campus ministry, with support from both the Wisconsin Congregational Conference and the synods of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Over time and several changes, that campus ministry has evolved into The Crossing, where members of Memorial are establishing a new connection in helping to serve meals after vespers and sharing the experiences of trips to Israel/Palestine. A church that nurtures ministers – Over the past 90 years, eight members of Memorial UCC – three women and five men -- have gone on to serve the wider church as ordained ministers. Ann Blasberg Cordray was ordained in 1949, Lawrence J. and Robert H. Rezash were ordained in 1955, John Tschudy (son of the late John and Helen Tschudy) in 1976, Bill Klossner (son of Loma and the late Albert Klossner) in 1979, Lisa Schoenwetter (daughter of Chuck and Ruth Schoenwetter) in 1986, and JungJa Lee-Haynes in 1991. Lawrence and Robert Rezash are now retired. Lawrence lives in Dayton, Ohio and Robert lives in Pleasant Hill, Tenn. John Tschudy is the pastor of St. John’s UCC in Slinger, Wis.; Bill Klossner is pastor at Congregational UCC in Punta Gorda, Fla.; Lisa Schoenwetter served churches in Massachusetts and now is back in Wisconsin; and JungJa Haynes Lee serves at University United Methodist in Madison. Dan Schultz, son of Jon and Rheda Schultz, grew up in Memorial and was later ordained a UCC pastor as well. He now serves in southeastern Wisconsin and writes a popular blog known as Street Prophets. In recent years, Memorial has served as a training ground for students on their way to ordained ministry, providing internships to Phil Haslanger, Sara Wilcox and Kristin Gorton.  A church that fosters music – As Memorial formed into a congregation in the 1920s, one of the things that drew university students to the church was the choirs. When Rev. Calvin Zenk arrived as pastor in 1928, his wife also arrived as a strong musical leader for the congregation. She was the organist and the choir director and helped create a sense of musical excellence for the congregation for 21 years. Her piano still serves the congregation in the music room. For a stretch during the 1970s and 1980s, a series of choir directors were from the graduate programs in music at UW and the organists were also UW students. There have been other notable musical moments. When Terry Kiss Frank led the choir both at Madison Street and later in Fitchburg over a period of about 20 years from 1980 to 2000, she not only brought creativity to worship, but also led the choir in the production of a series of musical productions. Paula Haseman brought her talents as a pianist to the congregation from 1989 to 2007, ending her tenure on the day of the 90th anniversary. Noted Madison musician David Lee Crosby, director of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, composed an anthem for the congregation’s move into its Fitchburg church in 1989 and his piano now graces our sanctuary. With Merry Spangler and the choir, Betsy Robbins and the bells and Mark Sieger and the instrumental group, the tradition of strong music at Memorial lives on. The Evening of Music in March of 2007 showcased the incredible range of musical talent in the congregation.  A church that raises children – Christian education is a natural concern for any church and from its earliest days, that was certainly true at Memorial. The early days were not always easy. Pastor Calvin Zenk wrote in 1930 that the “Sunday school has not progressed as well as might be expected, probably due to the fact the membership is scattered over the whole city, perhaps due to a lack of adequate equipment.” There were 68 pupils enrolled in Sunday school at that point with 8 teachers. One of those teachers was Wilhelmine Emma Johanna Haak LeFebvre – known as “Billie” – who began teaching in 1923 at age 17 and taught for 30 years, then became the superintendent of the Sunday school for six years in the 1950s. Some of our current members were taught by her – Delma (Gerber) Brensike, Doris (Gerber) Hoppe, Mary (Yust) Kempfer), John Hilliard and Mary Ellen (Bakken) Tetzlaff. She once wrote, “I still hear parents telling their children, ‘She was my Sunday school teacher’ and it makes me feel proud that they would remember.” Gary Johnson remembers her classes as being a comfortable place for him as a child, a place where storytelling took precedence over rigid memorization. As the church grew, so did the Sunday school enrollment, reaching 225 in 1957. But as the congregation aged and the neighborhood around Madison Street became more of a student residential area, the number of children in the congregation dwindled. There was a point in the early1980s where there was only one child in Sunday school. The move to Fitchburg brought a resurgence in families coming into the congregation and there are now 63 children in Sunday school plus 10 in confirmation class. Lois Rosko became education director in 2001 and has helped shape the current dynamic religious education program that serves our families. A church that cares for its members – Pastoral care has long been one of the hallmarks of Memorial, but it took a new direction in 1999 when the congregation hired Petra Streiff as its first parish nurse. She served here for seven years until 2006, helping members navigate the health care system, encouraging them to adopt healthy practices and being with them in times of crisis. Mary Ircink joined our staff in 2007 to build on the foundation created by Petra and our congregational health committee. A church that is generous – In celebrating 90 years of existing, Memorial UCC truly is a memorial to all those who have donated of their financial resources and their time and talents to build what we have today. The generosity of people here have enabled us to move through several different buildings to adapt to the needs of the congregation and of the community. There were people who played critical roles in guiding the church through periods of transitions – Albert Taubert, Henry Hefty and Herman Meier in the 1940s and 1950s, Ruth Tiedeman and Henry Ahrsbrak in the time leading up to the shift from Madison Street to Fitchburg, John and Nancy Hilliard and Ruth and Chuck Schoenwetter and Ted and Marie Peterson as the church struggled with its future in the 1980s. A few people made particularly large donations at critical moments. A bequest from the Dinkler sisters made the construction of the church on Madison Street possible. Henry Ahrnsbrak’s bequest to the church has enabled us send young people to summer camp, to meet the needs of community members in financial difficulties and to create innovative programs. Muriel Taubert’s bequest enabled us to pay off our mortgage in 2004 on our first expansion in Fitchburg and the congregation’s strong response to our most recent capital campaign allowed us to build a new youth wing. In our most recent capital campaigns, we have set aside for community projects 10 percent of the money raised as a witness to our commitment to reach out to the wider world.  A church reflects our theology -- When architect Helmut Ajango set out to design a new church for Memorial, he asked members to write down their sense of what the church should represent. What emerged was a church that reflects the Trinity. The building has three sections – one for worship, one for education and one for the social life of the congregation. The windows in the sanctuary look out into the world as the three circular skylights open us up to God as they bring in the light from above. The tower has three sides with a circle on each side with three crosses on the top, reflecting the three crosses on Calvary where Jesus died. The land on which the church rests is the terminal moraine, the area where the glaciers stopped. The expansions of the building in 2001 and 2006 preserved the basic lines of the church while helping the congregation grow into its future. A last thought from Rev. William Schultz the 50th anniversary booklet: “God calls us not to the past but to the future.” Through its 90 years, Memorial has been a church that values its past but always moves into its future. This was compiled using the amazing work of Loma Klossner in maintaining Memorial’s archives and in creating a collection of some of the critical texts in the church’s history. Additional guidance was provided by Chuck and Ruth Schoenwetter, John and Nancy Hilliard, Gary Johnson, Carol Williams, Rev. Robert Mutton, Rev. Jon Schultz and Rev. Bonnie Van Overbeke. Pastor Phil Haslanger organized the information and wrote this account, which was published as a booklet in 2007. |