Friedens UCC St. Charles Celebrates 175 Years
On August 2, 2009, Friedens UCC in St. Charles, Missouri, celebrated 175 years of faithful service to God; it is the second oldest Evangelical and Reformed church west of the Mississippi.
From its humble rural beginnings and the 31 members who signed the original constitution,Friedens has grown to be an enduring part of the religious landscape of St. Charles County. Under theleadership of its current pastor, Rev. Douglas Kaufman, the church has added a contemporary “New Roots” service, and the worship arts ministry continues to grow, including a contemporary praise team and drama team.
Friedens hosted several anniversary events, including a trivia contest and an old-fashioned church
social. Special anniversary displays, updated monthly, celebrated various organizations within the
church, including new ministries, like W.O.W. (Women of Worship) and the Men’s Breakfast Bible
Study.
On August 2, Anniversary Sunday, the church celebrated with two services, featuring guest
conference minister Rev. Jeffrey Whitman. Retired minister Rev. Richard Brueseke entertained
everyone with his monologue portraying the life of one of Friedens’ circuit riding ministers, Josef Anton
Rieger. Guests at the festivities also enjoyed a catered lunch, and viewing photo albums, scrapbooks,
and videos from the church’s archives. A beautiful anniversary quilt (click here to see quilt), created by the Friedens quilting group, was also on display.
We at Friedens praise God for what we’ve accomplished in 175 years, and look forward to serving
our Creator and Redeemer for many years to come.
Contributed by Karen Hitchcock, Friedens Anniversary Committee
On August 2, 2009, Friedens UCC in St. Charles, Missouri, celebrated 175 years of faithful service to God; it is the second oldest Evangelical and Reformed church west of the Mississippi.
From its humble rural beginnings and the 31 members who signed the original constitution,Friedens has grown to be an enduring part of the religious landscape of St. Charles County. Under theleadership of its current pastor, Rev. Douglas Kaufman, the church has added a contemporary “New Roots” service, and the worship arts ministry continues to grow, including a contemporary praise team and drama team.
Friedens hosted several anniversary events, including a trivia contest and an old-fashioned church
social. Special anniversary displays, updated monthly, celebrated various organizations within the
church, including new ministries, like W.O.W. (Women of Worship) and the Men’s Breakfast Bible
Study.
On August 2, Anniversary Sunday, the church celebrated with two services, featuring guest
conference minister Rev. Jeffrey Whitman. Retired minister Rev. Richard Brueseke entertained
everyone with his monologue portraying the life of one of Friedens’ circuit riding ministers, Josef Anton
Rieger. Guests at the festivities also enjoyed a catered lunch, and viewing photo albums, scrapbooks,
and videos from the church’s archives. A beautiful anniversary quilt (click here to see quilt), created by the Friedens quilting group, was also on display.
We at Friedens praise God for what we’ve accomplished in 175 years, and look forward to serving
our Creator and Redeemer for many years to come.
Contributed by Karen Hitchcock, Friedens Anniversary Committee
Pastor Becker's Visit He served Friedens from 1969-1995 |
Pastor Warskow's Visit He served Friedens from 1959-1969 |
Pastor Koch's Visit He served Friedens from 1955-1957 |
Pastor Reynold's Visit She served Friedens from 1995-2003 |
| Surviving, Called Pastors and their spouses join us in celebration! |