From
Cafeteria To Cathedral:
“How awesome is this
place! This is none other than the
house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:17
For more than ten years, the people of Lamb of God Lutheran Church made an elementary school cafeteria “the house of God . . . the gate of heaven.” First at Forest Park Elementary School, then at Stocker Elementary School (the latter, complete with “Stocker Sharks” banners for each successive graduating class), we faithful set up an altar and worshiped.
At first, the altar was a table, adorned by a bed
sheet on which liturgical symbols had been sewn, with a borrowed cross in the
center. As congregations around the
Synod donated more liturgical appointments, and woodworkers in the congregation
built a portable altar, the churchly atmosphere became more visible. Still, from the very beginning, there never
was any doubt, each time we gathered for worship, that we were in the house of
God.
The seeds for this house of God were sown in the
1960s, when the South Wisconsin District purchased an advance mission site in
the 6500 block of Green Bay Road. The
congregation, which celebrated its first worship service on November 24, 1991,
purchased the land from the District in 1996.
The Reverend Ron Rock, in his vicarage year in 1991,
served as mission developer for Lamb of God.
He provided the momentum for that first worship service, and built a
foundation of confessional, liturgical worship which remains to this day. When he returned to the seminary for his
senior year, the congregation eagerly anticipated its next shepherd.
In 1992, the Reverend Wayne Schiesow was called as
assistant pastor to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Lamb of God’s mother
congregation. He brought Lamb of God
through its chartering as a member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod on
Reformation Day, October 31, 1993. He was called to Lamb of God shortly
thereafter, and served the congregation until October 1997. Pastor Schwiesow built a comprehensive
church life for Lamb of God, leading worship services for virtually every major
Christian festival throughout the year—proving that the house of God can exist,
even on New Year’s Eve in an elementary school cafeteria.
The Reverend John Berg accepted the call to Lamb of
God in April 1998, and was installed in June of that year. Under his leadership, the congregation
continued to thrive. Worship life was
enriched, and attendance kept growing.
The faithful preaching of the Word, and the right administration of the
Sacraments, remained the bedrock of Lamb of God Lutheran Church, this house of
God without a house of its own.
In 1999, a developer approached the congregation to
determine its interest in selling that land, and pointed to the present property
as a means by which the congregation could take a giant step toward worshiping
in its own house of God. After much
prayerful deliberation, Lamb of God sold its first parcel in May 2000 and
purchased this site.
Architects were interviewed throughout that summer and
autumn. A Lutheran with considerable
experience in designing, building, and renovating churches, Roger Potratz, of
dh2w & Associates, Michigan City, Indiana, was selected to guide the
congregation through the renovation process.
The formal groundbreaking was celebrated August 12, 2001, and work began
in earnest in early September. Rasch
Construction, Kenosha, served as the General Contractor. The first worship services in this house of
God were held Wednesday, March 13, 2002.
The educational wings and the organ were dedicated on
Sunday, April 14, 2002. Pastors Rock
and Schwiesow both were present for the event, and the guest organist was The
Reverend Dr. Daniel G. Reuning, Kantor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne,
Indiana, and retired Dean of the Chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary
there.
Ten years is a long time for a mission congregation to
survive without a permanent home. Every
time we met for worship, we rolled the altar out of storage and set up the
appointments, only to reverse the process at the end of the service. Over the course of ten years, the altar made
close to 1,500 trips in and out of storage!
And, in the early years, we set up (and took down) all the chairs, as
well. What you see today, at Lamb of
God, is a reminder that God had His own timetable for this congregation. This house of God was built on His
timetable.
The beautiful altar you see before you had not been used for nearly forty years. The pulpit, hymn board, and significant portions of the chancel rail were companion pieces to the altar. These items had been stored in the old St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin. The current building owner, William Martin graciously donated the items to Lamb of God. Jerry Miller, of Miller Woodworks, Salem, Wisconsin, undertook the huge task of stripping, repairing, and refinishing it. Its spires pointing heavenward, it is a visual reminder that our prayers rise before Him as incense. The baptismal font at the entrance to the nave has been made to echo the design of the altar and chancel rail. Its placement symbolizes the Christian’s entry into the church through baptism.
The focal point of the altar—indeed, the focal point
of this house of God—is a crucifix made by the Studios of Demetz in Italy. The focus of our church life, and the focus
of the life of the Christian, is Christ’s suffering and death on the cross for
our sins, and His victory over sin, death, and the devil in His resurrection.
The Abbott & Seeker pipe organ is a gift from Gethsemane
Lutheran Church, Riverside, California. Repaired and installed by T. R. Rench
& Company, Racine, this beautiful tracker-action instrument will lead
worship services for generations to come.
How awesome is this place, this house of God, this
gate of heaven. We hope and pray you
will join us often in singing praises to God in this, our beloved home.
May 19, 2002