Holy Ghost United Church of Christ
Established 1834
PAGE CONTENTS
Also known as
Community
Chronology and locations
History
Church records
Pastors
Other facts
Contact information
Sources
See also Holy Ghost Cemetery information
Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde
German Evangelical Congregation
Unabhängige Deutsche Evangelische Protestantische Kirche zum Heiligen Geist
Independent German Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost
Holy Ghost German Evangelical Church
Holy Ghost Evangelical and Reformed Church
St. Louis—Downtown (1834-1895)
St. Louis—Yeatman / Grand Prarie (1895-1923)
St. Louis—Tower Grove (1923-1928)
St. Louis—Southwest (1928-present)
Chronology and locations
1832—Group of German Protestants begins meeting for worship
1834—Congregation founded; met in Benton School, 6th & Locust
1840—New building, N.W. corner 7th & Clark, the present site of Busch Stadium
1843—Pastor leaves with a group of members to form the German Evangelical Congregation in St. Louis
1856—Pastor leaves with faction to form Independent German Evangelical Protestant Congregation (now Christ the King)
1858—New building, S.W. corner 8th & Walnut
1895—Relocated to S.E. corner Grand & Page—building formerly occupied by Third Congregational
1923—Building sold; met at B’Nai El Temple, S.E. corner Spring & Flad
1928—Relocated to 4916 Mardel Ave. (to present)
1943—Admitted to the Evangelical and Reformed Church
1951—New sanctuary, P. John Hoener, architect
History
A group of German Evangelical immigrants, meeting for worship as early as 1832 in Methodist and Presbyterian churches, formed the German Evangelical Congregation, the first German Protestant church in the city. The congregation met in Benton School until dedicating its first building on the northwest corner of 7th St. and Clark Ave. in 1840, when it also became known as the Independent German Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost. A larger church at 8th and Walnut Streets was dedicated on Sept. 25, 1858. When construction of a railroad tunnel endangered the structure, the congregation relocated to the former Third Congregational Church building at Grand and Page Boulevards in 1895. Declining membership caused the congregation once more to relocate in 1923. After meeting at the B'Nai El Temple at Spring and Flad, the congregation built a chapel / classroom building at 4916 Mardel Ave. near Kingshighway Blvd. and Chippewa St. in 1928. Construction of a new sanctuary was completed in 1951.
Holy Ghost began as an independent congregation. The congregation participated in the Evangelical Protestant Union of Independent Congregations of the West from 1869-1885 and the Evangelical Protestant Ministers Conference from 1885-1914. The congregation began calling pastors from the Evangelical Synod in 1914 but remained independent until 1943, when it joined the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Today Holy Ghost is an active congregation of the United Church of Christ.
In addition to a parochial school founded in 1836, Holy Ghost established two other German-English schools: one at 11th and Biddle Streets in 1845 and one at 9th near Geyer St. in 1854. Open to all regardless of religious affiliation, these schools helped lay the foundation of the St. Louis public school system.
Divisions within Holy Ghost's congregation led to several splits. In 1843, Pastor George Wall and a group of congregants left Holy Ghost to form the German Evangelical Congregation in St. Louis (Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde in St. Louis), which later led to the formation of St. Marcus and St. Peter's Churches. Another split occurred in 1856 when the Rev. Franz Picker and a group of members left Holy Ghost to form the Independent German Evangelical Protestant Congregation (now known as Christ the King United Church of Christ).
Above—The interior of Holy Ghost's 1858 building. The high pulpit overlooking the altar was typical of chancel arrangements in German Evangelical churches of the period.
Original records are in the Archives of Eden Theological Seminary. Microfilm copies are available in the Archives and in Special Collections, St. Louis County Library Headquarters Branch (FHL film #1503025,1503026, 1503027, 1503027, 1505028, 1503029, 1503030, 1503031).
Follow the link below to download an inventory of Holy Ghost records available in the Archives at Eden Theogical Seminary (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Left: The congregation's present building on Mardel near Kingshighway, completed in 1951
Christian Rudolph Korndörfer, 1834-1835
Johann Georg Büttner, 1835-1836
Johann H. Kopf, April-Nov. 1836
George Wendelin Wall, 1836-1843
Franz Picker, 1843-1855
Hugo Krebs, June 1855-1866
Christoph F. Stark, 1866-1867
John G. Eberhard, 1867-1895
Christoph F. Stark, 1895-1896
Reinhold Maurice Pedro Ilgen, 1896-1914
Theodore F. Braun, 1914-1921
Th. L. Mueller, 1921-1925
Theodore C. Braun, 1925-1931
Ralph Christian. Abele, 1931-1964
Allen Fluent, 1964-1964
Alfred Walter Schroeder, Jr., 1964-1969
J.M. Spratte, 1970-1976
J.W. Gergen, Licenciate, 1977-1979
A.P. Laubengayer, supply, 1980-1983
I.D. Thompson, 1983-1994
L.V. Huber, 1997-
Parochial school:
Est. 1836
Introduction of English:
1913
Membership:
In 1930: 110
In 2005: 47
Holy Ghost United Church of Christ
4916 Mardel Ave
St. Louis, MO 63109
(314) 352-7008
Church website
Bohley, Wilferd W. Historical Review of the Holy Ghost United Church of Christ. St. Louis: Holy Ghost United Church of Christ, 1969.
A Century of God’s Grace: The Centenary of the Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost, St. Louis, Missouri, October 1934. St. Louis. Evangelical Protestant Church of the Holy Ghost, 1934.
"Dedication, Holy Ghost Evangelical and Reformed Church, St. Louis, Missouri,
November 25-December 2, 1951," printed program.
St. Marcus Evangelical Church, Saint Louis, Missouri: Centennial Observance, October 10, 1943. St. Louis: St. Marcus Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1943.
Holy Ghost United Church of Christ Book of Remembrances. St. Louis: Holy Ghost United Church of Christ, [s.d].
Schneider, Carl E. “New Truths from Old Facts,.” type-written manuscript, 1933.
Trost, Theodore Louis. “A History of the Evangelical Congregation of the Holy Ghost, St. Louis Missouri, 1834-1914,” Bachelor of Divinity thesis, Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., 1931.
See also:
Forster, Walter O. Zion on the Mississippi: The Settlement of the Saxon Lutherans in Missouri, 1839-1841. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, pp. 307-309.
Taylor, Richard H. Congregations of the German Evangelical Synod of North America and Related Groups. Benton Harbor, Mich.: Richard H. Taylor, 1998.
Updated January 17, 2007. Queries, corrections and problems should be submitted to Scott Holl, Assistant Librarian.