Church History

Fulton UCC History

Early Church History to Formal Organization in 1889

The earliest history of the church is from a General Warranty Deed dated 4-22-1867 for purchase of property at Nichols and Asylum (5th) Streets in Fulton, when the church first operated as the German Reform Church and German School. The first deed and an early treasurer’s book for the years 1871 – 1874, 1879, and for 1886-1887 show that although the church was struggling in it’s early years, it operated off and on until 1889 when the sanctuary was built and the church was incorporated as the German Evangelical Church of Fulton, MO.

According to the church history written by Rev. C. Richard Blount for the church’s 90th Anniversary, the early church was served by a pastor for only a short time. From Blount’s history, “In the 1870’s some Evangelical ministers from Jefferson City and a German Presbyterian minister conducted Sunday afternoon services, but the response of the German people to these special services had not been encouraging.”

Besides the treasurer’s book mentioned above, no other documents exist that show church activity until 1889. Again from Blount’s history: “In the spring of 1888, the Reverend Ferdinand John Klick was visiting his mother, who lived near the Auxvasse Creek in the rural area near Fulton. During the course of his visit, he discovered that there was a group of Evangelical Christians in and around Fulton who were without the benefit of the ministries of a church.” None of the 11 churches in Fulton conducted services in German, and so Reverend Klick organized a meeting to discuss formally organizing a congregation. “The group was committed to try again to organize a congregation and requested that services of worship and study be started as soon as possible.

Numerous seminary students travelled to Fulton for services until, in the summer of 1889, the recently ordained Reverend William Meyer was sent to Fulton to organize and establish a permanent congregation of German speaking people.

The following events then occurred:

7-22-1889. Organizational meeting held.
7-25-1889. Congregation property at Nichols and Asylum re-deeded to rename the church to the German Evangelical Church of Fulton, MO. See transcription of the deed in this paper.
8-5-1889. Constitution adopted by the congregation.
1-24-1890. Congregation approves the building plan for the new sanctuary.
5-18-1890. New church completed and dedicated. Service started in old house which had been first church house of worship, then congregation moved into new house of worship to finish the service. Rev. Myer was both pastor and treasurer of the new congregation. From Blount’s history however this house was at 5th and Jefferson.
May 1890. Church incorporated with State of Missouri. See transcribed Petition for Incorporation with the Second Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri.

Fulton UCC Pastors

1.  Ferdinand John Klick who led in founding 1889
2.  William Meyer 7-1-1889          to         5-1-1892
3.  Carl Struckmeier                                     5-1-1892          to         10-2-1892
4.  Emil Berdau                                            10-9-1892        to         7-5-1897
5.  Gottfried Bode 8-8-1897          to         10-3-1901
6.  Johannes Moritz                                     3-1-1902          to         7-5-1903
7.  Heinrich Mueller 7-8-1904          to         6-14-1905
8.  Ernest Bratzel, student pastor                 6-20-1905        to         9-1-1905
9.  Rudolf Fischer 9-1-1905          to         10-1-1907
10.  Franz B. Cunz 2-20-1908        to         4-20-1909
11.  Martin F. Bierbaum, student pastor        6-12-1909        to         9-1-1909
12.  Theodore C. P. Baur 7-17-1910        to         6-8-1914
13.  Frederick L. Rodenbeck 8-9-1914          to         1-29-1918
14.  Belmont Klick 8-18-1918        to         6-22-1919
15.  Eugene Baltzer 8-21-1921        to         7-9-1922
16.  Henry C. Koch 7-9-1922          to         11-1924
17.  Harold G. Freund 12-1-1924        to         7-1-1925
18.  Elmer H. Hoefer, student pastor 7-26-1925        to         9-1925
19.  Ralph Abele, student pastor 10-25-1925      to         2-1926
20.  O. F. Hafner 3-1-1926          to         4-3-1943
21.  Robert G. Herrmann 7-2-1944          to         4-30-1954
22.  Walter W. Wilke 5-1-1954          to         4-15-1958
23.  John Kleffmann                                      12-5-1958        to         4-23-1962
24.  Newton Fowler, interim pastor               5-1-1963          to         8-31-1963
25.  William F. Rogers, interim pastor 9-1-1963          to         6-1965
26.  Robert Siever 6-6-1965          to         9-1966
27.  Paul Ross Lynn, interim pastor              9-27-1966        to         4-21-1968
28.  Ronald Wallen, student pastor               Summer 1968
29.  Herbert Loring, interim pastor                9-1968             to         7-1970
30.  Ronald Wallen                                        7-23-1970        to         12-28-1972
31.  Donald Stassel, interim pastor 12-28-1972      to         10-6-1974
32.  Raymond Seutter, interim pastor 10-6-1974        to         8-15-1975
33.  Joseph Lindell 8-15-1975        to         2-28-1977
34.  C. Richard Blount, interim pastor           3-6-1977          to         5-1982
35.  Guy Patterson 11-1982           to         12-31-1985
36.  Anita Bernhardt, student pastor 6-15-1986        to         9-15-1986
37.  Ellen Marquardt 9-15-1986        to         1-14-1996
38.  MyCherie Zimmerman, interim             3-3-1996          to         9-27-1997
39. Judith Rinehart-Nelson 10-5-1997        to         1-30-2000
40.  Edward Church, interim                         7-2-2000          to         1-27-2002