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Looking Back

Now that our 150th year is off and running, I have been reading through some of the documents that tell the history of St. John’s. This month I have been struck by the innovation and change that has occurred in these 150 years. Some of the changes have been gradual. In 1907 we first worshiped in English at the Sunday evening service, but only once per month. It was under the next pastor, Rev. Kreis who began in 1917, that all evening services were conducted in English. Ten years later, the word “German” would be dropped from our name, and only one service each month was conducted in German. In just over twenty years we changed from being an exclusively German church, to being an English church with German roots.

Other change came more abruptly. In the early 1900’s men and women did not sit together in worship. Men sat on the right, women and children on the left. In The Story of Mokena, Florence Pitman wrote, “At the turn of the century a few brave men escorted their wives to the center section and sat with them.” From that point on, men and women have sat next to each other in worship. We have seen innovation in the formation of the bell choir, and puppet ministries. We have taken risks--when it was built, our sanctuary was the most expensive building ever built in Mokena. We have sought to keep up and catch up with the times, exchanging the King James translation of the Bible for the Revised Standard Version, and now the New Revised Standard Version.

I found the reasons for these changes to be more significant than the changes themselves. The 125th anniversary booklet states “Just after the turn of a new century changing times and new ideas encouraged change at St. John’s.” Holding services in English was an effort to “bridge the generation gap.” Singing societies were organized to “bring generations closer together.” Our commitment to our mission transformed ministry in ways that the founders never imagined. Throughout our 150 years, our forebears recognized that to remain vital St. John’s would have to tell the old, old, gospel story in new ways. Our mission and message remain while the form continues to change and evolve.

It’s not that we have finally found the right and good way to worship, teach, reach out, or care for people. The call and challenge to the church is to translate the gospel message to every culture and every age. Just as the words of Jesus had to be translated by missionaries into the native languages of people they were trying to reach, it is left to us to translate the gospel into a language that can be understood and received by people of every age and culture. As our culture and values change, we must continually re-translate the message into words and actions that can be understood by each generation.

As we celebrate our 150 years, let’s carry on our legacy of ministry to Mokena and the entire Lincolnway area by finding new and old ways to make Christ known.

May God bless you and St. John’s in this our 150th year.
Pastor Dave