ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
140 Years of History
Page 10
The 1920's bring change and growth

On October 2, 1921, the voters approved buying a house for a teacherage. The schoolhouse had to be locked by 10:30 on Sunday evening. On October 16, 1921, they agreed to buy a house from Ferd Stuewe.
In 1922, it was voted to have Christe Lehre except on Holy Communion Sundays. This was a time of questions and answers for the children, as they sat in the front pews of the church. The pastor would ask about Bible stories, memory verses, and Christian doctrine.
The confessional service was used for members to prepare for attendance at the Lord's Supper. They would come to announce their intention to the pastor, or they could announce their intention by coming to the confessional service. It was at this time that the distribution of Holy Communion would be included in the time of announcement in the confessional service, rather than a week later.
The congregation voted to sell the house across the street from the school but keep the lots. They also proposed inviting the Kansas District Convention to meet in Alma in 1925. The teacher offered instruction on Saturday afternoons for students who didn't attend Lutheran school.

In the year 1922
A need for another classroom was in plain view
After much voters' heated discussion,
Someone seconded the motion
That second floor change come about
By taking some partitions out
To fulfill the need
Of the second classroom indeed.

By January 1923, part of the second story of the stone school had been converted into a classroom. The voters approved having the finance committee, elders, and school board meet before each quarterly voters meeting. The budget was $5,500. The teacher was not to get more than $100 a month. It was announced that the house across the street had sold for $301. They also saw the need to assist the teacher, and sought help for the teacher. Another teacher was to be hired. Miss Lydia Schmid, the daughter of former Pastor Schmid, became the first teacher of the students in lower grades making St. John a two-teacher school.
The needs of the congregation were changing. They were more English speaking members than ever before. Worship followed this schedule, adopted on July 7, 1923:
• First Sunday - German
• Second Sunday - a.m. English p.m. German
• Third Sunday - a.m. German p.m. English
• Fourth Sunday- a.m. English p.m. German
• Fifth Sunday - a.m. German p.m. English

Activities of faith were held on a regular basis. Events were supported by the Ladies Aid, the Walther League, and by St. John School. The congregation would provide assistance as it was able. This year, voters voted to take care of the Walther League guests.
After serving during the trying years of World War I, Pastor Fischer resigned and moved to St. Louis, where he continued to serve His Lord in various capacities. On August 5, 1923, the voters chose to call Rev. Carl Frederick Lehenbauer, the president of the Kansas District, from Linn, Kansas, at a salary of $1,500 a year plus house, heat, and light.
Beginning in the late 1860's a large population of Lutheran families from Germany settled in the Spring Creek area, the area to the west, and also the south part of the Deep Creek area. Because of distance and having to travel through streams and over and around many hills on very, very rough chert (flint) rock roads St. John Pastors conducted worship services on many Sunday afternoons or evenings in the Spring Creek public school house in District #18. (Information relative to the year the services began is not available.) They were discontinued by decision of the voters during this vacancy.
God in His wisdom guided Rev. Carl Lehenbauer to accept the call to serve St. John, as Alma had good transportation on the Rock Island and Santa Fe Railroads. As president of the Kansas District, he was required to travel to many areas of the state. St. John was the largest congregation in the District at that time.
The move was quite a project. There were ten children and one car. Mr. A.E. Stuewe and Mr. Oscar Zeckser drove to Linn in their cars to help transport the family. The household furnishings were loaded on one half of a railroad boxcar; the other half was occupied by their animals, including two cows! The Lehenbauer family spoke German in the home.
Pastor Lehenbauer was installed on September 16, 1923. He conducted both English and German services regularly.
In 1923 a pumping system to pump water from wells into the 50,000 gallon water tank located on the hill known as the schoolhouse hill at the north end of Kansas Avenue and a sewer system were completed and in use in Alma. In July, 1924, St. John applied for water and sewer acquisition to the parsonage and cellar (half basement) of the school at a cost of $773. When the installations were completed the elders were instructed to sell the 'little house'.
The advent of electric lighting and indoor plumbing modernization had caused grumblings mixed with elation. Kerosene lamps were replaced in early 1900's with electric lighting. Under the first floor hall restrooms were installed with indoor plumbing.

The Kansas District Teachers met in Conference at St. John the last week in November, 1924. They presented a Sacred Concert of organ and song. F.R. Theel of Independence sang "The Lord Is My Shepherd".
The voters declared that 2/5 of membership constituted a quorum. Thus, it was necessary to have members aware of meetings that were to take place. Worship was important, and in March, 1925, they got a hundred liturgical cards. The liturgy was to be sung by the congregation. The trustees were to provide parking place for automobiles. The elders bought knives, forks, and spoons.
The second week of October, 1925, pastors, teachers, and congregational delegates of the Kansas District of The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states met in convention for the third
time at St. John. The only other information that seems to be available is the program of a Sacred Concert, held in conjunction with the convention in Alma.
On December 6, 1925, the voters adopted a budget of $6,000 for 1926. They also voted to buy an addressing machine.

From 1923 to 1927 primary grade 'lambs' of our Lord
Had heard from six teachers His Holy Word;
From the Bible History and Luther's Catechism
learned wrong from right,
Also learned to read, sing, spell, figure, and write.
Continued teaching Bible History,
Catechism, hymns, and more
Reading, spelling, addition, and subtraction,
English, handwriting, multiplication, and division.

Miss Amanda Obermueller taught the lower grade students from September to December, 1923.
Miss Lydia Mehl (Lydia Diepenbrock) taught them from December 6, 1923, to May, 1924. Mr. Walter Kellerman, a vicar, taught the lower grade students in the 1924-1925 term.
Miss Haubein taught the lower grade students in the 1925-1926 term.
On July 11, 1926, Mr. Lietz requested and received a release from teaching in the school.
On August 8, 1926, Mr. William Roth was called. He served as teacher of students in grades six, seven, and eight and organist.
Miss Degner taught students in the first five grades in the 1926-1927 term. From 1927 to '34 Miss Irene Schulz and '34 to '36 Miss Alice Rau on second floor

In January, 1927, the Men's Club was organized with nineteen charter members. Pastor C.F. Lehenbauer was elected to serve as the first president. The purpose of the club was to foster Christian fellowship, recreation, and promote participation in the work of the church.
The lot north of the school was sold to the county for $950. The voters proposed to build a teacherage on the lot to the west of the school. On April 28, 1929, the estimate of the cost of the teacherage was $6,000. The teacherage was built, at projected costs that summer.
On August, 4, 1929, the voters approved participating in a joint celebration of the 400th anniversary of the catechism at Manhattan to be held September 22, 1929.

In 1946 God blessed and privileged me to begin teaching God's 'lambs', who were in grades one to four in St. John Lutheran School. God's 'lambs' in grades one and two sat in single desks which had been bought from the rural school (District 3) in which I started grade school. His 'lambs' in third and fourth grade sat in the double desks which had been used in the school since the 1870's. – (Miss Dorothy Kratzer)
Many students shared textbooks. Parents didn't always have the 5 or 10 cents to buy each text. They were handed down to younger brothers and sisters and were also traded back and forth among families.
Neither did they have 1 or 2 cents to buy a tablet of sheets of lined paper on which students could write lessons. The pages could not be used over and over for other lessons. Instead of tablets, students had a writing slate, a slate pencil, and a cloth to erase a lesson after it was approved by the teacher. The next lesson could then be written on it. The slate was kept from year to year and used until the student was through the reader school or until he/she was confirmed.
A writing slate was a wood framed piece of slate 8"x11". Some were double. The two slates were hinged with a heavy cloth (canvas) or two leather strips so they would fold together like a two-page booklet. The slate was usually 1/8" in thickness - about one half the thickness of the slate that was used for blackboards on the wall in the classrooms. A slate pencil was about six to eight inches long and 1/8" in diameter. It was very hard and lasted much longer than chalk.
In the opinion of the writer, Miss Dorothy Kratzer, the English language text books in all subjects of the eighteen seventies, eighties, and nineties were very well written and illustrated. They stated basic facts and concepts in clear and understandable language. Many of today's textbooks do not have that quality.