Wartburg Parish
Peace-Chester, St. John-Post Oak, St. Peter-Wine Hill

Welcome to Peace Lutheran Church

Peace Lutheran Church Chester is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and part of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, CHESTER

Prior to the organization of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Chester, Illinois on September 4, 1907, Pastor Fr. Fuerst, who at that time was pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, at Wine Hill, Illinois, held mission services for several months at the Baptist Church, Franklin Street, Chester, Illinois, in the rear of the present Episcopalian Church, which was vacant at that time. When services were discontinued there, it was finally sold to a Mr. Devine, who remodeled it into a home. The Baptist parsonage was sold to Mr. Pratt, which is now owned by Scott Courier (1952). Shortly before the congregation was organized, services were held in the present church building, which also was vacant at that time. This church building was then owned by the German Methodist Congregation and known as the German Methodist Church.

Pastor Fuerst was asked by a few families to help organize a Lutheran congregation in Chester. It was organized on September 4, 1907. The Constitution accepted at that time was the Constitution of the General Synod. The following men were present at this meeting: Pastor Fr. Fuerst, Henry Sonnenberg, Peter F. Heuer, Fritz Heuer, Henry C. Welge, Herman F. Wiebusch, Detlef Ahrens, Wiegund F. Ochs, Charles Brandes, William Ebers, Charles F. Welge and Rudolph Welge. All of the families agreed to sign the Constitution, which was written in German, at their next meeting (September 11, 1907) with the exception of Charles F. Welge, Rudolph Welge, Charles Brandes and William Ebers. These meetings were held at the home of Rudolph Welge on Swanwick Street in Chester. Minutes show the present church building, ground and the old parsonage were purchased from the M. E. Congregation for a sum of $2,200. The deed was signed on July 11, 1912.

Pastor Fr. Fuerst, (Supply Pastor) of the Wine Hill, Illinois St. Peter's Lutheran congregation, served from September 4, 1907, through April 1909 as the last congregational meeting attended by him was on April 18, 1909.

The first baptism, Omar Hoffman, was performed on September 15, 1907. The first confirmation was Miss Emma Kuntz on November 1, 1908.

Pastor R. B. Garten, (Supply Pastor) of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Bremen, Illinois, served from June 1909 through part of April 1913. In the congregational meeting minutes of May 31, 1909, they voted to call Pastor Garten. The minutes of the conference meeting held on June 3, 1909, verified that Pastor Garten had accepted the call to serve the Chester church.

Pastor Frederick R. Gensichen, (Supply Pastor) of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Bremen, Illinois, served from July of 1913 through April of 1915 when the congregation called another pastor who would be a full-time resident pastor.

Pastor J. R. Frenze, (Resident Pastor) served from May of 1915 through April of 1919. He resigned March 23, 1919.

​