Our History
St. Martin's UCC
This church was originally located at the site of the present St. Martin's Cemetery. The new church was built in 1891 and dedicated on December 6, 1891. The original bell was purchased in 1891 for $600 and was rung three times a day manually for over 70 years until the modern carillon was purchased. The church has been improved over the years, including a basement added in 1924. Services were held in German until 1928. In 1936 the apse was added. The church still retains its original, beautiful stained glass windows with German writing on them.
In February 1943, St. Martin's Evangelical and the German Reformed churches joined and became St. Martin's Evangelical and Reformed Church. Over the years St. Martin's has been part of several yoked ministries. In 1960 the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Church and St. Martin's became known as St. Martin's United Church of Christ.
The congregation was established on September 21, 1861 at a meeting of local pioneers at the home of Ernst and Liberta Klessig. The first building was of stone, built over the course of the next summer and St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church opened for worship on August 16, 1863. The building was located on the grounds of the current St. Martin's Cemetery. It was tom down in the late 1930s after serving as a Sunday School and confirmation meeting place when the new larger brick church was built in 1891.
The parsonage was built next door in 1912 and sold to a private party in 2006. A basement for the church was dug in 1924. St. Martin's and Waubeka Reformed Church shared a ministry from 1926 to 1963, and then with St. John's Church in Boltonville from 1963-1981. From 1981 until 2005, St. Martin's and St. Paul's Church of Waubeka shared a pastor. Twenty-three pastors and interim pastors served the congregation over the years.
St. Martin's church is actually the union of two congregations of each branch of the former German E & R denomination: St. Martin’s Evangelical Society and Fillmore Reformed Church. In 1861 a group of German immigrants formed the St. Martin's Church. Later the Fillmore Reformed Church was formed. Records in the church of each are so extensive one can trace ancestors to point of origin in Germany and passage s booked on ships are also recorded. What had started out as brotherhood fund raiser for missions continues today as an all church fund raiser -- the Annual Pancake Supper with genuine potato pancakes made from scratch (one of the few still serving these). A memorial to one of the sons of our congregation lost during the Vietnam Conflict has become an integral part of the community. Not only did the Carillon chime on the hour but at noon and six it played a seasonal selection of hymns.
In ce1ebration of our 125th anniversary, we planned polka music type of service -- seeking to worship in a new and contemporary way. The 1ocal polka band that had done quite a few polka masses in our area was employed to conduct our music and their choir helped lead us in singing.
One son of our congregation was ordained into the Christian ministry, Tom Degnitz, who now serves Church of our Savior in Germantown.
We have been involved in an ecumenical local township emergency food pantry for Farmington Township run by the St. Vincent De Paul Society of St. Michael's.
We are presently seeking to find new ways to minister not only our members, but members of our community, our neighbors, through us, our facilities, and our resources.
This church was originally located at the site of the present St. Martin's Cemetery. The new church was built in 1891 and dedicated on December 6, 1891. The original bell was purchased in 1891 for $600 and was rung three times a day manually for over 70 years until the modern carillon was purchased. The church has been improved over the years, including a basement added in 1924. Services were held in German until 1928. In 1936 the apse was added. The church still retains its original, beautiful stained glass windows with German writing on them.
In February 1943, St. Martin's Evangelical and the German Reformed churches joined and became St. Martin's Evangelical and Reformed Church. Over the years St. Martin's has been part of several yoked ministries. In 1960 the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Church and St. Martin's became known as St. Martin's United Church of Christ.
The congregation was established on September 21, 1861 at a meeting of local pioneers at the home of Ernst and Liberta Klessig. The first building was of stone, built over the course of the next summer and St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran Church opened for worship on August 16, 1863. The building was located on the grounds of the current St. Martin's Cemetery. It was tom down in the late 1930s after serving as a Sunday School and confirmation meeting place when the new larger brick church was built in 1891.
The parsonage was built next door in 1912 and sold to a private party in 2006. A basement for the church was dug in 1924. St. Martin's and Waubeka Reformed Church shared a ministry from 1926 to 1963, and then with St. John's Church in Boltonville from 1963-1981. From 1981 until 2005, St. Martin's and St. Paul's Church of Waubeka shared a pastor. Twenty-three pastors and interim pastors served the congregation over the years.
St. Martin's church is actually the union of two congregations of each branch of the former German E & R denomination: St. Martin’s Evangelical Society and Fillmore Reformed Church. In 1861 a group of German immigrants formed the St. Martin's Church. Later the Fillmore Reformed Church was formed. Records in the church of each are so extensive one can trace ancestors to point of origin in Germany and passage s booked on ships are also recorded. What had started out as brotherhood fund raiser for missions continues today as an all church fund raiser -- the Annual Pancake Supper with genuine potato pancakes made from scratch (one of the few still serving these). A memorial to one of the sons of our congregation lost during the Vietnam Conflict has become an integral part of the community. Not only did the Carillon chime on the hour but at noon and six it played a seasonal selection of hymns.
In ce1ebration of our 125th anniversary, we planned polka music type of service -- seeking to worship in a new and contemporary way. The 1ocal polka band that had done quite a few polka masses in our area was employed to conduct our music and their choir helped lead us in singing.
One son of our congregation was ordained into the Christian ministry, Tom Degnitz, who now serves Church of our Savior in Germantown.
We have been involved in an ecumenical local township emergency food pantry for Farmington Township run by the St. Vincent De Paul Society of St. Michael's.
We are presently seeking to find new ways to minister not only our members, but members of our community, our neighbors, through us, our facilities, and our resources.
