Evangelical Lutheran Synod
 Madison, Wisconsin
1926 - 2001

As we enter the sanctuary our eyes are drawn to the cross above the altar. The cross is a copy of one found on a Christian altar in the city of Ephesus dating back to 335 AD. "IC" is the Greek abbreviation for "Jesus," "XC" is the Greek abbreviation for "Christ" and "NIKA" is the Greek word for "Conquers." Since these words are centered on the cross, the message of our cross is: "Jesus Christ Conquers by the Cross!"

75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

September 23, 2001

God’s truth endures to all generations

[Top of Page]

FOREWORD

First and foremost as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, we dedicate this day to our heavenly Father! Genesis 28:16-17 reminds us that our Holy Cross Lutheran Church is really Gods house. We are also reminded that not only is this Gods place, but He lives and works in this church with us everyday. ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." "How awesome is this place! This is none other that the House of God; this is the gate of heaven."

We thank God today for the pastors he has given us at Holy Cross. They have faithfully and consistently taught God’s Word and administered the sacraments. We thank God today for all of the teachers who have faithfully taught God’s Word in our school and Sunday school. We thank God today for all who have helped us worship and praise our Lord through music at Holy Cross. We thank God today for all of the staff members and volunteers at Holy Cross who over the years have faithfully served with their time and talents. We thank God today for all those who have given of their treasure to the Lord’s work. Holy Cross has been blessed with members who have given generously to their Savior.

Lastly, we dedicate this day to all the sainted members of Holy Cross who are now in their heavenly home. Isn’t that the final goal and purpose of Holy Cross? To have all people realize that as believers, heaven is our final home. Romans 10:9 tells us how this happens. "That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." This means that believers will spend eternity in heaven! Remember that! And remember that God always keeps His promises!

To God alone be all the glory!

The Organizing Committee of the 75th Anniversary Celebration on behalf of the Fellowship of Holy Cross Lutheran Church

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** *

 CELEBRATION SCHEDULE

8:15 and 10:30 - WORSHIP

The Rev. George M. Orvick (Guest Speaker)
The Rev. Steven P. Petersen (Guest Liturgist)
Mrs. Ruby Hougan (Guest Organist)
Mr. Silas Born (Guest Choir Director)

9:30 - 10:30 - COFFEE HOUR
(Cafeteria)

 12:00 noon - DINNER
(Fellowship Hall)

 DINNER PROGRAM

 Pastors Mark F. Bartels and Bernt P. Tweit (Masters of Ceremony)
The Rev. Steven P. Petersen (Guest Speaker)

[Top of Page]

 A KEEPSAKE MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTORS

In the grand scheme of the world’s history 75 years is but a blink, and the history of one congregation appears entirely insignificant. The world will take no notice of our celebration of 75 years as a congregation. And yet Scripture gives us a different historical perspective from God’s point of view. First of all, 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us "Do not forget this one thing, dear friends; with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day." The Lord has been concerned about each moment of our history as a congregation. These days have not been insignificant to Him. They are critical in His plan for us, His believers. To Him each day has been like a thousand years. Secondly, the Bible reminds us that while our congregation goes little noticed by the world, God has taken notice not only of our congregation, but of each individual here, saying in Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me."

These past 75 years from God’s perspective are not the history of an institution or of brick and mortar and programs. These past 75 years from God’s perspective are the history of each person who has been cared for in this place. To our Savior it is the history of each sinner who has been called to repentance at this place; the history of each sinner under our care who has been comforted by the sweet message of forgiveness at the foot of the holy cross; the history of each little one brought into His kingdom at our baptismal font; the history of each couple united in holy matrimony here; the history of each young person making their confirmation vows around our altar; the history of each person spreading His Word to our neighbors; the history of each family comforted by His Word at each funeral; the history of each heart’s growth in God’s Word.

Our history has not been perfect, and with each member there has been much that has not been right. Yet for all that, the membership of Holy Cross has been characterized by a people who have continued in Jesus’ Word, who have sought to do God’s will, and who have put their trust in the promises of God. This is the key to Holy Cross’s future. While the future is unsure, God’s Word, directives, and promises remain sure. If we are a people who continue in Jesus’ Word, labor to do His will, and commit our cause to Him in confident trust, Holy Cross will under God, continue to be what it has been in the past, a congregation blessed by God!

[Top of Page]

HOLY CROSS HISTORY

Early mission work on Madison’s East Side was undertaken in the year 1925 under the direction of Dr. S. C. Ylvisaker, who was pastor of Our Saviours Church at the time. Sunday School was conducted at the home of John Hanson from May until October 1925. From October 1925 until February 1926, Sunday School was held in what was called the "Flat Iron Building" on Union Corners. One of the groups from Our Saviours Church which was very active in helping the new mission was the "Missionary Ladies’ Aid," which was organized on October 12, 1925. The Rev. Sophus Lee, who was at that time a student of theology and teacher at Western Koshkonong Lutheran School, came to preach, teach Sunday School, and do mission work during the school year of 1925-26. Then in 1926 the Rev. Erling Ylvisaker was called, and the congregation was formally organized at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Styrk Reque (September 26, 1926). Five families besides the Ylvisakers were charter members (Mr. & Mrs. Styrk Reque, Mr. & Mrs. Gus Herbeck, Mr. & Mrs. Julius Johnson, Mr. & Mrs. Carl Mathison, Mr. & Mrs. Hans R. Hanson). The Synod then purchased two lots at the corner of Farwell and Milwaukee Streets for the construction of the first church, "The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross," a white, wood-framed church ~ocated where our present school is now located. The laying of the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 13, 1927. The Rev. Christian Anderson, pastor of Fairview Church in Minneapolis, laid the stone and addressed a group of approximately 350. The new church edifice was dedicated on Sunday, September 27, 1927. Rev. Anderson preached the dedicatory sermon and performed the rite of dedication. The attendance at the dedication was too large for the new church, and a tent was set up outside where the sermon was preached by the Rev. John Moldstad of Chicago.

Holy Cross’s forefathers founded a congregation that stood committed to God’s solid Word. When Holy Cross was organized in 1926, a church constitution was needed. The constitution contains some articles that are "unalterable," or cannot he changed. If they are changed, Holy Cross will cease to be Holy Cross. Among those unalterable articles are these: This congregation accepts the Holy Word of God, revealed in the canonical hooks of the Old and New Testaments, as the only source and rule of faith, doctrine, and conduct. This congregation accepts the Symbolical Books of the Lutheran Church, because they give a pure and correct exposition of the teachings of God’s Word. These Symbolical Books are. The Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord.

The early days of the congregation were not easy. The congregation was only a few years old when the great depression of the 1930’s hit. Pastor Ylvisaker often went without pay, as did many members of the congregation who were unemployed. Pastor Ylvisaker encouraged the congregation to find comfort in the Gospel, not to withdraw from church because of economic hardship: all were welcome. As the east side of Madison grew, the congregation grew through the tireless efforts of Rev. Ylvisaker. The congregation was stricken with sorrow by his death on March 3 1, 1954. His pastorate was at that time one of the longest in Madison history.

Rev. Ylvisaker has been long remembered. The altar; pulpit, and lectern of the present church were given in his memory by a grateful con gregation,~ the stone in the front flower garden with the plaque in his memory has been at Holy Cross since the 1 950’s (this stone was once used by Gov. Farwell as a hitching post for his mansion on Spaight St., which later became the Norwegian Lutheran Seminary), and the current newsletter was renamed this year to commemorate Holy Cross’s first newsletter; "The Lighted Cross," which Rev. Ylvisaker wrote in September of 1929.

Holy Cross was in need of a new pastor. Many members came to have a high regard for the Rev. George M. Orvick, the young pastor of Our Saviour’s Church in Amherst Junction, Wisconsin, who during the years 1949-1950 drove to Holy Cross each week to serve as choir director while attending Northwestern College in Watertown. He accepted the call and was installed as Pastor of Holy Cross on June 13, 1954. Under Rev. Orvick’s solid and spirited leadership as pastor (32 years total), the congregation outgrew its beloved first church, and with much prayer, effort, and financial commitment, realized the joy of dedicating a second, much larger church in service to the Lord. On December 3, 1961, ground was broken for the present church, and on July 29, 1962, the cornerstone was laid. The church, designed by Weiler & Strang Assoc. and built by contractor Kenneth F. Sullivan, cost $210,000. In order to keep costs down, the church was to have amber colored windows, but the ladies’ organizations pulled together and made it possible for beautiful stained glass windows. The windows portray the story of the Bible from Creation to the Resurrection. One window by the balcony stairway symbolizes the Reformation and the other the history of Holy Cross. Pictured in that window is the old sanctuary and the historical stone that has been a Madison landmark since 1954. Then, on September 9, 1962, a procession of officers and choirs, led by Rev. Orvick and followed by members and friends, marched from the little white church to this new "Holy Cross Lutheran Church’ for the first time, for the door opening ceremony and dedication. What a thrill it was! The Rev. Sophus E. Lee was guest speaker at the morning thanksgiving services. In the afternoon, the Rev. Theodore Aaberg, then president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, performed the rite of dedication. The three services were attended by over 1700 people!

The congregation continued to grow and plans were soon laid for the erection of a new educational building. Elementary Christian education has run through Holy Cross’s entire history and has been a blessing to the congregation, beginning with Sunday school classes in the old flat iron building in 1926, and in 1927 a Christian day school in the basement of the first church. In the early 1940’s Holy Cross joined with three synodical conference churches (Eastside, Immanuel, and Our Saviours) and for a brief time operated a joint school in the basement of the old Eastside Lutheran Church (which is currently the little white mission church across from Bashford Methodist on North Street). In 1945, Holy Cross joined with three more synodical conference churches (St. Paul’s, Mt. Olive, and Monona Lutheran) and the seven churches operated a joint school at 1001 Jennifer Street for nearly 20 years. When fellowship between the ELS and the Missouri Synod had to be severed for doctrinal reasons in the 1960’s, the school had to shut its doors. From 1965-71, pupils from Holy Cross attended the new Eastside Lutheran School (WELS). Then, on April 2, 1967, the voters of Holy Cross approved a new building program. The City of Madison vacated the land to the east of the church, and this was acquired by the congregation. An "Education for Eternity" fund-raising drive was held during the spring of 1967, the old church was removed that summer, and work was begun on the educational building. The old "Jackson house" was removed and a parking lot constructed. The new education building was dedicated on June 23, 1968, with the Rev. Juul B. Madson, then President of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, officiating.

On January 1, 1970, Pastor Orvick became President of the ELS. Because of the increased size of the Holy Cross congregation by that time, it was decided to call a visitation pastor to assist in its ministry. On June 7, 1970, the first visitation pastor at Holy Cross was installed, the Rev. Adolph Harstad, formerly chaplain of Bethesda Lutheran Home, Watertown, Wisconsin. The next major step in the life of the congregation was the decision on December 13, 1970 to open the current Christian Day School. Mr. Silas Born of Sparta, Wisconsin accepted the call to organize the school and become principal in 1971. The school opened in the fall of 1971: kindergarten through fourth grade, two teachers, and an enrollment of 53 pupils. Provisions for additional growth and development were made when four houses on Union Street were purchased.

Eighteen years ago Holy Cross expanded the new church and school. This timely improvement, including the addition of a gymnasium, was realized on June 12, 1983, when ground breaking took place for the construction of the current fellowship center. In addition to more classroom space, locker rooms, and a generous sized fellowship hall, this new facility meant that the school children no longer had to be bussed to a nearby school for physical education. This center has provided many opportunities for fellowship, for youth group activities, and for school activities. In addition to their religious and scholarly activities, the Holy Cross ‘Crusaders’ have enjoyed long-standing competition with children from other regional schools in volleyball and basketball and during the annual Fine Arts Fair (music and art) and ELS Olympics (athletics) events. Today, thanks to dedicated staff and continued support by members of Holy Cross, the Christian Day School is open to preschoolers through eighth grade, has 16 teachers and staff, and a current enrollment of approximately 140 students.

 The Rev. Steven P. Petersen, who had been Associate Pastor with Pastor Orvick since 1984, accepted the call in 1986 to become Senior Pastor when Pastor Orvick left Holy Cross to assume full-time presidential duties for the ELS in Mankato, Minnesota. The congregation’s blessings continued under Rev. Petersen’s careful pastoral leadership.

 Rev. Petersen graciously served the Holy Cross congregation until 1997, when he was called to serve as coordinator of the ELS home and foreign missions, a post created to utilize his strength in the mission field. The Rev. Mark F. Bartels, who had been Associate Pastor with Pastor Petersen since 1992, accepted the call in 1997 to become Senior Pastor. Today, Holy Cross Church and School continue to flourish under the prayerful guidance of Pastor Bartels and Associate Pastor Bernt P. Tweit, who was installed in June of 1999, and Visitation Pastors Paul Petersen (Rev. Steve Petersen’s father) and Carl Mischke (former WELS president).

 Over the past 75 years Holy Cross has been blessed with the service of many faithful pastors, vicars, administrative staff, school faculty and staff, students, and volunteers. To date approximately 1,500 young people have been confirmed in Christian faith at Holy Cross! Our current membership is 1,260 strong, the largest church in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. "Indeed 75 years of grace!" 

[Top of Page]

MEMORIES TO TREASURE

 LADIES’ GROUPS: "The ladies’ organizations have been an important part of Holy Cross for 75 years. Shortly after establishing the church, a group of ladies started meetings known as "Ladies Aid." Several years later in the 30’s, another group was organized and became the "Sewing Circle." This group would meet twice a month with one meeting in the afternoon and the other in the evening, and these would alternate with Ladies Aid. Thus every Thursday would have a ladies’ activity planned."

 "In 1951, Rev. Ylvisaker asked several ladies to form a "Calling Committee" to contact all the women of the Church and invite them to a meeting to discuss forming a group of circles to meet in the evening. He felt this was necessary as lifestyles had changed, and many of the church women were working away from home, and there was need for organizations for fellowship and support."

 "This meeting was held and five circles were organized. In order to divide the group, it was hosed on location, trying to keep the women in each group in close proximity to one another Names of women in the Bible were used to identify each group. The original "Sewing Circle" had first choice of a name and chose "Miriam" honoring the Ylvisakers as they had a daughter by that name. Some of these groups are still meeting with many of the original members, others have disbanded, and new groups have formed. The Ladies Aid continues to meet, having changed to monthly rather than the original twice a month." -Helen Miller

 NEW SANCTUARY: "The day was Sunday, June 19th, 1955. It was on this day that five members of the Holy Cross Building Committee assembled in our little old white church to begin to formulate plans for a new church building. We were motivated by need... our son was a member of the last confirmation class in the old church, and there were so many people in attendance that Sunday that some had to stand outside. So it was decided to formulate plans for a new church building."

"We faced some challenges: some thought we could not afford a new church,~ we wanted stained glass windows, but did not have the money for them until the ladies’ groups chose to finance them, deciding to build a basement was controversial.., we had to make the sanctuary smaller than planned so we could afford the basement." 

"Tentative plans for the new church were approved by the voters on January 8, 196], ground breaking was on December 3, 1961, and the new cornerstone was laid on July 29, 1962. The dedication of our beautiful new sanctuary, and our very first time to worship in it was on September 9 of that same year The memory of that day will long live in our hearts, and we are a/I truly grateful for the years of worship and prayer that we had in this building." -Eugene Schiller

STARTING THE SCHOOL: "In 1970, there were a number of Ho/y Cross members with young families who were interested in starting a Christian Day School. Several of them approached Pastor Orvick, and with his support and encouragement, the idea was presented to the Church Council. The Church Council responded by appointing a Study Committee consisting of Gene Manthe, Greg Griffin, Wayne Simpson, and Gene Schil/er"

"The Committee met for about a year collecting pertinent data and evaluating all aspects of starting and operating a school. The Committee enlisted the help of Russell Griffin, a WELS principal and brother of Greg Griffin, to offer guidance on expected staffing, curricula, costs, and other substantive matters."

 "The Committee’s report recommending that a day school be started at Holy Cross was adopted by the Voters. A Call was extended to Mr. Si/as Born to serve as principal. He began his duties in the spring of 1971 in order to implement the voters’ decision by the faIl of 1971. What a busy summer that was. Rooms were renovated; books, desks, blackboards, and all supplies were purchased; a curriculum was established; operating statements and policies were adopted, and much more, all under the guidance of Mr. Born. Holy Cross Lutheran School operated serving grades kindergarten through 4 in the fall of 1971 with Silas Born, Joanne Bosse, and Ruby Hougan as faculty. The initial student body numbered 53 students. What a joyous day!" -Greg Griffin

SCHOOL MEMORIES: "One thing that comes to mind when I remember my years at Holy Cross School is singing in church. I especially enjoyed the Christmas Song Service when we would sing my favorite song, ‘Glory to God the Angels Sing.’ It is still my favorite song, and now I look forward to hearing my own children sing it every Christmas." -Amy Fleres

THOUGHTS: ‘As I look back on the past 35+ years as a member of Holy Cross, I have many wonderful memories. There have been some trials, but our congregation has worked through these with the Lord being our guide."

‘As few parishes can acclaim, we have had few pastors. The Lord has blessed us with pastors who tend to their flock by preaching and teaching the ‘Law and Gospel’."

"My wife, Judy, and I have many close friends as a result of our membership at Holy Cross. We have also gone through some sorrow as the Lord has called some of these friends home at a very young age.

 "Our children, Tim and Heidi, were privileged to have attended Holy Cross Lutheran School. We enjoyed that time as all pulled together getting the school started and continuing to support it with prayer and monetary gifts."

 "Our family has been blessed in many ways, and our needs have always been met with pastoral care and by our fellow members of Holy Cross. Praise the Lord!" -Gary Hahn

Top of Page|| Church Info Menu || Return to Home Page