County of church: St. Charles County
Location of church: MO-94, just N of I-64 (US 40/61), Weldon Springs
Phone: 636-441-1406
Pastor: Mike Pope
This piece of art - to me - is a scene of farm fields, a river, and road, and a town. I assume, it is supposed to be in Palestine, but that is a guess. I am also going to assume, since I have nothing else to go on, that the art work is from the time of the building's construction.
At first I thought it was stained glass, until I got close to take the picture, and was amazed to see it was a mosaic. All tile are black, with the small exception: two are red (brick color), and three are brick color and black. A beautiful piece of work.
"Located on the hill at Weldon Spring, offers a fine tradition of service to God and man, dating back more than a century. The congregation was formed in the Spring of 1866 by Reverend Johan J. Hotz, who came to Weldon Spring from Switzerland, via North Carolina. The "Deutche Evangelische Sanch Johannes Germeinde Kirche" conducted services in German and met originally in the local schoolhouse. The congregation decided that their first priority was to build a parsonage, feeling that if the pastor was happy and comfortable, he would be better able to strengthen the church. Before the parsonage was completed, the Rev. and Mrs. Hotz lived for a short time in Cottleville and then moved to a cabin on the Christian Fey farm. They had to hang bedding up on one side to keep out the cold for lack of lumber to finish the building. As the cabin floor was above the ground, pigs frequently sought shelter under it. The first confirmation classes were held in that cabin. During the time they lived there, Mrs. Hotz was ill with "climate fever" or malaria as we know it today. As soon as the parsonage (built almost entirely by Bernard Oberle) was completed, Mrs. Hotz was carried into it on her bed. Mrs. Hotz gave birth to the first baby to be born in the parsonage, and Amelia Hotz was baptized in the nearby schoolhouse. The congregation gave her 24 two-yard pieces of material for dresses.
"On February 12, 1867, 4.45 acres of land were conveyed to the trustees of the church by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Wessler for $150.00. Construction was started in 1874, at which time many Indian arrows, pieces of pottery and flint chips were found, lending credence to the legend of the "Indian Flint Factory" at Weldon Spring. The spring was used as a watering stop for many Sioux and Osage Indians and an Indian Burial Ground was discovered during the excavation of the church. Bricks were purchased at $6.00 per thousand and rocks were hauled by boys without charge, and in this manner, the members of the congregation slowly and painstakingly completed construction of their church.
"In the Spring of 1867, the first service was held in the church, with people huddling from the wind inside the foundation walls. Crude benches and a wooden altar were constructed for the occasion. The cornerstone was laid, a church box containing some papers was placed in one of the front corners and tiny Marie Reinwald was baptized.
"On November 8, 1874, the church was finally completed at a cost of $3,500.00; and by 1885, we had a membership of 33. The church structure is still in use today. Reverend Hotz had moved on to Illinois in 1872, but he returned for the dedication ceremony on November 8th and conducted services with his successor, Reverend Gottfried Doerenburg. The congregation had appointed a "vorstehr", which was similar to the Church Council of today, The "vorstehr" comprised four men: two to look over the spiritual needs and two to be responsible for the physical needs." ~ Emmanuel Church of Christ, About Us