The Story of St. Luke’s
The history of St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cloud and Jewell Counties, State of Kansas is a story of early pioneers and families of faith. When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law on May 20, 1862, it opened the door for private citizens to claim land in states like Kansas. Cloud County was legally organized less than five years later in March 1867. Fort Jewell in present-day Jewell was erected in May 1870 as a “means of defense against the Cheyenne, who were then on the war path.” Fort Jewell was occupied by a detachment of the Third United States mounted artillery in June 1870. Jewell County was also legally organized in 1870.
The courage, strength and faith of those early pioneers was showcased by the formation of a mission congregation at a meeting at the home of H. A. Ruud on August 2, 1874. The name of the mission congregation ― The First Scandinavian Lutheran Congregation in Cloud and Jewell Counties, State of Kansas ― was changed to Buffalo Creek Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Cloud and Jewell Counties, State of Kansas, when the first constitution was adopted on December 28, 1874.
Charter members were H. M. Torneby, M.F. Brechan, H. E. Holt, H. A. Ruud, Hans C. Elniff, Thore Moe, Hans Olsen and F. H. Elniff. Other early day members who joined the congregation included John Bodding, Johann Anderson, Ole Rodde, J. S. Swenson, George Kaad, Edward Hanson and Lars Melby.
FIRSTS FOR ST. LUKE’S CHURCH
Within days of the formal organization of the church, Morens Frederik Brechan, one of the charter members, died on January 8, 1875. According to the first Ministerial Logbook, M.F. Brechan was buried in St. Luke’s Cemetery although his exact gravesite remains unknown and unmarked.
The first recorded baptism in the congregation was on December 26, 1875. Grace Matilda, daughter of Hans E. and Karen (Johannsen) Holt, was born on December 17, 1875. (The pastor recorded her name as “Mathilda Racy” and her gravestone records her birthdate as December 16, 1875. Her mother’s name is also recorded as Katherine or Kate Johnson.)
The first recorded confirmation in the congregation was that of Christian Hansen Elniff on March 29, 1879. The first marriage recorded in the Ministerial Logbook was for Christian H. Elniff and Elena Amelia Ruud on February 26, 1885.
“WEST CHURCH” HISTORY – TWO CONGREGATIONS BECOME ONE
Around the same time the Buffalo Creek Lutheran Congregation was organized, another group began holding religious meetings. This led to the organization of “The Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Allen Township.” A small stone church was built one mile south and two miles west of the current St. Luke’s Church building. Across the road to the east of that church building, a cemetery was laid out. The historical records of St. Luke’s Church often refer to this second church as the “west church.”
In 1892, the two small congregations decided to unite resulting in one church – “St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cloud and Jewell Counties, State of Kansas.” The “west church” was eventually torn down, and the stone was used to build a barn for the pastor’s team of horses at the parsonage for St. Luke’s. This parsonage was located nearly a mile northeast of the St. Luke’s church and cemetery. The parsonage was sold about 1913 and, some years later, the proceeds were used to help build the Lutheran Church parsonage in Norway, Kansas.
The cemetery is all that remains of the “west church.” It is known as the Lutheran Cemetery or the Lovseth Cemetery.
THE ST. LUKE’S CHURCH BUILDING
In 1878, the St. Luke’s congregation decided to build a church on the one-acre cemetery tract. While the dedication date remains unknown, the first known meeting in the new church building was held February 14, 1882.
In 1896, an elderly man from Glasco, Kansas, gave a sum of money to Pastor N. Hansen to be used in God’s service. With this money, the pastor purchased an altar to place in an addition being built on the east end of the original St. Luke’s church building. The addition was dedicated in November 1897, although the stone above the east door says 1896. Both the original church building and the 1896 addition were built of Greenhorn Limestone quarried not far from the church.
In 1913, a wooden structure was added at the west end of the original building. This two-story addition included an entry hall, bell tower and choir loft. A Circuit Luther League convention was held at the church in the fall of 1913 and the “belfry” was dedicated during that meeting.
LANGUAGE Challenges
The families who formed the St. Luke’s congregation came to the community from many different places. Some moved directly from other countries while others either came from other communities in Kansas or other states. Many immigrants landed somewhere else before making their way to the community surrounding the St. Luke’s Church. According to state and federal census records, church members and their descendants self-identified as immigrating from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and France.
Early religious services and instruction were conducted “in the Scandinavian language.” The first pastors were Norwegian, and their records were written in Norwegian as late as the 1920s.
In 1894, the decision was made to add a Sunday School class in “American.” In 1948, Pastor H. Severin Bly wrote in the Ministerial Logbook that “Nothing but English” was used in his installation service on December 14th – evidently a noteworthy change at least for the installation of a new pastor at this church.
CELEBRATIONS AND CLOSING
The 75th Anniversary Celebration was held at the church on Sunday, August 7, 1949. The 80th Anniversary was held at the church on August 8, 1954. Both celebrations included morning, afternoon and evening services held at the church with the St. Luke’s W.M.F. serving dinner and supper meals at Oscar Kaad’s home one mile east of the church.
On December 30, 1956, the last service of the St. Luke’s Church was held following the Annual Fellowship Dinner and the Ladies’ Aid Meeting. Pastor H. Severin Bly wrote “This meeting closed the services of the congregation that has been a dear spiritual Mother to so many for almost 80 years. Blessed be your memory, dear St. Luke’s Congregation!”
St. Luke’s Church continued to be governed by an elected Board of Trustees who, along with other loyal volunteers, dedicated themselves to maintaining the cemetery and the church building. The church building was used for weddings, funeral services and occasional social functions through the years.
Around 200 people attended a centennial observance at the church on October 13, 1974.
On September 27, 1978, the church participated in a Heritage Tour of Rural Churches. Bertha Collins, hostess, noted that there was a large crowd and the church was full. Other churches on the tour were Saron Baptist Church (1871), Highland Chapel (1872), Ada Lutheran Church (1873) and the Danish Lutheran Cemetery and Community Church (1904).
The St. Luke’s A.L.C.W. (American Lutheran Church Women; also known as Ladies Aid) organization remained active until May 30, 1985.
On May 29, 2005, a “Homecoming” was held at the church for former church members and descendants. Seventh-generation descendants were among the many who attended this special occasion.
Around 2013, the Board of Trustees closed the church building to the public due to safety concerns.
ST. LUKE’S MOVES FORWARD
Even after the church building was closed to the public, the St. Luke’s Church Board of Trustees remained dedicated to operating and maintaining the cemetery and the building.
In 2022, the limestone exterior north wall was stabilized and portions of deteriorated stone foundation were replaced. To prevent further foundation erosion, drainage issues were addressed on the north side of the building and new guttering and downspouts added to carry water away from the limestone foundation.
Future challenges include repairing the interior limestone block walls, particularly along the north wall, replacing damaged floor joists, and general repairs to the interior.
The cemetery tract was also surveyed and mapped in 2022, providing a more detailed cemetery map showing known and marked burial sites as well as unmarked and unknown gravesites. Additional areas for future burials were also laid out on the west side of the current cemetery. To protect the integrity of earlier burials, the eastern (older) section of the cemetery has been closed to future burials.
GUARDIANS OF ST. LUKE’S CHURCH AND CEMETERY, INC.
To protect the future of both the cemetery and the church building, the Board of Trustees formed Guardians of St. Luke’s Church and Cemetery, Inc., a nonprofit corporation recognized by the State of Kansas and classified as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.
All assets, historical records and artifacts, and accounts were transferred to the new nonprofit corporation.
To assist in repair and future projects, an endowment fund has been established through the Jewell County Community Foundation. Tax-exempt donations may be designated for either long-term endowment (only interest is available for use) or non-endowed support (interest-bearing but periodic withdrawals are permitted.)