"Fountain Park Church - Faithfully Proclaiming Christ through Fellowship, Prayer, and Celebration."Schedule
It was in 1840 that a pioneer circuit-riding preacher arrived in Sheboygan on horseback. The name of this minister was the Rev. John Lutz who rode all the way from Illinois, stopping first at Milwaukee which was then a town of 1,810 inhabitants, and then riding on to Sheboygan. The Rev. John Lutz, an Evangelical minister, preached the first German Protestant sermon in Sheboygan, and made his headquarters with Mr. Mohr.
In 1846 the Rev. J. G. Miller came through Sheboygan and conducted services among the homes of the people. He foresaw German settlers who were coming into this state.
In the spring of 1848, the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical church, seeing that Wisconsin was growing into statehood, decided to send a missionary to Sheboygan and to establish the Sheboygan Mission. The pastor they stationed at Sheboygan was the Rev. Joseph Harlacher. His territory that he covered was wide, and his parish included as far as West Bend. These are his words about Sheboygan which he wrote in 1848:
"In the spring of 1848 I joined the Illinois conference and was instructed to establish a mission in Sheboygan. I traveled to Sheboygan harbor on Lake Michigan and was hospitably received by a man whose name was Mohr, who kept a restaurant and a hotel, who became acquainted with our church and its doctrine in the city of Philadelphia. He was very helpful in finding a place to hold meetings, where I preached. I looked up the German settlers, living in the forests around the city. As far as i could find, there was no German preacher in Sheboygan and vicinity, and the people heard me gladly."
Sheboygan at this time was but a village of 700 people. It was in this year that the great German immigration movement started to the United States. It was also in this year of 1848 that Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as a state.
In 1849 Bishop J. Lang visited the Sheboygan Mission and wrote the following observations:
"Sheboygan is a newly established little city, on a beautiful elevation on the west shore of Lake Michigan, and at the mouth of the Sheboygan river, where many German people are settled. Many of them are intelligent and honorable citizens, but some of them are uncultured and rude and bring no honor to the German name."
By 1849 the small congregation had 35 members. Some of the first families of the church were the families of Mohr, Schmerler, Meier and Schwalbe. In June, 1851, the Rev. George Fleischer was stationed at Sheboygan.
It was in 1853 that the congregation built a church, which was dedicated on April 3rd of that year, under the Rev. Henry Esch's Leadership. The church was located on Niagra Avenue.
The membership grew in the next 30 years and there was a rapid change of pastors as was the custom in this denomination of that day. In 1871 the congregation sold their old church and moved near the present location, building a second church. In 1889 a brick church was built, at a cost of $6,000, under the ministry of the Rev. Wellso.
In 1900 the Wisconsin Conference of the Evangelical church was held in Sheboygan. Throughout the years great spiritual meetings were held where many found Christ as their Lord and Master.
In 1925 the church was remodeled and beautiful stain-glass windows were installed. In 1944 the interior was redecorated and new alter furniture of light oak was placed in the chancel. The parsonage adjacent to the church on Ninth street was erected in 1923.
Rev. Kenneth Krueger came to serve as pastor of this congregation in 1943. It was under his direction that the present church was constructed.
In 1946 at Johnstown, Pa., the Evangelical Church and the United Brethren Church combined to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church, a church of over 700,000 members in the United States.
Ground breaking Ceremony for the new church took place October 22, 1950. and the Cornerstone Laying was in July 18, 1951. During 1952 the last service was held in the old church on April 27th and the Dedication of the new church was celebrated August 10th. Only 6 years passed before the Mortgage Burning Ceremony was observed on November 16, 1958.
Ground breaking:
New church:
The beautiful Moller Pipe Organ in the sanctuary was a gift to the church from Mrs. E. H. Miller and was dedicated August 22, 1965.
There were additions to this building in 1973 and 1995.
In April 1968 our denomination merged with the Methodists which became the United Methodist Church.