Redeemer Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Founded in 1928, there were (as of 2008) 495 baptized members. Three of Redeemer's pastors held rather long tenures; Rev. Worth Setzer served for nearly 31 years, Rev. George Bornemann for 17 years, Rev. Richard Drews for 26 years. Rev. Robert Fitzpatrick served for 7 years. Moreso recently, Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer served at Redeemer for five years; the current pastor is Rev. Anthony Oliphant, who was installed in the autumn of 2015.
This church is designed in a reserved mixture of Gothic and Neo-Baroque styles, and possesses artwork covering a number of different movements, including medieval-style stained glass, carved wooden doors, and a contemporary piece representing the Holy Spirit which hangs in the northern transept.
History
Founding
Founded at an April 19, 1928 meeting at Hawthorne Elementary School, the congregation initially had only 22 English-language Lutheran members after splitting off from Immanuel Lutheran Church, which would only provide services in German. The first worship service had been held Easter Sunday, April 8, in the auditorium of the same school with attendees from Immanuel Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church of Villa Park, Illinois. Rev. H. H. Hartmann was the field missionary of the Northern Illinois District of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States (the former name mostly German-speaking LCMS), and both he and Rev. H. Prange of Trinity Lutheran Church, Oak Park, provided the group with organizational guidance. By May 25 the core group had grown to 40 people, who approved a preliminary organization and elected officers.
The fledgling congregation chose to join the English District of the LCMS; the women members' recommendation of “Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church” was accepted as the congregation’s name. The rolls were kept open for chartering members and were finalized with 109 people. Rev. G. Schuessler, president of the English District, arranged for visiting pastors to lead worship. In October 1928 the English District approved the new church's constitution and by-laws, thus chartering them as a congregation. On October 29, the group elected its first officers and committees. Dr. Edward Marquardt chaired a building committee, tasked with planning for the congregation’s first purpose-built facility.
Church building
In January 1929 the group purchased land in an elm-shaded residential area at the northwest corner of Kenilworth Avenue and St. Charles Road as the future site for their church. In April of that year they hired the Hotchkiss & Edgar architectural partners, the same firm that had designed Immanuel Lutheran, to design the Elmhurst building, and held the groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday, October 20, 1929. The building was initially larger than was strictly required by the size of the congregation, but members expected the congregation to grow through missionary outreach.
The church building, described at the time as a restrained modern Gothic-style building, was complete by May 18, 1930 and was characterized as "one of the most attractive and imposing houses of worship in Elmhurst." Three worship services were planned for the dedication activities. At 10:45 a.m. Rev. W. F. Wilk of St. Louis preached, while Erwin Miller led Redeemer's choir. At 3:00 p.m. Rev. G. Schuessler, president of the English District, preached a sermon, while the St. John Lutheran Church choir of La Grange, Illinois, sang. LCMS vice-president Rev. William Dallmann preached at the 8:00 p.m. service, with singing by the West Suburban Male Quartet. On the three subsequent evenings services were led by English District vice-president Rev. E. F. Haertel; Rev. O. E. Geiseman, of Oak Park; and Rev. W. H. Prange, of Oak Park; with the St. John Lutheran male chorus providing special music.