Olivet Lutheran Church

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The Olivet congregation was organized on May 18, 1949, with 18 families. A constitution was adopted on June 15, 1949. Olivet was a member of the old Evangelical Lutheran Church ( ELC ), affiliated with the Eastern District. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the first church, located in the 1700 block on Caroline St., were conducted on July 23, 1949. The first church was built almost entirely with volunteer labor. Rev. Maynard Midthun was called to serve as Pastor of Olivet and First Lutheran in Onalaska in Aug. 1950. Rev. Sam Babington was the first full-time Pastor of Olivet. Pastor Babington began his work at Olivet on Aug. 8, 1954. During the time he served the congregation, a parsonage was constructed at 1743 Caroline St. next to the church. Members of the congregation assisted in the building of the parsonage. Rev. Jorgen Vaage was called to serve Olivet in July 1959. On January 24, 1960, the congregation voted to construct a new church. Three and a half acres of land were purchased on Bainbridge St. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the site on Sept. 10, 1961, and the church was completed and dedicated April 15, 1962. In order to finance the building, sponsorship loans were obtained from Immanuel-Trinity Lutheran Church of Fond du Lac, Utica Lutheran Church of Mt. Sterling, Cooksville Lutheran Church near Evansville, and Springdale Lutheran Church near Racine. The first unit was built under the direction of the Department of American Missions of the American Lutheran Church. For the next 26 years, the congregation of Olivet was guided by five different Pastors: Rev. Oliver Solberg ( 1962 - 1968 ), Rev. James Steinbrecher ( 1968 - 1971 ), Rev. Norwod Knutson ( 1972 - 1973 ), Rev. David Guetzke ( 1973 - 1982 ), and Rev. Susan Sheffer ( 1982-1988 ). Under their leadership and the grace of God, the congregation continued to grow and for the first time, became self-supporting. Rev. Elizabeth Stepinski became Pastor of Olivet in 1988. During her tenure, the decision was made to build a new sanctuary and use the first unit as a Sunday School/Fellowship Hall. The addition began in April 1989. Rev. David Baldukas, the current Pastor of Olivet, began serving the congregation in 1995. Since that time, God has blessed Olivet with revitalization and remarkable growth. Membership is growing ; worship attendance is increasing, youth and children's programs are thriving. To accommodate this new and exciting growth, Olivet completed a building addition in 2007 that more than doubled the size of the church. The expansion included a new sanctuary, narthex, nursery, library, kitchen, youth room and offices. Today, God continues to bless Olivet in many ways including: inspirational worship services, active Sunday school, middle school, confirmation and youth programs, Bible studies, mission trips, a growing library, fellowship gatherings and many special groups such as Bible books, prayer groups, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, XYZ ( eXtra Yeas of Zest ), quilting and scrapbooking groups, and an active Social Ministry reaching out to support Monday's Meals, the food pantries, New Horizons and many other community needs.