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History
In 1953 interest
was expressed in starting an Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregation
in the Arlington area of Jacksonville. Land for the new church was
purchased in October of that year. Much of the initial work was
accomplished by Rev. Charles Mueller. Ground was broken in September 1954.
A month later Rev. Philip Gerken accepted the call to be the church's
first pastor. The cornerstone of Holy Cross was placed into position on
January 23, 1955.
As Holy Cross grew, a Christian Day School was started and an education
building was dedicated in 1959. In 1968 the present sanctuary was
dedicated. The parish hall designed to accomodate the school and church
offices was dedicated in 1986. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors,
the cost of maintaining the Lutheran School became prohibitive and so it
closed in 1992. The parish hall still serves as an education facility
currently occupied by the DePaul School, a private school dedicated to
educating dyslexic students.
Holy Cross has been served by five pastors: Rev. Gerken, Rev. Walter
Hanneman, Rev. Gerald Schultz, Rev. Jerome Figuly, and the current pastor
Rev. Alec Pueschel. Pastor Pueschel was called to Holy Cross from the
seminary in Ft. Wayne upon the retirement of Pastor Figuly in 1997. Pastor
Pueschel, prior to the seminary, had retired from the Prince George County
Police in Maryland, flown air ambulance and instructed flight. His wife
Deborah is an air traffic controller of 20 years who is also an activist
in federal issues involving the workplace
Our Mission: Holy Cross Lutheran Church is God's family gathered together
around God's word and sacrament, dedicated to sharing the love and
forgiveness of God that is ours through our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The ministry of Holy Cross is committed to bringing Christ Jesus to the
community, to educating people about their Savior through Sunday School,
Adult Education, and Youth Group and to serving the community in its many
social needs. |
