History

Church History

We are a small Church, about 200 active members, located in northern Illinois. We are part of the oldest denomination in the United States with a continuous ministry, the Reformed Church in America. We had our beginnings in the Protestant Reformation in Europe in the 1500s. The name “Ebenezer” is a Biblical name (I Samuel 7:12) meaning “stone of help”, bearing witness to the fact that God has been and continues to be our source of help.

A brief look back.

Would you move to a new area with only 35¢ in your pocket? The year was 1849. The adventurer was Jan Reints. He had emigrated from East Friesen, Germany and now he was about to cross the Rock River at Byron to seek his fortune. The ferryboat ride cut his meager savings even more. He was determined, however, and soon he had a job as a blacksmith and hired hand at Paynes Point. He was the first East Friesen to move into the area where Ebenezer Reformed Church is located.

As more East Friesens came there was a growing desire to meet the spiritual needs of the settlers. There was no preaching nor formal study of God’s Word on Sundays. A Lutheran pastor from Mount Morris occasionally preached in local schoolhouses. For a time a man from Franklin Grove came and held powerful preaching services. This seemed to meet the needs of the German settlers . . . until he started claiming that he could send and receive letters to and from Heaven. This undermined his credibility and the East Friesens again had to look elsewhere for spiritual enrichment. Harm Roos, one of the settlers who lived about a mile north of the present church, opened his home to those who desired to worship. His log cabin became the church’s first worship center. He would usually read a sermon and the group had prayer together. This resulted in the forming of Ebenezer Reformed Church. Application for organization was made to the Classis of Wisconsin in 1869. Occasionally pastors from the Reformed Churches in Forreston and German Valley came and preached.

The number of worshipers increased, and in 1874 they obtained their first pastor, the Rev. Louis Watermulder. The members bought an old schoolhouse and moved it to a place near where the present church stands. Attendance increased rapidly. Within a year the church had outgrown its building and in 1875 they proceeded to build a new church. It served the congregation for over 90 years, until the present building was erected in 1969.

Times were tough but the determination of the early settlers remained a hallmark of the church. The name chosen for the church, Ebenezer, remains a fitting statement of faith for the congregation. It’s taken from 1 Samuel 7:12 and means “stone of help”. Through its 130 years the church has stood as a rock-solid witness to God’s faithfulness. God has helped it thus far and God will continue to lead it in the years ahead.

    • Rev. Louis Watermulder (1875 – 1885)
    • Rev. S. Elliker (1887 – 1896)
    • Rev. William Diekhoff (1897 – 1929)
    • Rev. George Bonte (1930 – 1943)
    • Rev. Clarence Denekas (1943 – 1952)
    • Rev. Louis Branning (1953 – 1958)
    • Rev. George Chermak (1959 – 1966)
    • Rev. Kenneth Cordes (1967 – 1982)
    • Rev. Robert Hoffman (1983 – 2007)
    • Rev. Philip A. Rauwerdink (2008 – 2009)
    • Rev. Brion Brooks (2009-2014)
    • Pastor John Wisdom (2015-2017)
    • Rev. Marvin Jacobs (2017-2019)
    • Rev. Josiah Youngquist (2019- )

Ebenezer Reformed Church has a rich heritage in its pastoral leadership. Many of its pastors served the church for rather long pastorates, which speaks well of the church. Here is a list of the leaders of this part of God’s flock.

The one true head of the church is Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate leader.