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- The humanist philosophy of Lester Mondale (3/12/24)1
- Cape Osteopathic Hospital opens its doors (3/5/24)
- 8 killed and a million dollars damage done in 1924 tornado (2/27/24)1
- Jackson's militant priest, county recorder at odds over marriage licenses (2/20/24)
- Streaking fad comes to Cape (2/13/24)2
German M.E. Church becomes Grace Church
One hundred years ago -- Feb. 13, 1923 -- the German Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau became Grace Methodist Church through a decision made by the church's governing board.
Up until that time, the German congregation had been known alternatively as Ebenezer Methodist, German Methodist and Methodist Episcopal. But since the days of World War I, the congregation identified less and less with its German heritage. "Ebenezer" was viewed as hard to write or pronounce. And Methodist Episcopal could be confused with one of the other Methodist churches in town.
Here's how the name change was announced in The Daily Republican newspaper on Feb. 14, 1923:
GIRARDEAU CHURCH CHANGES NAME TO 'GRACE METHODIST'
Introducing the Grace Methodist Church of Cape Girardeau.
The Official Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Sprigg and Independence streets, at a meeting Tuesday night voted to make the name of the church the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, dropping the obsolete title of "Ebenezer Methodist" which was originally given. In all church announcements in the future, the church will be known as Grace Methodist Church.
For years this church has been known as the German Methodist Church, but during the last few years services in German have been dropped and the members believed that the popular name should be dropped, the Rev. H.E. Roos, pastor of the church, explained today.
A search of the old records of the church at the meeting Tuesday night revealed that the church had been given the name "Ebenezer," but that it had failed to "stick." The board members feeling that this name was awkward and hard to write or pronounce, decided on the change.
"The placing of the name 'Grace Methodist Church' will assist in readily identifying our church," the Rev. Roos said. "People now are not liable to misunderstand a church notice, as the M.E. Church South is best known as Centenary Church, and ours will become known as Grace Church."
Cape Girardeau has four (white) Methodist churches. The three southern Methodist Churches are: Centenary, Maple Avenue and Third Methodist, and the other is now the Grace Methodist.
A week later, an item on the newspaper's church page noted the members of the congregation were "well satisfied" with the name change.
The original church edifice stood near the corner of Sprigg and Independence streets. It was constructed in 1856, about six years after the congregation was established. A larger, brick structure was built on the southwest corner of that intersection in 1890, and the original church was used for Sunday school and other church activities. It was razed in 1938 to allow for expansion of the 1890 building. (Southeast Missourian archive)
Grace, now United Methodist Church, had its start in in about 1850. An article from March 12, 1976, noted, "About the middle of the 19th century, Mrs. Antonette Hunze, a native of this city, spent some time in St. Louis and was influenced by the ministry of the Rev. Ludwig S. Jacoby. She was inspired to return here and found a congregation of German-speaking Methodists."
The article continues, "The first church was erected on Sprigg about the year 1856, during the ministry of the Rev. H. Schulze.
"It was spared becoming a hospital during the Civil War after the Rev. Friedrich Stoffregen carried a petition to Price and Marmaduke who had their troops encamped near Cape Girardeau.
"Later, this first structure became the parsonage for resident ministers and, when a new parsonage was erected, it became known as 'the cottage.' It was then used to house the primary Department of the Sunday School and to serve as a center for the activities of various organizations of the church.
"In the Saturday issue of The Southeast Missourian dated July 23, 1938, this statement was made: 'When the cottage at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church is razed to make room for the proposed new addition to the church, the oldest remaining Protestant church structure in Cape Girardeau will vanish.'
Grace Methodist Church, at the southwest corner of Sprigg and Independence streets, is shown here some time after "the cottage" was razed and an addition was built on the south side of the church in 1939. It served the congregation until 1959, when a new Grace Church opened its doors on Caruthers. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
"The second church building building was erected at Sprigg and Independence in 1890, and by 1939, facilities had been outgrown, and it was necessary to expand. During this time the name of the church had been changed from Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church to Grace Methodist Episcopal Church.
"In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Conference merged with the Methodist Conference South, and 'Episcopal' was dropped from the church name.
"After World War II, the congregation grew and expansion was again necessary. In August 1953, the congregation bought a large tract of land facing Caruthers and Broadway.
"On Sunday, Aug. 28, 1959, closing services were held in the old church, and the congregation moved in procession to its new home at 521 Caruthers, the first relocation in the church's history of more than a hundred years. The new church was completed on April 18, 1962."
Grace United Methodist Church was nearing completion when this photograph was taken. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)
The church at Sprigg and Independence was sold to the City of Cape Girardeau in 1959, and it became police headquarters. The old structure finally succumbed to the wrecking ball in 1977, after a new police HQ was built. The site is now the location of Fire Station No. 1.
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