About Us and Our Church
Gethsemane congregations have shared in rich heritage.  Faithful, committed people of God have gone before us leaving deep roots of faithfulness to Christ's mission.  Upon this heritage the congregation builds its foundation with walls that encircle the world in Christian mission.  We build a church structure to the Glory of God.  May we also be so spirit-filled and open to the Lord's love and presence that He may continue to build His church -- the living church -- in our hearts and lives.

In 1913, sixty-one men and women who had a deep faith in Christ, planned the building of a great tabernacle to God.  It had its humble beginning when these people voted to leave the Emmaus congregation and establish a new church in West Racine.  Services were held for a time in a shoe store and in homes, until the land could be purchased at Washington and Blaine Avenues.  One month after the congregation was established in June 1913, a Sunday school also was started.

In the summer of 1913, a temporary wooden chapel was built.  A foot-pumped reed organ was brought in.  This little organ served the chapel until the present church was finished in 1920, and for another seven years in the new church until it was financially possible to buy a pipe organ.

The services were entirely in Danish for the years in the little chapel, and for several years in the present church.  In 1931, English completely replaced Danish in the worship services.

Soon after WWI, the Building Committee was busy with plans and financial needs to build a more sufficient church building.  In October of 1919, the cornerstone was laid and the new Gethsemane building was well on its way.

With the purchase of a bell for the bell tower, the building became complete in 1924.  The congregation wanted and needed a real pipe organ and after many efforts to raise funds, Gethsemane ordered its pipe organ through Moller Organ Company of Hagerstown, Maryland.  It originally had 616 pipes and eight choices of sounds.  The Moller Company was headed by Danish-American, Marius Peter Moller.  Mr. Moller gave discounts to the Danish Lutheran churches, and as a result, at one time, virtually every Scandinavian Lutheran Church in Racine had a Moller organ.  Gethsemane's is the last one playing because of the excellent care it has been given.

It had always been the goal of Pastor Wilhelmsen to install stained glass windows on the east and west sides of the church.  Memorials to our servicemen were to start the program, and by June 1946, the east window was installed and dedicated to WWII servicemen.  Installed in September of 1948, the one on the west side, "The Children's Window," was dedicated to Pastor Karl Wilhelmsen.  In June 1952, another window was installed and dedicated to the Rev. Viggo Bondo.  The "Christ in Gethsemane" window was dedicated to the memory of Dr. & Mrs. R. O. Peterson in 1959, by their children.  Since that time, all the beautiful stained glass windows had been purchased with monies left for memorials -- each with its own message and meaning.  Perhaps one of the best remembered and most loved sermons by Pastor Wilhelmsen is the story of the windows, their development, their meaning and their message.  People come from all over to view the beautiful stained glass windows.

In 1954, the congregation gave its approval to build a new Educational Unit.  The cornerstone was laid at a special service on June 26, 1959, and in less than a year, Sunday School classes were held in the new building for the first time. After the new unit opened, work began on the basement of the church building, to enlarge and redecorate the church parlors and install a new kitchen.

In September of 1966, a library was begun, and many individuals gave books from their own collections.

On January 21, 1976, after a year's study, the congregation presented plans for a new entry addition, an elevator and other necessary remodeling.

In 1988, Lutheran congregations across the nation celebrated the new beginning of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America)

A Ship is an Ancient Symbol of the Church

The Danish custom of hanging the replica of a sailing vessel in the church sanctuary is widespread in Denmark and in churches of Danish origin in America.

It is an ancient custom traced back to times preceding Christianity.  The ancients believed that the offering of a miniature ship would assure a safe voyage for the ship and its crew.  This is called a votive offering.  After the coming of Christianity, the "magic" of this act faded, but the tradition of carving and rigging a replica of the ship continued.  Often a retired seaman would design a replica of the ship on which he had spent his life -- and what better place to hang it than the parish church.

The ship hanging in the church serves to remind us that Denmark is a seafaring nation and that its livelihood has been dependent upon the efforts and toil of those at sea.

The ship symbolizes the faith we sing of in hymns . . . Jesus Savior pilot me, over life's tempestuous sea -- or the ship of the king is sailing.  We speak of the Christian life as a journey over the sea, and we talk of Jesus as a pilot, guiding us.

As the ship sails on its journey over seas, it encounters rough and sometimes dangerous waters.  It goes up and down -- on the top of the wave, and then in the bottom of deep troughs.  Yet, it always has its goal in sight, and expects to reach the goal under God's Devine leadership.  So it is with humans as we journey through the wild seas of life.  We encounter moments of despair and often the unknown, but we have our goal in sight.  We live our lives in God's presence and in God's hands.  It is certain that we will reach our home in heaven, as truly as we have been baptized after his word and in his name -- as surely as we belong to the family in God.

Gethsemane's ship, a four-masted bark, is accurate in every detail.  It was the design and handiwork of Oluf Andersen and Carl Sorensen, and was presented to the church as a gift.