Happy Birthday Rev. Samuel Kruse!

In the 145 year history of St. Lucas UCC, the church has been blessed by leaders who have left a profound legacy. One of those leaders, Rev. Samuel Kruse was born on this day in 1858.

Rev. Kruse's father, Michael, immigrated from Heide, Germany and was also a minister who was a part of the second graduation class of the Evangelical Seminary in Marthasville, MO. At age sixteen, Samuel enrolled in the pre-seminary program at Elmhurst College before continuing his theological studies at Eden Seminary. On July 15, 1880, he was ordained by his father into the ministry of the Evangelical Church.

In 1882, Rev. Kruse was called to the recently formed St. Lucas Evangelical Church in Sappington, MO. He was installed on July 2, 1882 and remained in that position until July 26, 1925 -- 43 years!

In his time here, Rev. Kruse formed many groups and ministries in the church:

1884 - Church choir

1890 - Frauenverein (women's fellowship)

1893 - Sunday school

1902 - Youth society

Significant changes to the church grounds also took place during the Kruse years:

1883 - Parsonage

1888 - Purchased five additional acres

1890 - School house (German school)

1899 - Home and outbuilding for Sexton

1904/05 - New stone church

1908 - Added 10 more acres

1922 - Purchase of Park Hill Cemetery

Samuel served as the superintendent of the cemetery, secretary of the cemetery board and the teacher of the German School from 1882-1917. Rev. Kruse served the Synod in a variety of ways. He was chosen in the 1890's to establish a Sunday School program. He was a director of the Emmaus Institution (now known as Emmaus Homes) at Marthasville and St. Charles from 1899-1902. He was a member of the Church Extension Board, the Synodical Historical Commission and a Representative from Missouri District to the General Evangelical Conference. He was a member of the Board of Elmhurst College. While serving on the Board of Directors of Eden Seminary, Rev. Kruse helped with the relocation of the school from north St. Louis to Webster Groves. He received an honorary Dr. of Divinity Degree from the seminary in 1931.

Rev. Kruse and his wife, Amalia, had six children. On July 26, 1925, Rev. Kruse gave his farewell sermon at St. Lucas. He was active in his retirement years. He served as interim pastor of several churches and from 1932 to 1940 as chaplain of the Good Samaritan Home for the Aged. Reverend Kruse died in 1944 and was buried in the St. Lucas Cemetery.