Ferndale: In order to appreciate the history of St. Mark's Lutheran Church one first needs to learn a little of the history of Ferndale, California. Ferndale is located in Humboldt County, California about 250 miles north of San Francisco and about 10 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Ferndale was settled in the 1850's and incorporated in 1893. Geographically, it is the westernmost city in the continental US enjoying a seasonal climate generally between 50-70 degrees due to it's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Originally a timber and ranch community, dairy and tourism are the main sources of income today. The entire town of Ferndale is on the US Historical Register. Most of the original, Victorian-era, homes are still standing today and the people of Ferndale take great pride in maintaining the buildings and their town's history. Hollywood has even used the City for several feature films including "Outbreak" and "The Majestic". For more information about Ferndale visit the City of Ferndale website at: www.ferndale-ca-gov.org.
Special Thanks: On February 15, 1981, St. Marks' Lutheran Church celebrated its 75th anniversary. Dr. Richard DuBrau, Reverend Carl Steffen and Reverend Willam Diehl compiled a "Brief History of St. Mark's Lutheran Church" for the worship service that day. The historical outline presented below is largely drawn from their "History".
| June 16, 1893 | Reverend John Henry Theiss of Oakland held the first Lutheran service in the Ferndale area. |
| 1895-1902 | Missionary F.C. Streufert from San Francisco made yearly visits to the area. |
| 1903-1910 | First resident Pastor, F.C. Schlottmann, called to serve the fledgling congregation. |
| 1905-1906 | St. Mark's Church organized and joined the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). First church building was located at 'H' and 'A' Streets. |
| 1910-1913 | Pastor Elias Hieber served the congregation. First Lutheran services preached in "English". |
| 1914-1919 | Pastor Walter Bezold served St. Mark's. |
| 1922-1926 | Pastor William F. Schlueter succeeded Pastor Bezold after a short vacancy. |
| 1926-1929 | Pastor Richard T. DuBrau ordained and installed at St. Mark's. |
| 1929-1935 | Pastor Carl Stephen called to Ferndale. |
| 1935-1952 | Pastor Herbert Maahs succeeded Pastor
Stephen. Two building lots were donated by Peter & Pauline
Petersen at the corner of Fern & Berding Streets. The present house of worship was built in 1938 and dedicated
on October 15, 1939. Most of the work on the new structure, which
was built at a total cost of $4000, was done by members of the
congregation led by the building committee of Archie Allen, Carl Guettler,
Ludwig Hansen, Peter Petersen and Walter Terkelsen. In 1948 the
tower over the front entrance was added to the Church.
In 1940 the first confirmation class graduated from St. Mark's. |
| 1952-1958 | Pastor George W. Hoffmann, Sr., succeeded Pastor Maahs. |
| 1958-1982 | Pastor William Diehl installed at St. Mark's. Pastor Diehl served the Church for over 20 years including service at Hope Church in Fortuna. |
| 1983-1986 | Pastor James C. Zirkle served the congregation. |
| 1988-1992 | Pastor Michael Erickson served the congregation at St. Mark's. |
| 1992-1995 | Pastor Mark Hohbach succeeded Pastor Erickson. |
| 1995-2002 | Pastor L. Alan Hubbard served the congregation. |
| 2002-Present | Pastor David A. Floyd called to St. Mark's as an "interim Pastor". |
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