ARGYLE — A miniature version of the Apple Grove Lutheran Church has been reconstructed with leftover remains from the original church, which once stood at 14501 Apple Grove Church Road. On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at approximately 6:45 p.m., a tornado destroyed the church, which stood stately in its place since its construction in 1893.
The artwork is the creative genius of Rudy Gebhardt, a lifelong resident and church member, whose devoted and dedicated service has been poured out in what can only be called a labor of love. Gebhardt has been part of the Apple Grove Lutheran Church family since his baptism. He and his wife, the former Linda Wyttenbach, started their life together at its altar.
The materials from the original church including wood boards, busted lead windows, and shards of stained glass; were all left over from the destruction after last year’s tornado. Gebhardt put his talents and skills to work, as he has been a wood carver for a number of decades. Using the skills he has mastered, Gebhardt felt the need to build the Apple Grove Memorial Church as a reminder of the parish that he grew up in.
The miniature structure itself is impressive, and to add to the charm, a list of those buried in the church cemetery, which includes Gebhardt’s parents, is printed on the back of the Apple Grove Memorial Church.
Since the Memorial Church has been placed at the original church’s former location, a place that Gebhardt still calls ‘home’; solar lights have been added inside, which gives the effect that an evening church service is going on, a heartwarming tribute to anyone who stops by to see it. Gebhardt has shown that caring and determination can grow from an adverse situation. He was happy to witness placing the structure in the place where he grew up to worship.
The Apple Grove Cemetery had to be repaired, as over 100 headstones were damaged, in addition to the church being destroyed. Gebhardt is among those that care for and maintain the Apple Grove Cemetery. While working on the cemetery project, the fence was also replaced with the help from a Gofundme for such repairs.
The Gebhardts thought a fitting tribute would be the growing of apple trees in the new apple grove. It is a living and growing tribute to remember the history of the church, and to honor the many generations of apples that will continue to grow and bear fruit there. More apple trees will be purchased in the near future. To help sponsor apple trees for the new apple grove, donations can be mailed to Apple Grove Cemetery Maintenance, 12993 North Road, Argyle, WI 53504.
The Apple Grove Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, as it was named at the time, was constructed by first-generation Norwegian immigrants during the summer of 1893. The words “Jesus er veien sannheten og livet” were inscribed on the altar rail. It meant “Jesus is the way, the Truth, and the Life” in Norwegian. By 1904, church services were conducted in both Norwegian and English. Gebhardt said he still remembers hearing the languages of the generation that came before himself. As a child, the church service wasn’t only spoken in English, something that most in the current population might barely be old enough to recall.
Now, on occasion, church services are held outside of where the original church once stood, weather permitting. Lawn chairs are fashioned in a way that everyone comes together as one community, to smile, to sing, and to pray together. Parishioners meet regularly at the Argyle Lutheran Church, 100 East Street, Argyle.
