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ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH IN MAY 1913, REV. F. J. LANGE HELPED THIRTEEN LOCAL FAMILIES ORGANIZE THE ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH AND SERVED AS ITS PASTOR UNTIL 1915. THE CONGREGATION MET AT THE WEST WARD SCHOOL AND AT THE R. R. MENN FARM UNTIL 1917, WHEN IT BUILT THE CHURCH SANCTUARY, MAINLY WITH THE LABOR OF CONGREGATION MEMBERS. TO ENSURE THE CHURCH’S SELF-SUFFICIENCY, MEMBERSHIP IN THE CONGREGATION DEPENDED ON PROMPT PAYMENT OF ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS. FAILURE TO PAY MEANT BEING DROPPED FROM THE MEMBERSHIP ROSTER. FROM 1913 UNTIL 1939, MOST CHURCH SERVICES WERE CONDUCTED IN GERMAN FOR THE PRIMARILY GERMAN AMERICAN CONGREGATION. ANTI-GERMAN PREJUDICE PROMPTED THREE KU KLUX KLAN MEMBERS TO BURN THE SANCTUARY IN 1919. THE CONGREGATION WORSHIPPED IN HENRY BERTRAM’S COW BARN UNTIL THE SANCTUARY WAS REBUILT LATER THAT YEAR. ALL GERMAN LANGUAGE SERVICES WERE DISCONTINUED IN 1939. THE CHURCH CHANGED ITS NAME TWICE. IN 1915, THE NAME BECAME ST. JOHN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH AND, IN 1963, THE WORD “EVANGELICAL” WAS DROPPED. IN 1940, THE CONGREGATION PURCHASED THE PRESENT CHURCH SITE FOR JUST UNDER $300 AND IMMEDIATELY BUILT A PARSONAGE AND AN EDUCATION BUILDING, REUSING MATERIAL FROM THE OLD CHURCH. WHEN WORLD WAR II DELAYED CONSTRUCTION, THE CONGREGATION WORSHIPPED IN THE EDUCATION BUILDING UNTIL THE NEW STONE SANCTUARY BUILDING’S DEDICATION IN 1951. FROM 1955 TO 1958, THE CHURCH PROPERTY EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE REST OF THE BLOCK AND NEW OFFICES, CLASSROOMS AND RESTROOMS. IN 1972, A NEW PARSONAGE WAS BUILT. FOR OVER A CENTURY, THE CHURCH HAS SYMBOLIZED THE PIETY AND PERSEVERANCE OF ITS GERMAN AMERICAN FOUNDERS AND SERVED THE COMMUNITY OF BISHOP. (2014) |
