Zion Lutheran Church

132 Years of Growth and Grace

1874 to 2006

  Life was difficult for these early pioneers, living in a dugout.  An ordinary dugout in the side of a hill was about 12 foot by 20 foot with a canvas for a door and window.   IT WAS IN the Albert Mueller dugout in 1874 that these men formally

organized Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church.  The ten men were Foke G. Mueller, Hinerich Aden, Willm B. Schone, Onne Fockenga Johnson, Willm Johnson, Harm Johnson, Willm Ehmen, Christopher Remmers, Eilert Mueller and

Thomas Remmers.

Zion congregation called a meeting of February 8, 1915 and a motion was made to build a new and larger church.  Increase in attendance made it necessary that a larger structure be built to accommodate the congregation.  The original motion to build passed with ninety voting "for" and only three "against".

     The church board authorized Rev. J.B. Reents to solicit funds from the congregation.  At least $25,000 was to be raised before actual building could begin; $34,500 had been pledged before actual work began.  Cost of the new church was approximately $45,000.

     Mr. Richard W. Grant was hired architect; John and Paul Witski were the masoners and Martin Alberts of Filley was the carpenter.  A good share of the labor was donated by the congregation.  All of the building materials were hauled by members of the congregation with teams and wagons. There were over two hundred loads.  Whenever families went in for supplies and some money was left over, lumber was bought and donated to the building of the church.

     The new structure was to be 50 by 90 feet with extra additions.  The entire building was to be 150 feet long.  A basement mostly dug by hand was to have a heating plant.

     The cornerstone was laid on May 28, 1916 with Rev. G.B. Bergstraesser and Rev. H.E. Wunderlich taking part in the services.  Fifteen hundred people were present; 115 teams and 180 cars were counted. 

     Two tall spires were placed at the front of the building; the tallest being 105 feet high.  One of the bells (the one with the lower tone) used in the belfry was taken from the previous church enlarged in 1898.  Another bell was ordered from Studktede Foundry in St. Louis.

     It was quite an undertaking to acquire furnishings for the church.  The pulpit and altar came from Dubuque, Iowa.  The stained glass windows from Minneapolis and the pipe organ from the Estey-Organ Company in Bratelbourough, Vermont, cost being $3,025.  The organ, fifteen rank tubular pneumatic action instrument, was stored in several barns along the way from Pickrell when rainstorms came up threatening to soak the wood and metal pipes.

     The service of dedication was held on August 5, 1917.  A tremendous rainstorm made roads in poor condition to travel, but by afternoon the church was filled to capacity and several hundred people were unable to be seated.  Following a short service at the old church conducted by Rev. Reents, the pastor and the congregation entered the new building. Rev. W. Hertel, who was pastor here from 1896-1901, conducted the dedicatory service assisted by Rev. Reents, Re. Pirmer of Christ Lutheran Church, Pickrell and Rev. Wunderlich of Sterling, Nebraska.  Afternoon services were conducted by Rev. Krebs of Syracuse, Nebraska; Rev. Bergstraesser and Rev. Poeverlin.  Pastor Geyer of Humboldt, Nebraska presided at the evening service at which the new organ was dedicated.  Several thousand people attended services throughout the day.

     The first organ recital was presented by Professor Haase of Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska o August 28, 1917.  According to some reports, this was the first pipe organ recital in Gage County.  Throughout the years this structure has served as the worship center for the congregation.

     The congregation met on July 18, 1971 and voted to remodel a portion of the interior of the sanctuary.  The remodeling consisted of converting a back pew section into a meeting and mother's room along with the addition of a basement fellowship room and restrooms. Again, most of the basement was dug by Zion members.  The sanctuary was rededicated for the Centennial observance.

     A special meeting of the congregation was held on November 28, 1976 to vote on the rebuilding of the organ; eighty-five "for" and four "against" votes. The cost to be $15,680; two-thirds of the cost was paid by the Organ Memorial Fund and the rest by the congregation. It was rebuilt by the Neuman Organ Company of Seward, Nebraska.

     The first baptisms from the newly dedicated church were Vernon Schuster and Raymond Schuster on August 19, 1917.

     The first Confirmation class was Thomas Remmers, Gerd Holtz, Heye Huls, Wilhelm Waltke, Gerhard Carstens, Lammert Zimmerman, Wilhelm Meints, Herman Dorn, Hinrich Bruns, Focke Wiese, Jann Parde, Wilke Duistman, Peter Hofelin, Herman Parde, Dina Hofeling, Mary Hofeling, Elizabeth Oltman, Trientje Forden, Gretje Dorn, Anna Remmers, Lena Fritzen, Louise Heist, Fanny Dorn, Elise Jurgens, Geske Ackermann, Ocktje Dorn, Meta Huls, Setje Wolken, Sophie Caspers.

     The first to be united in marriage, Mr. Ehme Jobman and Miss Make Parde on December 11, 1917.

     The first burial, Jurgen Fossler on September 1, 1917.

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The Stained Glass Windows

The Church Strackholt.

The church is very old with the earliest dates estimated by the architecture used to be from 1250 to 1300.  The bell tower Is also from the 1250 to 1300 era. 

The church was renovated in 2000.

The names are taken from the book “Die Familien der Kirchengemeinde Strackholt.”

Some of the family names are Andreesen, Bruns, Buhr, Busbohm, Buss, Cramer, Dorn, Eckhoff, Forden, Frerichs, Gronewold, Harms, Jurgens, Lienemann, Oltmans, Parde, Rademacher, Schone, Schuster, Trauernicht, Wallmann, Wolken, Zimmerman, and many more.  Hinrich Ehmen Franzen came with his wife Wilhelmine Willms Buss and their 7 children by sailing ship to New Orleans in 1855.  They settled in the vacinity of Golden, Illinois and came to Nebraska by team in the fall of 1869 and first lived in a dugout About 2 miles north of the church.

Heritage of early Zion members

The St. Nicolaus -Church Weene.

The strong church was built on a small hill

by the street Schirum-Neemoor

The corner stone on the bell tower was laid in 1451. 

The first church was built and then and enlarged and rededicated in 1499.

A priest, and a Monk from the Kloster named Wilhelm were present to rededicate the church. 

The first Lutheran pastor, Henricus Cruse was called in the spring of 1545. 

Thee (Tehe) Hinrichs Jurgens and his wife Antje Wilken Duitsmann  brought 7 children to America in 1882.

They were members of this church.

Many of the early settlers came from Ostfriesland Germany.  The northern area

that includes Aurich, and Emden are several of the larger cities.  This area is the north sea area and is very flat.  There are canals that drain water from the crop land and pumps that pump the water away.  The low dialect of the German language was spoken here.

The baptismal font where many of our ancestors were baptized.  The font was stone,

so they were baptized in stone.