History of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church
Cushing, Iowa
1897 - 1997
"Jesus Christ, the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever" Hebrews 13:8
During the years 1887 -1890, six
families of German Lutherans in the area gathered at the Knox
schoolhouse located one and one-half miles southeast of Cushing to hear
the Word of God. Lutherans in the area helped the Methodists build their
church, so from 1890- 1897 the Lutherans used the Methodist church as
their place of worship on Sunday afternoons. During these years
ministers from Holstein and a traveling missionary served the spiritual
needs of these people.
On August 7,
1897 Pastor Gabriel of Holstein and the Lutherans in the area met at the
Cushing Hotel to officially organize a congregtion. By this time
several more families had joined the group. They built a 24' x 40'
church. On October 24, 1897, the church was dedicated. On January 23,
1898, Pastor Gabriel was installed as it's first minister; and on July
12, 1898, the articles of incorporation were signed.
In
1940, it became clear that the first house of worship, which had served
the needs of the congregation for forty-three years, would no longer
fulfill it's purpose. A new structure was built; it was dedicated on
February 23, 1941. The congregation continued to grow and once again it
become evident that the congregation had outgrown it's house of worship.
An additional 34' was added to the church and a Parish Educational Unit
consisting of twelve classrooms, a pastor's study, and an overflow room
were built. This addition was dedicated on July 22, 1956.
The
officially organized congregation has been served by fifteen ministers
and seven sons and daughters who were called into the ministry. We
celebrated 75 years of ministry in 1972 and 100 years in 1997. St. John
Lutheran continues to grow in faith and love serving Christ at home and
in our community.
