A celebration of an Alliance milestone took place this past Sunday.
My house of faith for the past 34 years, St. John’s Lutheran Church near 21st and Emerson Avenue, celebrated its 75th anniversary.
A noted sermon from Nebraska ELCA Synod Bishop Scott Johnson was followed by food, fun and fellowship.
St. John’s isn’t the oldest church in Alliance, but its history is rich.
In May of 1949, it was determined by the United Lutheran Church in America that a new mission church should be established in Alliance, Nebraska.
In February of 1950, the Board of American Missions called Vernon Jacobs, a senior at Central Lutheran Theological Seminary in Fremont, NE to organize and establish a Lutheran church. He accepted the call and with his family came to Alliance after his ordination.
After knocking on several doors in the community, a meeting was held in the municipal building and plans for the first service to be held on July 1950 were made. 34 people attended the pre-service meeting. The first service was held and 88 people attended.
Soon the congregation began holding services at the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Mrs. Ida Fodness organized the Sunday School program.
On December 10, 1950, the church charter was signed by 80 people. There were 114 members on the roll when the charter was closed on January 1, 1951. In February 1951, plans were drafted to begin work on a new church at Eighth and Black Hills. Ground was broken on September 16, 1951. In April 1952, plans were made to begin worshipping in the unfinished church’s basement. On October 19, 1952, the new building was dedicated and offers a rich history. By 1980, the congregation had outgrown the wonderful little church on Black Hills Avenue.
Construction on a new church began in September 1982, by Mischnick Construction at 2090 Emerson Avenue. Dedication was held in June 1983.
Since 1983, St. John’s has grown with a pre-school program, a greenhouse, offering Christmas food baskets, St. John’s Brass, a Columbarium, a Community Endowment Fund, assisting with the Community Table, Backpack Food Program for Head Start Children, Quilters/Piecemakers where nearly 3,000 quilts have been shipped to Lutheran World Relief.
Members of St. John’s also haven volunteered to caretake the St. Johannes Cemetery, located on Gage Road southeast of Hemingford. Longtime members Lyle, Ida and Walter Fodness are at eternal rest in this outdoor sanctuary that is surrounded by cornfield.
That just scratches the surface.
Pastors during the past 75 years include:
Rev. Vernon Jacobs — June 1, 1951, to September 30, 1956.
Rev. Royce Scharf – January 1, 1957, to October 17, 1960.
Rev. Delmer Wiemers – June 1, 1961, to May 30, 1965.
Rev. Alexander Wacker – July 11, 1965, to February 17, 1974.
Rev. Lester Lamm – March 1, 1974, to April 21, 1980.
Rev. William Shaner – December 1, 1980, to June 1, 1990.
Rev. Guy Redfield – June 3, 1991, to January 15, 1996.
Rev. Kent Bryant – October 12, 1997, to December 31, 2001.
Pastor Ed Hunziker – February 2, 1999, to July 1, 2000.
Pastor Larry Spomer (Interim) 2000 to 2003.
Rev. William Buschbom – November 30, 2003, to June 3, 2007.
Rev. Steve Meysing – July 8, 2008, to October 8, 2012.
Rev. Tim Stadem – July 8, 2013, to August 7, 2022.
Rev. Megan Morrow (Transitional Pastor — Early 2023 to Present).
St. John’s has been a blessing for me. I met Cynthia Jensen there in 1991 and 18 months later, we were married in the church in front of a sellout crowd. Our two daughters were baptized, confirmed, and married during ceremonies at St. John’s between 1995 and 2021.
This short history lesson can only be topped by a bright future!