History Resources by Nebraska Counties
The background of the original members was German. The German language was used for worship and conducting the business of the congregation in the early years. The use of English became more and more common as years went by, and by the mid-1940's it prevailed.
St. John's was organized as an independent congregation. The earliest constitution directed the church to call its' pastors from the General Synod, "or some other conservative Lutheran body" his independence continued until 1952, when the church joined the United Lutheran Church in America.
St . John's had been an independent congregation throughout its history. Pastor Weisenborn felt the congregation should be part of a Lutheran Church body. He encouraged the church to join the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, but the church was not inclined to follow this path. Pastor Weisenborn served from November 1945 until August 1948.
On November 4, 1951, the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Church was celebrated with morning and afternoon services. The Rev. Ewald Wendt returned as the guest speaker.
It was during this time that the present Altar Cross was purchased and much interior decoration was done to the church. In 1952, St. John's formally united with the Midwest Synod of the United Lutheran Church in America.
A new chapter in the history of St. John's began in 1956. In February of that year, the church council of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Uehling, NE. suggested to the St. John's Council that the two congregations should yoke together for the purpose of calling a pastor. This was agreed to and the Rev. Lester Lamm was called to be the first pastor of the joint parish ministry. And it is a lasting tribute to his faithfulness, that relationships between the two congregations has remained strong to this day.
During this time the interior of the church was painted. In 1983 the steeple of the church was repaired and new vinyl siding was put on the exterior of the building. Pastor Hunzeker served the congregation from January 1977 until February 1984.
During their pastorate, the SEARCH Bible Study was introduced to the Parish. They also initiated a Sunday Morning Adult Sunday School. At this time the age for First Communion was lowered to fifth grade, and Holy Communion was celebrated twice a month.
In 1986 a special celebration was held with St. Paul's in Uehling marking the 30th Anniversary of the Co-operative Ministry. Guest speaker for the day was the former pastor, Lester Lamm.
In 1989 and 1990, a new women's restroom and remodeled kitchen were installed in the church basement.
Also during their time of service an addition was made to the parsonage and the parsonage remodeled.
During two growing seasons in the mid 1990's small groups with children as young as three and adults over 70 yeaars of age harvested cabbage and other vegetables for the Omaha Food Bank, Fremonts' Low Income Ministry and the West Point Pantry. All these vegetables were being raised by LeRoy and Janis Poppe on their farm. One day's gleaning included 7,000 pounds of cabbage, 500 pounds of sweet corn and 5,000 pounds of acorn squash.
A new worship resource and supplemental hymnal, With One Voice. This hymnal's Service of Word and Prayer is used on Sundays when Holy Communion is not celebrated.
Changing demographics in rural communities caused a marked decline in the number of youth. In the fall of 1997 conversations were held with St. Paul's, Hooper, about combining our youth groups. It was decided to enter into an "engagement." We would meet together but maintain our individual names, books and treasuries. In 2000 our relationship became more formal and we chose a new name, Cross Trainers. Cross Trainers are followers of Christ who are in training for carrying the cross of Jesus Christ.
In the spring of 2000 the church was air-conditioned through the generous gift of a family in the congregation. At the same time the old oil furnace was replaced with propane furnaces, one for the basement and the other for the sanctuary.
As the year of St. John's Centennial approached the opportunity to have a food stand at the Dodge County Fair arose. The proceeds from the fair stand would be used to defray expenses for our centennial celebration. With good-natured comaraderie food was served from a stand which was usually roasting hot from the summer's heat; although one time in a downpour workers were standing in inches of water. This enterprise involved lots of teamwork, good natured fun, and community spirit along with the hard work, ingenious problem solving, and enduring miserable heat.
This brings the history of the St. John's Congregation to a close, at least for the moment. The sturdy faith and strong family ties of the congregation, always under God's watchful care and direction, insure that new chapters of this history will one day be written
During the years, four sons of St. John's entered the Ordained Ministry and served their Lord with humility and grace.
Dr. Walter Wick, former president of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod now resting in his Lord's peace.
Rev. Norman Schroeder, former vice-president of the Nebraska Synod now resting in his Lord's peace.
Rev. Myron VonSeggern, former pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Gaylord, Michigan, now retired.
Rev. Lyle VonSeggern, currently serving as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force
One daughter of the congregation, Drusilla Schroeder, served the Lord as a Deaconess in the Lutheran Church. She is now married and lives in Arizona.
A dual parish, St. John's shares its pastors with St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Uehling. The parsonage is located just south of the church, and the cemetery is west of the church building.
One hundred year old scale model used to build St John's. As the church was being built, one inch on the scale model would represent a set number of feet to be measured for the real church.
