1877 - 2002
Mr. Archibald M. Houston of Davenport, Iowa, offered to donate two acres of land for church purposes to settlers living in Colfax Township, Webster County who felt the need for a church. Lutherans living in and around Colfax Township took advantage of this offer and organized "The First German Evangelical St. John Lutheran Church, Unaltered Augsburg Confession in Colfax Township, Webster County, Iowa." The nearest date of organization that can be determined is: "After threshing time," 1877. The deed to the two acres of land for church purposes is dated August 18, 1877. The charter members listed were: Joachim Bobzin, Franz Abel, Friedrich Dencklau, Christian Rossow, Juergen Mahrt, Franz Moeller, Ferdinand Moeller, and Ernst Daumler.
After the preliminaries of organization were completed, these brave and God-fearing men and women decided to build a house of worship. The minutes are sparse on details of the "building program," no architect or contractor or blueprints or cost are mentioned. However, it is stated that part of the little building was also to serve as living quarters for the pastor, and that "all were to help". Indeed, all must have helped. For, by Christmas of 1877, four months after organization, the building was far enough completed that Christmas Eve services were held in the new church building.
On February 3, 1878, the church
was dedicated to the service of the
Triune God. On the same day the
first pastor was installed, Rev.
Alexander Grafelmann, who had been called from Dayton, Iowa.
The following is a story of the first Christmas in the first church
building, told by Anna Daumler Thiede, an original member of St.
John's. This story was first published on Christmas Eve of 1946. At
the time Anna was 86 years old. She was 17 years old in 1877 at the
time of St. John's first Christmas.
"First Christmas In The First Church In Colfax"
Many years ago, when I, Anna Daumler Thiede, 86 years, was a young girl in Fort Dodge, like so many other families we moved out into the country. We lived then on what is now known as the Ernst Ebert home. Yes, we liked the beautiful countryside, liked our neighbors even though they lived miles apart; but, like all the families, we missed our beloved church.
I can remember how several times my mother and I walked to Ft. Dodge to church. We would start early in the morning, carrying our best dress, and maybe the only pair of shoes, as we could travel through slews and mud puddles a lot better barefoot; besides we went barefooted most of the summer anyway. We stopped at a friend's house, washed our feet, put on our shoes and good dress, and went on to church. Then the trouble began - our feet would ache and burn, feel swollen in the shoes, not to mention cracked toes, and it was so hard to sit still; but we were happy we were in church.
The happy day came when the farmers decided to form a small congregation and build themselves a church. The church was built in the fall by the following members: Chris Rossow, Frank Abel, Ernst Daumler, Fred Dencklau, and others. It got quite late in the fall, and the building went on. It was nothing unusual to see women and children picking the corn, carrying it in baskets out to drier and higher ground, and when father came home from working on the church, he would come out with the team and wagon and haul the corn in.
One day my father came home and said; "The church is finished! Now you girls can go out and get it cleaned up." Early the next morning, carrying our pails and things, Minnie Rossow and myself walked over to the church. There was more mortar (plaster) on the windows and floors than on the walls - so it seemed. After a lot of scrubbing and scratching we got it done.
Then we looked it over. The altar, which was made of rough boards and covered with black calico, looked so lonely and bare. We said; "If we only had something to brighten it!" "But what? No flowers at that time; only the frozen ones on the window panes." Dora Abel came to my house that evening. We talked, and wondered how we could make some flowers from paper for the altar; but there was no colored tissue paper at that time. Mother (Mrs. Ernst Daumler), who had been listening to us as she was busy around the house, quietly went down to the cellar and came up with a pan full of vegetables which had sprouted, and said; "Here girls, are your flowers!" Carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, etc., foliage of all colors from a beautiful yellow to a dark red. "But how can we make flowers of the foliage?" We asked. Mother said; "Go out and cut some twigs off the trees and bring them in." We did. We used the colored foliage for flowers and tied them with homespun yarn, which mother had spun, on to the twigs and put them in two old broken vases.
Next morning, (Sunday morning) we did not wait for a ride, we took our bouquets, hid them under our coats and walked over hard frozen roads to church. We placed our flowers on the altar, which really brightened it, and looked very nice. Then we thought: "What will the people say?" So we went back and hid under the back benches. Soon we hear a chatter. In came Mrs. Chris Rossow and Mrs. Fred Dencklau. They stood and looked it over, spied the flowers on the altar (and then this was heard:)
"Kick mal, wat is dat? Sin dat Blumn?" ("Look, what is that? Are those flowers?")
The other said: "Blum?" ("Flowers?")
They went up and examined them, and said: "Nu sieh mal die schoenen Blumn!" ("Well! Now look at those pretty flowers.")
"Wer dat wol makt het?" ("I just wonder, who made them?")
We stood up and said: "Ja, dat sin Blumn von Mutter Daumler's greenhouse." ("Yes, those flowers come from Mother Daumler's greenhouse")
I forgot who our first pastor was; it might have been Pastor Grafelmann; anyway, we now had our service, bad weather and poor roads meant nothing to us. Finally came the time that we had all looked and longed for so long: Our first Christmas in our new church! To us that was our biggest and richest gift. Our pastor worked with the children as much as possible. Christmas Eve was finally here.
Big and little were packed into sleds and wagons and off to church we went, everyone filled with the Christmas spirit. Lo and behold, what a beautiful sight it was; even a Christmas tree, although it had been made by some of the men, just a round stick with branches of evergreen tied to it, trimmed by some of the women with apples, stick candy, chains and garlands made from colored drug store wrapping paper, and real candles - a beautiful tree!
Finally the service began; the songs we all loved so well (were sung); the older ones remembered most of them, and the children (too) had learned them. Then that wonderful Christmas message of old and always new by our Pastor and children; then more songs. All at once a man excitedly saying; "Der Christbaum brennt!, Der Christbaum brennt!" ("The Christmas tree is on fire! The Christmas tree is on fire!" But the next moment the fire was out as a couple of the men were right there to put it out. It was only a candle too close to one of the paper chains. Everyone gave a sigh of relief and settled back again. After the service was over and "A MERRY CHRISTMAS" wish was exchanged by neighbors and friends, all returned to their homes with a happy feeling in their heart having heard that wonderful Christmas story again and their first Christmas in their first church, which was this same building we call school house today.
In March of 1885 an agreement was reached between St. Paul's Lutheran of Fort Dodge and St. John's of Vincent. Parish boundary lines were established by this agreement. The lines were drawn between section 10 and 11, north and south in Cooper Township, Webster County. The territory west of the line was considered a part of the St. Paul parish. The territory east of the line was to be St. John's territory. According to the agreement, a pastor was not permitted to officiate, either publicly or privately, in the parish of another pastor except by consent of the pastor. Also, the Lutherans living in the confines of the two parishes should attend worship at the respective churches.
By the year 1891, St. John's had grown considerably, and the little building that had served for fifteen years as church, school and parsonage, had become too small. The idea of building a larger church structure was debated in the meeting of August 28, 1891. It was decided to consider the pros and cons for a while and the matter was tabled until January of 1892. At that meeting a resolution was passed to build. The building was completed for dedication by July 24, 1892. Over its 125 year history, St. John's has had many different buildings on its property. A buggy shed was built the first year, in 1878. A small fruit house was built in 1882 and a coal shed in 1886. In 1896 a chicken house was built. By 1900, there was a corn crib, and horse shed. In 1906, a small barn was built.
This is a photograph
of the school (first
church) after it was
moved, the second
church, and the
parsonage. The parsonage in the old church and school building had been enlarged to some extent by adding a porch and a kitchen in 1893. Yet, it was still inadequate to house a family and could no longer serve the purpose. Therefore, in the meeting of April 6, 1902, the congregation decided to use the old church building for school purposes, moving it east of the new church, and to erect a new parsonage on the ground vacated by the old church building. The house was completed and occupied by September of 1902, at the time of the 25th anniversary of the congregation. During a vacancy in 1930, a full basement was dug under the parsonage and a furnace was installed.
Still active, the St. John's Ladies Aid Society was organized on November 4, 1943. Also, a local Lutheran Laymen's League was started on May 15, 1947 and continues to be very active. In 1948 the German language was dropped entirely from worship. Use of English in worship had begun in 1937, with a German and an English service two Sundays a month, until 1948. Between 1947 and 1952, the parsonage was completely modernized, and much labor and money were invested in improvements to the physical property surrounding the church and parsonage.
Ground for the present church building was broken at a special service on April 26, 1948. The cornerstone to the building was laid August 1, 1948. The present building was completed at a cost of $65,000 and 11,500 hours of donated labor. It was dedicated to the service of God on June 19, 1949.
By the 1970's the church had problems with the bell tower leaking water. In 1973, a committee was formed of trustees, to check into what could be done to repair or replace the bell tower. At that time, it was decided to paint the tower with a sealer. Later the inside wall and ceiling, that had been damaged by water leaks, was repaired.
Within two years' time, the tower was leaking again. In 1976, the problem of the leaking tower was again discussed. It was believed that the leaking problem could not be solved. A committee looked at the cost of a new tower. By the summer of 1976, it was decided to tear down the bell tower. In October of 1976, it was decided to build a new tower that would stand on its own, located in front of the northeast corner of the building. This new 50 foot steel tower arrived in December of 1976, and was erected early in 1977.
The Church and bell tower, and a view of the church interior, as they exist today.
As they were being established, many congregations in rural Iowa received support from other congregations. This was true of St. John's, early in its history, having received support from St. Paul Lutheran Church of Fort Dodge. In honor of 125 years of God's gracious blessings to our congregation, the people of St. John's are supporting the work of establishing a new congregation in Waukee, Iowa. On February 24, 2002, the members of St. John's formally signed an agreement to give financial and prayer support to Rev. Curt Cizek and his wife Linda. Rev. Cizek has been called to Waukee as a missionary of Iowa District West. He and Linda work among the people of Waukee, bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ, while developing personal relationships and Christian fellowship with the people of Waukee.
(Above left-to-right: Linda and Rev. Curt Cizek, Pastor Bill VanNostrand, Pres. Robert Kinne and Elders; Donald Lehman and Tim Quick. Also Rev. Cizek and Rev. VanNostrand - photos courtesy of J. Kinne)
The Lord gave us a beautiful day to celebrate our anniversary. Rev. Matthew Lehman, Pastor of Mount Moriah Lutheran Church of Byron, Minnesota, came back to his "home" congregation to be our guest pastor for our morning worship service at 10:00 A.M.
The morning worship was followed by a catered dinner at 11:30 A.M.
Rev. Paul Sieveking, President of Iowa
District West - Lutheran Church Missouri
Synod, was our guest pastor for our 2:00 P.M.
worship service.
Click the page links below for photos of our
special day.
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