FELC to celebrate sesquicentennial

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 309 E. Third St. N., in Newton, is finalizing plans for the sesquicentennial celebration of the congregation, 1868-2018. The event is planned for Oct. 28, in conjunction with Reformation Sunday.

There will be a church service at 9:30 a.m. with Reverend Mark Holmes officiating, along with Reverend Matthew Martens of Ames, who will be giving the sermon. Reverend Martens was the pastor at First Lutheran from 1993 to 2002. Linda Bryant will be the guest organist.

Following the service, members and guests will have lunch in Fellowship Hall. At 1 p.m., Dr. Davis Folkerts of Pella, will present a recital on the recently refurbished organ.

In 1938, Fred Maytag gave this organ to First Lutheran Church. Thanks to the Maytag Foundation, the Matt Egenes family and members of the church, there was a total rebuild of the existing organ, completed this past summer.

In the late 1860s, there were a number of Lutheran families who settled in Newton. They wanted to have a place to worship, so they formed an official Lutheran congregation in 1868. They worshiped in rented facilities of other churches and also in a hall over a downtown store.

By 1874, they acquired the necessary funds and synod approval building a mission church, located in the spot where the FNNB bank’s drive up area now exists on the corner of First Street and North Third Avenue. It was called the 10 Cent Mission, based on fundraising at 10 cents per brick. Over the next 40 years, the congregation continued to grow.

In 1915, they moved to their newly built church which is still their home today. The congregation is proud of 150 years of Lutheran worship in Newton.

First Lutheran Church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.​