First Lutheran celebrates 100 years

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Newton is celebrating on Sunday the 100th anniversary of the church being built. The original building has seen many additions since it was built in October 1915, with its history starting before the first brick was laid.

“In 1860, a group of Lutheran families settled in this area ,and they didn’t have any place to worship. They met in homes for the purpose of organizing an Evangelical church in Newton,” Ruth Sharp said.

After years of work to acquire the needed funds and Synod approval, they built a mission church called First Evangelical Lutheran Church at the corner of what is now North Second Avenue and First Street North. They began worshipping there in March of 1874.

As the years passed and the congregation grew, the church decided in 1915 to sell the original property and purchase the site of the old Methodist Church, which became the home of the new First Evangelical Lutheran Church.

“The original bid for this building was $15,739. Just think of that,” Sharp said.

On Oct. 18, 1915, after hard work by committee members to raise required funds, the corner stone was laid and work on the new church had started. Currently, it is unknown where the cornerstone is but it is assumed it may have been covered up with an addition built on the original structure.

About eight month later, in June 1916, the congregation gathered to dedicate the new church. A news story printed at the time called the new church “one of the handsomest churches in this part of the state.”

Several additions, changes and improvements have taken place in the last 100 years including an elevated platform in the auditorium, the addition of a new pipe organ which was dedicated in memory of F. L. Maytag and regular upcoming such as painting, new light fixtures and adding a stairway to the basement.

As the years passed and the congregation continued to grow, it became apparent that more space was needed. In 1953, it was decided to remodel the nave of the church to increase the capacity by 150 people.

The church also completed a new office for the pastor to help create an atmosphere conducive to work, study or counseling.

A final remodel was proposed 35 years later to improve the aesthetics and create a better space for worship and praise. The remodel was dedicated in January 1989 and included a new altar, pulpit, baptismal font and chancel shelves. They were all of the same wood and pattern. Other additions at the time included new candlesticks for the pew ends, a new communion rail, a new chancel cross and resetting of the side chancel stained glass windows.

The final piece of the remodel was a new entryway on the southwest corner of the church, which included a covered drive area.

To celebrate the church and all of its changes during the past 100 years, a special service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. A lunch will be served following the service with pieces of the churches history on display for the congregation to see.