Zion Bethalto Celebrates 150 Years
03/24/2009BETHALTO - Zion Lutheran Church of Bethalto will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2009 with the theme of "Praising, Serving, Sharing Christ for 150 Years."
The church, located at the corner of Route 140 and Moreland Road in Bethalto, began in 1859 by five families in Bethalto who worshipped in a log structure. Today, the church has more than 1,700 members served by three pastors and four different worship services each week.
In the 1840s, German and Dutch Lutheran families on the Rattan Prairie (what is now Bethalto) were meeting in homes to worship.
Several attended the area's first Lutheran church, built in 1842 on the southern edge of Liberty Prairie, near present Route 159.
Early services were conducted by circuit riders, notably Rev. C.G.H. Schliepsick. Formal organization of Zion Lutheran Church came in 1859, with the arrival of the first resident pastor, Rev. D.W. Warns. The founding date was just four years after the Village of Bethalto was platted. The same pastor, also in 1859, established Emmaus Lutheran Church at Dorsey and continued to serve both churches for five years.
For its first half-century, most services at Zion were conducted in German. Regular English services began in 1913 with the arrival of Pastor W.G. Bruegmann.
Zion started its first elementary school in 1877. The first teacher was Rev. J.G. Neutzel, the pastor of the congregation. The curriculum consisted of the "three Rs," plus training for Christian living and church membership. At a time when a good day's wage was 50 cents, tuition cost 75 cents a month for each student. Today, Zion's preschool and kindergarten-through-eighth grade classes are available to both member and nonmember families. In addition to the core curriculum, Zion offers students the opportunity to participate in basketball, band, computer instruction, volleyball, choir, Scouts, and more.
Zion's first house of worship was a log structure near the church's current location. It was replaced in 1865 by a brick 28-by-42-foot building, which included four rooms for the pastor's residence. A steeple was added to the church in 1892 to house its 1,000-pound bell. The bell has been moved to each new building. A frame structure was built in 1910 when the brick building could no longer accommodate the growing congregation.
The older portion of Zion's current sanctuary was built in 1957, with the newer Ministry Center (front portion) added in 2004, which made the Church entirely handicap accessible. Zion currently offers four different services for its members, along with opportunities to participate in choir, Praise Band, Ladies Aid, Men's Club, Lutheran Women's Missionary League, mission trips, disaster-relief trips, Stephen Ministry, and many other organizations that serve the church and community.
Senior Pastor Willard Meyer, who joined the church in 1979, said that Zion has gone through some tremendous changes throughout the past 150 years, and is looking forward to this year's commemoration of the church's history.
"Although many, significant, and profound changes have taken place at Zion over these 150 years, what has been constant and unchanging are the proclamation of the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and the ministry of sharing that love of Christ throughout the community and the world," Meyer said.
The events planned throughout the year include visits from former pastors, a confirmation reunion, an old-fashioned church picnic, a cemetery tour, a candlelight service to honor veterans and a live nativity scene, to name a few. A complete calendar of activities can be found on the Church's Web site, www.zionbethalto.org.
"The Anniversary Committee has worked hard to develop activities that are not just for church members, but also for the community," Pastor Meyer said. "We encourage anyone in the community to join us in our celebration. It's not just a celebration of Zion, but a celebration of Zion in this community, and we invite our friends and neighbors to help us commemorate a church that has persevered through the Civil War, the Great Depression, and many hard times along the way."
