Zion Lutheran celebrates 100 years

Zion Lutheran Church will be celebrating 100 years on the Colorado prairie this Sunday, though the congregation can be traced back to the Spring of 1913 when Rev. M.E. Mayer of Burns, Wyo., was asked to come to the home of Henry D. Hillman to perform a baptism.

After finding other Lutheran families in the community, Rev. Mayer conducted four services in the Kraugh schoolhouse that summer.

The following September E. Hauer, a teacher, began serving the Lutherans in the Grover area and started services at Stoneham, Colo.

Hauer was replaced in September 1914 by Rev. W.C. Bekemeyer, who continued to serve the congregation, conducting services in the Kraugh schoolhouse and, later, in the house of H.D. Hillman.

Rev. Bekemeyer of Stoneham served as chairman, and Henry Hillman, served as secretary at the first official meeting, recorded on Aug. 13, 1916.

During that meeting the members decided to organize a congregation and draw up a constitution under the name of Evangelical Lutheran Zion Congregation U.A.C. (Unaltered Augsburg Confession) of Grover, Colo.

It was at the same meeting that the charter members were named: Mortiz Hopka, Herman Hahn, Fred Ehmke, Henry D. Hillman, Fred Hillman and John Bienz, and the congregation decided to build a church that would also serve as a meeting place for a Christian Day School.

The church, a white frame building measuring 30x20x10, was begun in the summer of 1917 and dedicated to the service of the triune God on Oct. 21, 1917with speakers Rev. Bekemeyer of Stoneham and Rev. Paul Heitfeld of Ft. Morgan, Colo.

That first church cost $2,000 excluding donated labor and was made possible by a loan from Lutheran Extension fund of Colorado. The hard years of depression made it difficult to repay the loan, but it was accomplished by the 25th Anniversary, celebrated on June 28, 1942.

Teacher, E. Frenk opened the Christian Day School in the fall of 1917 with 11 children enrolled and the school remained open until 1923.

Pastors from Stoneham, Colo. and Burns, Wyo. served Zion for the next 15 year until, in March of 1937, Rev. Paul Heitman was ordained and installed as Pastor of Zion. Heitman also conducted services at Pine Bluffs, Wyo., and a schoolhouse in Kimball County, Nebr.

When Zion observed its 25th Anniversary, on June 28, 1942, at which Pastor Bekemeryer was the honored speaker, membership numbered 40.

By April 29, 1951 Zion dedicated its second, and present, church building east of Grover, Colo., with Rev. H.G. Harter, former pastor of Zion, as speaker.

In 1959, Zion and Grace Lutheran of Pine Bluffs, Wyo., formed a dual parish with a call to Rev. H.R. Miller serving as pastor of both churches.

Zion celebrated its 50th Anniversary on Sept. 24, 1967 with E.J. Riske and Rev. W.M. Naatz as speakers. On Sept. 20, 1992 Zion celebrated 75 years of service with Rev. H.W. Niermann as the speaker.

In 1993 Immanuel of Burns, Wyo., joined Zion and Grace to form a tripoint parish with Rev. Bradley Heineke servicing all three, though the tripoint was dissolved in 1995 and is currently a dual parish with Grace and Zion.

Zion started out small, but in 1954 the congregation reached 150 members. Now, with fewer families living in the area, farming larger operations, numbers have declined to fewer than 30 members.

Currently Zion and Grace are being served by retired Pastor Daniel Paeuner and the original church building is now at Centennial Village in Greeley, Colo.

Zion will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary on the plains of Colorado on Aug. 20, 2017. The speaker will be Rev. Bradley Heineke. Divine service will be at 10 a.m., followed by lunch at noon a second another service at 2 p.m. With a reception to follow.