Redeemer Lutheran Church to celebrate 100th anniversary Sunday
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Marshalltown is home to a wide variety of churches and faith groups with a rich history in the community, and on Sunday, Redeemer Lutheran Church, located at 1600 S. Center St., will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a special service and fellowship gathering to mark the major milestone.
Pastor Alex Post, a Wisconsin native who has led the congregation since 2013, said the Missouri Synod church was launched by a group of German Lutherans who officially organized with seven charter members at their original location at the intersection of First Street and Church Street in October of 1926, first sharing a building with the Seventh Day Adventists, who worship on Saturdays. The original pastor was the Rev. H.C. Koepke of St. John Lutheran Church in State Center, and he started holding services in the old American Legion Hall on State Street, according to a history of the church shared with the T-R.
As Koepke's health began to fail, the congregation recruited Rev. Frederick Kreutz, formerly of Oklahoma, as the first resident pastor, and he was inducted on April 29, 1928, and by the end of the year, the congregation grew from 24 to 70.
Despite several changes in pastors, a standalone church was dedicated at the corner of 6th and Nevada Street in 1935, and the membership continued to grow to around 200 in 1940 and 350 by 1950. Rev. Fred H. Ilten led the church from 1933 to 1948, and Pastor E.L. Runge accepted the call to serve Redeemer in 1948 and led the church for over two decades until he retired in 1972.
The current building on Center Street was opened in 1957 and dedicated in 1958, and Redeemer has been headquartered there for almost 70 years now. The former church at 6th and Nevada was sold to the Seventh Day Adventists. Today, there are 319 baptized members, 245 communicant members and attendance of about 100 strong on any given week, and its members range in age from newborn all the way up to senior citizens.
"Most denominations have seen a decline in the last 30 years, and our church, since I've been here, has been pretty steady. So we do have a lot of older, longtime, very faithful people here, but every year, we also get new kids, new families and new adult members," Post said. "Just a few at a time usually, but they're looking for (a church) based on the word of God, on the Bible, the doctrine doesn't change. The worship, the reverence, the joy of the liturgy is there, but lots of social activity too, service to the community, just like any congregation, it's a big part of that."
On Sunday, the occasion will begin with a regular service at 9 a.m. featuring Post's predecessor Dan Johnson, who retired after leading Redeemer for 19 years, and the special anniversary service will begin at 3 p.m. with performances from the children's choir, adult choir, handbells, organ and piano with the congregation singing along.
A former member who is now a pastor and missionary to Venezuela, Michael Brockman, will preach at the afternoon service, and it will be followed by a full meal afterwards. Former members and church workers will share memories and greetings, and photos from throughout the church's 100-year history will be shown.
As he looks toward the church's next century, Post highlighted two top priorities: remaining faithful by carrying on Lutheran confession and tradition while also inviting new people to join and grow the congregation as they serve the community with a stable, compassionate presence.
Everyone is welcome to join the event, and Redeemer can be found on YouTube and Facebook with services and Bible studies recorded. In recent years, the church has also served as the Fourth Ward polling place within the city of Marshalltown for municipal, county, state and federal elections.
Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.