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Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church’s congregation has been part of the Sterling-area faith community for more than 150 years – a legacy that predates even the construction of its current church building in 1952.
To celebrate its 150 years of ministry, Messiah Lutheran is hosting a special anniversary service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3.
Church member Peg Albert shared the congregation’s history with Shaw Local, drawing from historical accounts, anniversary records, and additional materials from church newsletters and archives.
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The church officially was organized in 1875, although its roots go back a few years earlier. In the early 1870s, Pastor Claus Seuel from Lyons, Iowa, traveled monthly to serve German Lutherans in the area. Young confirmation students even lived with him in Lyons to prepare for their religious education.
In 1874, Pastor Frederick Lussky took over as pastor and served congregations in both Hopkins Township and Sterling. That same year, the Sterling group purchased two lots at Second Avenue and East 10th Street for $700 – land that, at the time, lay beyond the town’s limits.
By 1875, both the Hopkins and Sterling congregations had formal constitutions, and Lussky officially was installed as the full-time pastor. Sunday school classes were started by Mrs. Grossman and were held in her home. Lussky organized the curriculum and also led a newly formed choir that helped the congregation sing German-language Lutheran hymns.
The first parsonage was completed in fall 1877, but the first church building – a modest wooden-frame structure surrounded by cornfields – was not constructed until 1881. Two years later, the congregation also built a small school behind the church to prepare confirmands. The first confirmation class was in 1884.
The church grew steadily. After outgrowing its original frame, a larger brick church was constructed on the same site. During Pastor W. J. Voeltz’s time, the congregation began introducing English into worship in 1918, although German services continued until Holy Week in 1949.
By the 1940s, the church was holding two services each Sunday to accommodate growing attendance. In 1951, ground was broken at a new location, 1601 Ave. F, and the church was officially renamed Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church. The new building was dedicated Nov. 23, 1952, drawing a crowd of 2,800 people across three services.