.
On July
3,1892, three months before
South Milwaukee was incorporated
as a village, a group of eighteen
Lutherans met for a service at the
home of John Ahrens, 1702 10th
Avenue, a home near the Bucyrus Erie
spur track. After this first service
a meeting was held, and Zion
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation
was organized. After becoming a
congregation, the group made plans
for erecting a church. Two lots were
purchased on the southeast comer of
6th and Milwaukee Avenues. The South
Milwaukee Land Company donated two
adjacent lots, and a church was
erected. It was dedicated on
September 18, 1892. The Reverend J.
H. Koch became the full-time pastor
in the spring of 1893, and a
parsonage was erected.
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By 1905
the membership of Zion Congregation
had increased and more room was
needed. It was decided to move the
church to face 6th Avenue, and
additional length was added to the
church. It was placed on a one-story
brick foundation. The Christian day
school, begun in 1903, occupied the
lower level. Pastor Koch left Zion
in 1908 after 16 years spent working
to build the congregation. In
January 1909, Zion extended a call
to Reverend O. B. Nommensen. He
accepted the call and was installed
as pastor of Zion in 1909. Pastor
Nommensen would remain with Zion for
fifty years. Services were all in
the German language at this time. In
1912 an English service was held on
a once a month basis, and beginning
in 1919, English services were
conducted every Sunday. |
 In
1920 the congregation realized that
a larger church was needed, and in
1924 six lots and a house to be used
as a parsonage were acquired. On
August 3,1924 the cornerstone of the
new church was laid at 9th and
Michigan Avenues. The first service
in the new church was on Sunday,
January 25, 1925. Due to the
increase in enrollment, the
congregation voted to build a
one-story school across the alley to
the north of the new church.
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The membership growth of the
congregation required more
pastoral services, so in the
spring of 1959, a part-time
secretary was hired, as well
as a part-time vicar
(seminary student
assistant). Due to the
increase in enrollment, the
school was enlarged in
1950-51 to include six
classrooms and a
multi-purpose room which
also served as a gym. In
1960 a kindergarten room was
added. |
|
School building |
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In 1973 the congregation
took steps to provide for
future expansion of its
physical facilities by
purchasing five acres of
land on South Chicago
Avenue. This property was
known as the McCreedy
property. This is now the
location of Zion Lutheran
School. The new school,
which includes ten
classrooms, day care
facilities, and a large
fellowship hall, as well as
a high school size
gymnasium, was dedicated in
May of 1996. A day care wing
was added in 1999. The old
school was sold to
Calvary Academy. |
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.
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Our newer school building
was
built in 1996, and a daycare
wing was added in 1999 |
The
church remains at 9th and Michigan
Avenues, although the church office
is now located in the new school at
3600 S. Chicago Avenue. The church
building was redecorated and
remodeled for the congregation's
Centennial observance in 1992. The
75-year-old Wangerin Pipe organ was
completely rebuilt and seven ranks
of pipes added in 1998. Zion's
worship schedule includes two Sunday
morning services and a service on
Saturday evening, as well as an
additional service on Monday
evenings in the summer.
Eight
pastors have served the congregation
during its 106 year history. Pastor
Nommensen's ministry of fifty years
was the longest; Pastor Paul G.
Hartwig served the congregation for
twenty years from 1964 - 1984. One
of our present pastors, Harlyn J.
Kuschel, was installed in August of
1987. Our second pastor, Aaron T.
Weber, was installed in February of
2007. Mr. Fonda Fischer is the
principal of Zion School. Zion's
faculty includes 9 full-time
teachers and a preschool teacher.
The congregation numbers about 1300
baptized souls, including 1035
communicant (adult) members. Current
school enrollment in grades K-8 is
about 200..
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