History of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church Cushing, Iowa 1897 - 1997 "Jesus Christ, theSsame Yesterday, Today, and Forever" Hebrews 13:8
During the years 1887 -1890, six families of German Lutherans in the area gathered at the Knox schoolhouse located one and one-half miles southeast of Cushing to hear the Word of God. Lutherans in the area helped the Methodists build their church, so from 1890- 1897 the Lutherans used the Methodist church as their place of worship on Sunday afternoons. During these years ministers from Holstein and a traveling missionary served the spiritual needs of these people.
On August 7, 1897 Pastor Gabriel of Holstein and the Lutherans in the area met at the Cushing Hotel to officially organize a congregtion. By this time several more families had joined the group. They built a 24' x 40' church. On October 24, 1897, the church was dedicated. On January 23, 1898, Pastor Gabriel was installed as it's first minister; and on July 12, 1898, the articles of incorporation were signed.
In 1940, it became clear that the first house of worship, which had served the needs of the congregation for forty-three years, would no longer fulfill it's purpose. A new structure was built; it was dedicated on February 23, 1941. The congregation continued to grow and once again it become evident that the congregation had outgrown it's house of worship. An additional 34' was added to the church and a Parish Educational Unit consisting of twelve classrooms, a pastor's study, and an overflow room were built. This addition was dedicated on July 22, 1956.
The officially organized congregation has been served by fifteen ministers and seven sons and daughters who were called into the ministry. We celebrated 75 years of ministry in 1972 and 100 years in 1997. St. John Lutheran continues to grow in faith and love serving Christ at home and in our community.
