ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH – A BRIEF HISTORY

The roots of Zion Lutheran Church reach back to the late 1850s when German Lutheran settlers in Johnson County began to gather for worship. On April 10, 1859, Zion’s German Evangelical Church was organized with services being held in the old Third Ward School and the Old Capitol.

In 1860, under the leadership of Pastor F. Doescher, the congregation purchased a piece of property at Johnson and Bloomington Streets where a church was constructed. The first services were held on Christmas, 1860.

Having a strong mission concern, Zion established preaching stations in the nearby communities of Cedar Rapids, Sharon Center, Homestead and Solon.

By the 1890s, the Zion congregation had already refurbished the sanctuary, installed a pipe organ, built a parsonage and started a German-English school. Pastors and lay teachers taught daily until it became a Saturday and summer school, offering basic courses in religion and German.

English language services were introduced in 1915, and by 1926 German services had been discontinued. This was a major change in Zion’s life.

In the late 1940s, Zion was instrumental in starting a ministry to University of Iowa students. Working with other Lutherans, a Lutheran Student Association was established to serve the needs of Lutheran students on campus.

The need for additional educational space led the congregation to build a new Parish House that was dedicated on February 10, 1957. A new church, built on the site of the original church, was dedicated on November 21, 1965 to better serve the worship needs of a growing congregation.

The 1970s witnessed Zion’s commitment to expanding music and drama ministries, entering into the seminary “vicar” program and the installation of the Stevens-Moore Tracker Organ, originally built in 1856.

Priorities for ministry since the 1980s have focused on outreach (evangelism), ecumenical work, community and social mission, youth concerns and world mission