St. John Lutheran Church (LCMS), Hooper, NE

Lutheran services were first held in rural areas north of Hooper as early as 1868.  By 1871, St. John's had constructed its first church building northeast of the present community of Hooper, Nebraska.  The present church building was constructed in 1911.  In 1955 it was moved into the city limits of Hooper and expanded.  It would be interesting to know exactly how the church building was moved, as the journey would have included crossing the Elkhorn River over a very narrow bridge.  St. John's Cemetery still stands near the original location of the church.

It's with sadness that I learned that St. John's had closed in June of 2012.  The congregation had dwindled to a hand full of people and the decision was made to disband.  By the time I was able to photograph the church interior, the furnishings had been removed and donated to a new LCMS church in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

The interior of the church is quite plain, though it's probably unfair to make such a judgment in a building devoid of furnishings.  It's likely that renovations in the 1950s and 1970s brought the interior to its present state.

A view from the former chancel area towards the balcony and narthex.  A few scattered mementos of the church's past line the walls of the nave.

A glance into the attic area above the narthex reveals the German heritage of this congregation.  A board, which likely hung above the church's entrance, bears the remnants of its formal German name.

A Wangerin-Weickhardt pipe organ stands guard at the right of the chancel.  The instrument is in playable condition, but does not appear to have been maintained.  More information is available on this instrument from the OHS Database.

The blue-dominated nave windows feature etched glass medallions depicting various Christian symbols.  These windows likely date from the 1970s.

Two windows in the narthex present local agricultural and religious themes.

An article on the closing of St. John Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Hooper is available at the Fremont Tribune.  The church building, lots, and remaining contents (pipe organ, stained glass windows, bell, and fixtures) are scheduled to be auctioned as one lot on December 1, 2012.

I encourage readers to send me your memories of St. John's and any photos you may have to be posted here. 

St. John Lutheran Church (LCMS), Rural Waco, NE

If you're traveling down Nebraska Interstate 80, between the Waco and Utica exits, look to the north; if you're paying close attention you may catch a glimpse of St. John Lutheran church of rural Waco.

The cornerstone of the church reads "U.A.C. 1903." Apparently the area was settled by very conservative German Lutherans, as nearby Zion in Thayer is also a U.A.C. Church. A comment on my Thayer church post by gnesio-lutheran explains that:

U.A.C. does indeed mean "Unaltered Augsburg Confession".

It was commonly used in the formal name of many early Missouri-Synod Lutheran congregations. This was to distinguish the congregation from other 'Lutheran' congregations which used an altered form of the Augsburg Confession, the primary statement of the Lutheran faith. This altered confession was created early in the 19th century in an effort to unite Lutherans and Calvinists in Germany. (Lutheran teachings on the Real Presence in the Eucharist, baptismal regeneration, and Confession/Absolution were deleted to make the it acceptable to Calvinists.) The Missouri Synod was founded by German immigrants who wished to retain the original unaltered form.

Thank you very much for explaining the history of this movement!

The church's steeple is adorned with pressed tin shingles and pinnacles.

The interior is absolutely fantastic! These photos do a poor job of illustrating the true height of the structure. St. John's is certainly a rare jewel among rural Lutheran churches!

Particularly unique features are the wrap-around balcony and the pressed tin which covers both the ceiling and walls. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the interior is that it appears to have retained its original appearance for over 100 years.

Elevated pulpit and altar in the sanctuary.

The altar is very ornate and dramatically lit.

Note the wonderful curve on the balcony corners.

A Reuter pipe organ, dating from 1949 resides in the rear gallery. More information on this instrument, including a stoplist, is available here.
View from the sanctuary toward the church entrance. The organ chamber is to the left.

Detail of the balcony railing and side walls.

One of the few windows not obscured by the balcony. The windows are mostly geometric designs that feature a particular Christian symbol.

Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS), Thayer, NE

Zion is a hidden gem of a church located just outside of the tiny town of Thayer, Nebraska. The cornerstone reads "Ev. Luth. Zions Kirche U.A.C. 1904" - obviously a church founded by German immigrants. The best I can gather is that U.A.C. stand for the "Unaltered Augsburg Confession." It seems this was a Lutheran sect that was eventually absorbed into the Missouri Synod? Any reader insights?

Note the pressed tin ornamental roofing imprinted with the fleur-de-lis on the steeple.

A wonderful view of the church is available from the actual town of Thayer.

While the interior of the church is relatively spartan architecturally, the various liturgical elements are elaborate and full of detail.

All of the sanctuary furnishings feature an intricate gothic detailing, contrasting well with the simple gothic design of the actual church structure.

The church's altar features the well-known statue of the Risen Christ.

A wonderfully intact tracker action Kilgen pipe organ resides in the gallery.

More information about this organ, including a stoplist is available here.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Rural Hooper, NE

Immanuel Lutheran Church of rural Hooper, NE was constructed in 1951. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was a brief revival of the English neo-gothic style of church architecture. This church demonstrates the typical sensibilities of this movement: small windows, heavy beam ceiling, and long, narrow nave.

The nave is clean cut and leads nicely into the carved ceiling beams and chancel. The church is quite large for a rural parish.

The windows feature various scriptural and doctrinal symbols.

The altar also falls in line with the English neo-gothic style: relatively low, with a rich dossal. The chamber to the left of the chancel holds a Reuter pipe organ. More information about this organ, including a stoplist is available here.

St. Paul Lutheran Church (LCMS), New Melle, MO

The town of New Melle is home to one of the oldest Lutheran settlements in St. Charles County, Missouri. In 1839, settlers from Melle in Lower Saxony settled here, thus the name of "New Melle." St. Paul's parish was later established in 1844. The parish predates the Missouri Synod by three years, and it eventually became one of only twelve churches who signed the original charter which established the Missouri Synod in 1847.

The present native stone church was completed in 1860. The interior has changed little over the past 149 years. Art glass windows were installed in 1974 and various historical enhancements were undertaken in the late 1970s.

St. Paul's true "claim to fame" is its historical J.G. Pfeffer pipe organ, installed in 1870. A local saying has it that a good Lutheran church would have "a Missouri Synod pastor in the pulpit and a Pfeffer organ in the gallery." One of Pfeffer's earlier works, the instrument at New Melle is considered by some scholars as one of the finest Victorian organs in the country.

The recording below was made by a friend of mine to demonstrate the various stop combinations on this organ.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Rural Beemer, NE

Immanuel Lutheran Church in rural Beemer is the oldest LCMS congregation in the state of Nebraska. The following history is reprinted from the July 16, 2008 edition of the West Point News.
Immanuel Lutheran Church has a rich history of growth and change. In January of 1868 a group of 19 Lutheran families requested a truly Lutheran pastor to be sent to Rock Creek in Cuming County. When pastor Adolph Frese arrived he learned that his services were no longer required because a number of the original group had followed another man who had promised to instruct their children.

However, a Christian woman had died a few days earlier and Pastor Frese was asked to preach at her funeral service. As a result, 24 men signed an agreement to form a Lutheran congregation on Feb. 16, 1868. This was the beginning of Immanuel Lutheran Church of rural Beemer, the first Missouri Synod Lutheran Church in Nebraska.
The first services were held in the homes of members. In the summer of 1871 the church was built on the Elkhorn River bluffs near the site of the present Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery. The present church was built in 1887 one and a half miles south of the original church site.
Immanuel Lutheran School was organized in 1869 and closed in 1981.
The interior of the church has been renovated a number of times over its 121-year history. Major renovations were undertaken in the mid-1950s, resulting in much of how the interior appears today. A Wicks pipe organ was also added at this time.

Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Rural Schuyler, NE

Built in 1917, Immanuel is gem of a rural church located northwest of Schuyler. It's an excellent example of a modified English Gothic church with an interior that's been left relatively untouched.


Rather than a typical rectangular nave, Immanuel employs more of a square nave, thus bringing the congregation closer to the altar. A pipe organ was installed in the 1950s; the builder is unknown.

Interestingly, the candelabras on the altar appear to contain bulbs with a carbon filament - something rather rare, as carbon filament bulbs haven't been produced on a large scale for a very long time.