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Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Bethlehem Lutheran Church was a German Lutheran Church that started in
1874. The leader who established this church was Frederick Eggers, who
came to the United States from Germany in 1850. On December 27, 1874,
Bethlehem's
first official meeting was held. Twelve immigrant German families made
up the membership in 1874. At the meeting the name of the Church and
the
building committee were chosen. The church was first known as the
Colehour
German Lutheran Church. The early trustees were Fred Eggers, Fred
Millis,
and Harry Millis. The first church was 40 feet by 24 feet and was built
by Mr. F. Blaser, a member of the congregation, at a cost of $1,175. On
July 1, 1875, a school opened with an enrollment of 22 children which
later
increased that month. It was closed because of the lack of a teacher
but
was reopened in 1879. The school was dedicated to the four "R's":
Reading,
`Riting, `Rithmetic, and Religion. The school maintained two classes
which
included six grades until 1915 when a third class was added and the
school
expanded to eight grades. A second larger Gothic styled wooden church
building
(shown above) was dedicated in 1891. That building was 50 by 90 feet
and
the taller of the two spires was 160 feet high. The cost of that church
was approximately $16,000, including furnishings. This Church burned
down
in a spectacular fire on Maundy Thursday, March 28, 1918. In June of
1919,
the original church building was torn down for a new school to be
built.
On October 12, 1919, the cornerstone was finally laid and the new
church
built at a cost of $80,000, opened September 19, 1920. The first
English
services in the church were held in 1900 but German continued to be
used.
In the mid 1920's Bethlehem began to change over from holding their
services
in German to English. In recent years, as the neighborhood has become
increasingly
Hispanic, there has been some talk of holding services in
Spanish.
East Side United Methodist
The East Side United Methodist Church was first established in 1875.
The
first church was built in 1876 on Avenue J north of 99th Street and the
first minister was C.J. Shuster. It was originally known as the First
Church
of the Evangelical Association. It was formed by some of East Side's
First
German and Swedish Settlers. The first Sunday School opened in 1876
with
18 pupils. In 1913 the congregation sold the property on 98th and
Avenue
J for $200 and built a new church located at 10323 Ewing Avenue. That
building
was later the meeting place of the Trinity Knights of Columbus, a
Catholic
fraternal group. It is currently the location of the Community
Christian
Church. While Rev. Lawrence Stauss was pastor, the name of the church
was
changed to the First Evangelical United Brethren Church. Rev. Stauss
was
pastor of the church from 1936 until 1971. When he began there were 280
members and when he retired there were over 1300 members in the church.
A third church located at 110th and Ewing Avenue was
constructed
in 1954. The architect was Albert Heino and Associates and the
contractors
were the Olivieri Brothers of the East Side. The church is described as
Modern Gothic in style. Ground was broken on June 20, 1954, the
cornerstone
was laid on October 19, 1954 and the church was dedicated on October
23,
1955. A couple of years later a parsonage was built at 110th
and Avenue L. A Burning of the Mortgage Ceremony was held in October
1961.
After a merger with the Methodist conference in 1969, the church became
known as the East Side United Methodist Church. The church has been
involved
in community affairs throughout its history. The church sponsored Cub
Scout,
Boy Scout, Explorer units and Girl Scout groups. Troops were taken on
trips
such as sailing and camping. Boy Scout Troop No. 701 and Girl Scout No.
Troop 102 are two of the most famous groups from this church. Boy Scout
Troop 701 dates it origins to 1917 and Girl Scout Troop 102 dates back
to 1923. The membership of the church has changed over the years as the
neighborhood has changed but the church remains very active in
community
affairs.
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