[As reported in the Columbus Telegram on the occasion of the church's 75th anniversary.]St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church in Sherman township of Platte county, the Rev. Warren Churchill, pastor, will observe the 75th anniversary of its organization on Sunday, May 20.
Plans for the anniversary include a service at 10 a.m. with Dr. Martin Schroeder, D.D., of Lincoln, a former pastor, preaching the sermon. A dinner will be served at noon, and the afternoon service begins at 2:30 with the Rev. J.A. Bahnsen, also a former pastor, as principal speaker.
A roll call of former confirmands is planned. The largest class was 32, in 1893. After this an hour or two may be spent in reminiscing of days gone by.
The evening vespers are scheduled to begin at 8 o'clock, with the Rev. Martin Schroeder, jr., of Grand Island, giving the address. The Rev. Mr. Schroeder spent his boyhood days at St. Paul's.
Although this is the 75th anniversary observance of the organization in 1881, the religious activities of the community actually date back to the late 1860's and early 1870's. Most of the early meetings for worship at that time were conducted by traveling or mission Lutheran pastors at the homes, but more regular services were held in the Dist. 23 schoolhouse after it was built in 1872.
The first settlers to locate along Deer Creek and Elk Creek (now Loseke Creek) in this area and along Shell Creek were either German immigrants or of German descent, and brought with them their customs and the Lutheran religion they had been taught.
Some of the early worship services were conducted by the more able and talented men of the community. After 1871, the people were frequently supplied by the pastor of a group that had been meeting at the Dist. 2 schoolhouse, now in Bismark township, where early leaders had pioneered in establishing Lutheran worship in the area outside of Columbus.
Occasional services in that area were also held in the Dist. 15 and 36 schools and at the Dry Creek station to the east in Colfax county, also supplied by mission pastors and the pastor of the Dist. 2 group.
In 1877, these outlying groups, including the one at Dist. 23, sought a more central location for their religious activities and the Christ Church on the Creek, as it was then referred to, was established.
This combined arrangement was of short duration, however, as in 1879 many found it necessary to withdraw to their original stations of worship and again be supplied by mission Lutheran pastors, who in a short time established congregations at those places.
This resulted in the organization of Bethlehem Lutheran church at the Dry Creek station to the east in Colfax county, St. John's Lutheran at Dist. 2, and St. Paul's Lutheran in the Dist. 23 area.
Although they did not retain the records, to the founders in the Dist. 2 group no doubt belong the credit for first charter and location.
As some of the early burials had been made near homes in the Dist. 23 area, some were then disinterred to be removed to Christ Lutheran and some to St. Paul's Lutheran cemeteries.
The Dry Creek station, or Bethlehem Lutheran, was then supplied by pastors from St. Paul's. They also started preaching stations in the villages of Creston and Leigh, resulting in the organization of St. Peter's Lutheran in Creston and St. John's Lutheran in Leigh.