Our Story (The Church History)

1894 thru 1952

The earliest services, (based on the memory of old settlers), were held at the Mines home in the northwest corner of North Bend by the Rev. F.L. Treskow of Scribner. Rev. Treskow served the Lutheran's of North Bend from about 1894 thru 1909, at which time he moved to Illinois.

From 1909 until 1912 services were held in the Peter Hansen home by Pastors Haller and L. Nierman of Schuyler and Rev. H. Pflug of Scribner.

From 1912 until 1921 the Peter Nissen home was used as the place of worship. Pastor Pflug served worshippers from 1912 thru 1928 until his death.

From 1921 thru 1934, the Herman Peter's home was used as the place of worship. After the death of Pastor Pflug, the congregation was served by students H.W. Mueller and H. Fraeft, who had been placed at Dodge to serve their internship by the Mission Board of the Northern Nebraska District.

In 1930, Rev. R.E. Zimbrick was called to the Dodge - North Bend parish by the Mission Board, Rev. A.H. Grosse of Cedar Bluffs was called to serve the congregation for one year, until the North Bend congregation was united with the newly organized congregation in Schuyler. Rev. E.J. Bernthal served the parish from September 1935 thru September 1939.

In the fall of 1939 Rev. R.C. Burroughs was called to serve as minister. Burroughs served the congregation until February 1943.

On January 3, 1943, the worshippers were organized into a congregation under the name St. Peter's Lutheran Church, with 11 voting members signing the constitution.

Those 11 charter members include Henry Schmale, Adolf Wesch, Sr., Edward Borgelt, Adolf Wesch, Jr., Halford Borgelt, Bernard Wilkening, LeRoy Saalfeld, Rudolf Rohwer, Adolf Nissen, Charles Frahm and George Diekmann.

Rev. E.L. Feyerherm was called by the parish and installed as minister on May 9, 1943.

In May 1944, a committee was appointed to take the necessary steps in securing a congregationally owned place of worship. No place in town was available and plans were drawn to build a new church. The congregation purchased the Dry Creek Church, located 8 miles north and 1 mile east of Schuyler. The building was dismantled by the congregation and the lumber taken to North Bend.

One year later, on May 13, 1945, the church was officially dedicated, and the cost of the new building was $8,500. By May 15, 1946, the congregation had raised enough money to pay off the church debt.

In 1948 the congregation purchased the first parsonage located on the corner of 9th Street and Maple Street at a cost of $6,125. By 1952 the debt of the parsonage was paid.

1954 thru 1990

Committee for Church Addition

From Left to Right Front Row: Joe Sic, Arnold Legland, Monty Mylander, LeRoy Saalfeld, Jim Dvorak, Adolph Nissen Second Row: Clayton Snover, Clarence Winkelman, Forrest Ferguson Back Row: Leonard Dodge, Carroll Stubbert, Vesty Snover

In 1954, the voter's assembly approved to purchase the Webster Hall and dismantled the building for an addition to the original church building. The remodeling began on September 13, 1954, and the 30' x 58' addition was dedicated on December 19, 1954. The cost of the project was $12,000.

In 1957, Rev. Feyerherm accepted the call to Amherst, Nebraska. Also in 1957, a letter was read from Trinity Lutheran Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church of Schuyler that the two congregations were joining as a parish and that St. Peter's in North Bend would be independent.

Rev. Arthur Siegfried was installed as minister on August 17, 1958. Siegfried served as minister until he accepted another call in 1960.

On April 9, 1961, Rev. Max T. Jank accepted the call to St. Peter's and served the church until January 1965. In June of the same year, Rev. Roy Beckmann was installed as the new minister until his farewell on September 28, 1969.

During the time of Rev. Beckmann, footing for the current parsonage were laid on July 26, 1965. The parsonage was dedicated on December 19, 1965.

On July 26, 1970, Rev. Clarence Harms was ordained and installed as minister of St. Peter's Lutheran Church.

In 1973 a new Rodgers 110 organ was purchased for the church from Hospe's at a cost of $5,650.

Pastor Harms accepted a call to Zion Lutheran in Wausau, WI in 1975. In 1976 Pastor Gary Boye accepted a call to St. Peter's and was ordained on July 25, 1976.

Rev. Boye served at St. Peter's until 1981 when he accepted another call. On July 4, 1982, James Wonnacott was ordained and installed as the new minister. The church was repainted, and a fund was started to purchase the new Lutheran Worship Hymnals.

The name of the church was changed to St. Peter Lutheran Congregation in 1982.

In July of 1983 the Voter's Assembly approved to modify the sound system in the church, adding a piece of new equipment in one of the pews for the hearing impaired. In that same year, enough money was raised, and 12 dozen new hymnals were purchased.

Pastor Wonnacott accepted a call in South Carolina in 1985 and on August 3, 1986, William Zastrow was ordained and installed as the new minister.

The church's first computer was donated to the church office and a printer was purchased.

In 1988, a building committee was formed to look into the possibility of building a new church structure following an examination of the church building found it to be in unstable condition. An offer of land located in Flamme's Addition and owned by Gordon and Martha Settles was accepted for the new building site. Laborers for Christ were contacted and will be heading the building crew for the new church building, with groundbreaking held April 30, 1989. A loan of $88,920 was approved from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund, with approximately $94,000 donated from members and friends to help meet the cost of the construction. On November 26, 1989, a disposition service was held at the present site at 920 Linden Avenue.

A steeple was ordered and donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Masters.

Pastor Zastrow received and accepted a call from Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Leslie, MO and was released July 22, 1990.

Second Row: Clayton Snover, Clarence Winkelman, Forrest Ferguson

Back Row: Leonard Dodge, Carroll Stubbert, Vesty Snover