Concordia Lutheran celebrates 75th anniversary

Concordia Lutheran Church, located at 601 Iowa Street in Clearwater, will celebrate its 75th anniversary Sunday, Sept. 22.

Divine Worship begins at 10 a.m., with lunch following.

The public is invited to a special program, scheduled to begin at approximately 1 p.m. Cake and ice cream will be served following the program.

About the church

• The Zion congregation originally was located southwest of Clearwater.

• Rev. W. Rudolph, the first resident pastor, conducted services at Deloit, Conley and Chambers.

• Zion joined the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in 1916.

• Immanuel Church, in Clearwater, was organized in 1905. Pastor F. Neben was the first pastor.

• Originally, church services were held in the public school building.

• In 1908, the church was constructed on the east edge of Clearwater

• Talks to combine the two churches began in 1944, and on July 9, new Articles of Incorporation adopted the name Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Congregation.

• Zion's church was moved into town in March 1945. According to the church's history book, "Movers decided to take a short cut across the meadows and they did not realize that in spite of the bad weather and all the snow on the ground, that the ground was not frozen there. The church became bogged down a quarter mile from town and sat there for about a week."

Cemeteries

• Concordia Lutheran Cemetery sits on two acres at 513th Avenue, three and one-half miles south of 851st Road, the site of the orignal Zion church.

• The Ziems Cemetery was plotted in 1882. It is located 10 miles west of Clearwater,on the northeast corner

of 851st Road and 506th Avenue.