Alva Review-Courier -

Zion Lutheran Church celebrates 125 years of organized worship this May.

It all began way back in 1899, when a group of Alva-area Lutherans came together to establish Zion Lutheran Church. On May 21, 1899, in upstairs rooms of the Kavanaugh and Shea building at 402 College Ave., these early settlers led by Pastor Johann F. Lill, a traveling Lutheran missionary, adopted a constitution, signed the charter papers and formed the congregation. The Salt Fork River flooded that day, preventing some from reaching the church to sign the papers, but they were surely there in spirit.

By October 9, 1900, the congregation had appointed members to purchase lots for a church building at the corner of 3rd and Maple. This frame building served as the first church, school and parsonage, and was completed by the end of the year, according to "Zion Lutheran Church 1899-1999," a book compiled by Pastor Joel Picard to mark the church's 100th anniversary.

By September 1901, the fledgling congregation had a full-time minister, Herman Meier. Meier was born in 1877 at Crane Creek, Iowa, near Waterloo, in a log cabin. At age 15 he began his pastoral training at Concordia Seminary, Springfield, Illinois. He and his wife married two weeks before moving to Alva. The couple served the Alva parish until 1915.

In addition to his duties at Zion Lutheran, Meier traveled by train to preaching stations at Augusta and Waynoka. He is credited with the organization of churches in Blackwell, Woodward and Ponca City. At Ponca City, he became fluent in the Indian language from his contact with indigenous peoples in the area.

In January of 1902, two acres of land were purchased southeast of Alva for a church cemetery.

A two-story parsonage was completed in 1904 just north of the church. This structure was in use until the early 1950s. A red brick parsonage was built to replace the frame structure at the same location.

In 1904 the congregation joined the Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other states. The organization of the Alva congregation preceded the organization of the Oklahoma District of the Synod by 25 years. In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt signed the proclamation making Oklahoma the 46th State of the Union.

As the congregation grew, a red brick building in the German Gothic style was built in 1910-11 at the original location of 3rd and Maple. This building was in use for 60 years, until the early 1970s. Immediately to the east of the church, a frame building called the Parish Hall provided space for meetings, Sunday school classes, and a small kitchen area with bathrooms in the basement. This building is still in use; a square dance group uses the upper floor and the youth use the basement area as a gathering place.

The congregation added a red brick school building in 1947-48. After the parochial school closed, the building has been used as a location for daycare centers for young children. The congregation and school were known in the community for Christian education.

The current church building replaced the red brick structure in 1974 and was dedicated in December of that year in conjunction with the congregation's 75th anniversary. Congregation members had difficulty parting with the traditional structure, but they were also concerned about maintenance and the need for modernization.

The church of the early 1900s was not handicap accessible due to the several steep steps that led up to the entry, but the current structure has a low threshold access at the front doors. The old church was not heated or cooled by a central HVAC system, and there was a need for accessible bathrooms and convenient meeting and Sunday school rooms.

Architects for the new building were from Fritzler-Knoblock-Fury and Associates. Don Fritzler was a second cousin to a member. Fritzler and his wife were later killed in the infamous Oklahoma City Bombing of the Murrah Federal building.

A few years after completion of the new structure, additional meeting and office space, a kitchen and large fellowship room and Sunday school rooms were built to complete the concept of having worship and fellowship space under one roof.

Today, Pastor Timothy Roggow and his wife Annalisa occupy the parsonage. Pastor Roggow serves the active members of all ages on Sunday mornings and throughout the week.

Activities include Pitch night on Sunday evenings, mid-week youth group, ladies' organizations such as Ruth Circle and LWML, men's Saturday morning breakfasts and service projects, along with community events such as the Chicken Noodle Supper and the Crosswalk on Good Friday.

A recently added ministry is the large print production site through Lutheran Braille Workers. The Zion Lutheran site prints, binds and mails large print copies of the Bible to contacts in the United States and abroad. The congregation also participates in the support and encouragement of two missionary families from Oklahoma who are currently serving in Tanzania.

As the congregation looks back over 125 years, they see the dedication of church founders who established a church in Oklahoma Territory and forged ahead with building projects. Members over the years have thrived amid the vagaries of Oklahoma weather, world wars and political conflicts, and economic booms and busts. Early day members mourned separation from families left behind during the move to Oklahoma and loss of children to childhood disease. The congregation's heritage helps members today continue the activities of the church and make goals for future growth in their Christian faith.

SIDEBAR: Early Day Founders

Zion Lutheran's early founders include shoemaker William Quast Sr. (born in Altanfliez, Germany; emigrated to America in February 1856 at age 14 with his parents); farmer and realtor John H. Schaefer (born in Kentucky), homesteader William Breford (came to Oklahoma Territory in 1898), John Wagner (born in Germany and Run of 1893 participant) and his sons Theodore Wagner and Christ Wagner, Ernst Wamhof (born in Germany), William Schaefer (born in 1858), Heinrich Wagner (left Russia with his wife in their early 20s and worked for the Santa Fe Railroad, then purchased an Oklahoma claim for $40), and attorney C. H. Mauntel (born 1873).

Other founders include Carl Goehringer, Benjamin Niehaus and Albert Ertmond, but little information is available about these men. At a later date, according to church narratives, the names of Geo Meixer and Jacob Haas were added to the list.