| History
St. John Lutheran Church of Seward, Nebraska was
founded December 10, 1877. At that time nine men adopted and signed the
first constitution for the congregation. These nine men and their families
made up the charter membership of eighteen. Under the laws of the State
of Nebraska the congregation was officially incorporated on December 9,
1878. The congregation was first served by K. Theodore Gruber, the Pastor
of Immanuel Lutheran Church (Middle Creek). St. John called its first full-time
pastor in 1884, the Reverend Frederick Koenig. By this time the congregation
had grown to seventy-four communicant members. In 1886 St. John joined
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Members of the congregation along
with other residents of the Seward community began working actively to
establish a Missouri Synod college in Seward. On November 18, 1894, Concordia
College in Seward was dedicated and opened with an enrollment of twelve
students.
The St. John congregation has been in its present
facilities at the corner of Hillcrest and Columbia Avenues since 1968.
In 1997 The Child Development Center moved to newly obtained facilities
located at Columbia Avenue and Main Street. A portable classroom unit was
added in 1998. In 2002 the congregation celebrated its 125 Anniversary.
"125 Years of History", a listing of events
in St. John's history, is available online in Portable Document Format
(PDF). Click here to access the file. To get
the free Adobe Acrobat reader, click
here.
Mission Statement
"Proclaim and Practice the Love of Christ."
As member of the body of Christ;
* We are Christ centered
* We believe that every person is created, loved,
redeemed and important to God
* We believe we are God's people gathered around
Word and sacrament
* We believe in leading people to Christ
* We believe that a growing faith is expressed in
commitment and service
* We believe that all members have gifts/talents
to be used in ministry
* We believe that St. John's actions and decisions
will reflect the love of God
* We believe that St. John will respond to the diverse
need of its members and the community
Pastoral Staff
Pastor Scott Bruick, Senior Pastor
Pastor Bob Paulson, Pastor for Visitation and Pastoral Care.
Officers and Board Members (2008 - 2009)*
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