History

A Brief History of St Andrew Lutheran Church

St. Andrew Lutheran Church was founded December 6, 1959, as a mission congregation with support from First Lutheran Church in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Affiliated with the United Lutheran Church in America at its inception, St. Andrew became a part of the Lutheran Church in America when four church bodies united in 1962, and a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America when predecessor Lutheran church bodies merged to form the ELCA in 1988. Since the merger, St. Andrew has belonged to the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the ELCA.

In 1957, after a study of the northeast Cedar Rapids area was done by the Board of American Missions of the United Lutheran Church in America, land was purchased at 4420 Center Point Road NE for a new church. At this time 42nd St. was not paved west of Center Point Rd., Noelridge Park was an undeveloped field with no lagoon or Swimming Pool, and 50th St. (now Collins Rd.) had just been paved. Lindale Mall was not yet built, Wright School and Knox Presbyterian were brand-new; and there was talk of a new expressway downtown and one west crossing the river, of a new Junior High in the Noelridge area, and a new High School, Elementary, and Golf Course west on 42nd St.

Pastor Robert Parker was called to be Mission Developer in December 1958, and a home was purchased at 4004 Council St. NE as the Parsonage. He began surveying the area north and west of 29th and Old Marion Rd. and formed a steering committee. The first service was held in the gymnasium of Wright Elementary School Sunday, April 12, 1959.

An item in the Cedar Rapids Gazette that day reads:

Cedar Rapids’ new Lutheran congregation, which is having its first service today at Wright school, has been designated for the time being as “United Lutheran Church Northeast Mission.” This has been done so that the members themselves can eventually choose the church’s permanent name. 

Many names probably will be suggested, but none will be more unusual – for a Lutheran church – than that suggested by Daniel Hansen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hansen, 1627 Keith Drive N.E. At a meeting of the members last weekend, he listened intently as the name-choosing procedure was outlined. Then he whispered to his mother:

“I know a good name for a church.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Methodist.”

Despite Dan’s suggestion, the name St. Andrew Evangelical Lutheran Church was chosen by the congregation that May.

There were 100 people present at the first service, and Iowa Synod President Dr. Alfred Beil was present to greet everyone there. The choir had been practicing in homes and sang a fine anthem. The altar was a table, the pulpit a cardboard packing box, and the organ an old reed organ that had been electrified. A vacation Bible school was held in August at Wright School, with 122 attending, followed by a picnic at Daniels Park. An Altar, Lectern, and Communion rails were made by Allen Coombs.

The first communion service was held in October (presumably Oct. 4, “World Communion Sunday”).

November saw meetings preparatory to organization, new member classes, and Going-Away services for the 15 families transferring from First Lutheran.

Organization Day was December 6, 1959. The charter roll was signed by 70 adults and 80 children. Dr. Beil was again present. Twenty-two people were baptized, Formal Resolutions were passed, and the first congregation council was elected. The church was incorporated and Pastor Parker was called as the first Pastor.

After plans were approved and a building fund campaign was held, ground was broken at the new site in deep snow December 31, 1961, with construction starting in March. Pastor Parker accepted a new call in February 1962, and Pastor Jim Lesher was called in June. The first service in the new church building (which is now Bethsaida Hall, the nursery, restrooms, “old kitchen,” and classrooms) was October 7, 1962.

Under Pastor Lesher’s leadership, the congregation went to 2 services in March 1963, and an addition to the east of the original building was built and dedicated September 12, 1971 (now the location of the music room, work room, and church and pastors offices.)

Pastor Lesher resigned in 1977 to become pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, West Des Moines, and Pastor Philip L. Hougen was called as pastor later that same year. Under his leadership the congregation celebrated the Twentieth anniversary, went to four services, three on Sunday morning and one Saturday evening, called a second Pastor—Pastor Mark Urlaub, and began work on yet another building project. (The schedule of three Sunday morning services was soon reduced to two.)

In late 1985, the new building was dedicated, comprising the current worship space, narthex, library, sacristy, and kitchen and the original worship space was converted into Bethsaida Hall. Pastor Urlaub accepted a call to Bethlehem Lutheran in Vinton, also in late 1985. Pastor Paul Brown was called as Associate Pastor in 1986. Pastor Hougen accepted a call to Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines in 1988, and Pastor Brown moved in 1989.

 

 

Pastor Robert Dotzel was called as Pastor in 1989; Ann Hultquist-Devino (now Ann Hultquist), was called as Associate Pastor in 1990, after having served several months as a supply preacher with Pastor Rob. She accepted a call to Casper, WY, in 1992, and Pastor Karen Cluts was called as Associate Pastor in 1993.

The Opus 22, a 15-rank tracker-action organ by M. L. Bigelow and Co. was installed in 1992 and dedicated that November. For a complete history of the organ, click here.

Pastor Dotzel accepted a call as Campus Pastor at the University of Iowa in 1997 and Pastor Cluts as Mission Developer in Adel, Iowa in early 1998. During an interim lasting over two years, the congregation was ably served by interim Pastors Kenneth Diable, Vicki Watkins, DuWayne Dalen, and Otto Zwanziger.

Pastor Ed Breed was called by St. Andrew to serve as Pastor April 2, 2000, and began May 1st of that year. In August 2001, Evangeline Wright was contracted as Cantor; she resigned in July 2002 to attend law school. Robert Boer served during the 2001-02 season as our Choral Director. In August 2002, Aaron Burmeister was contracted to serve as Cantor of St. Andrew.

Also, in 2002, the congregation voted to become an internship site, providing required educational opportunities in a parish setting to third-year seminary students, with the first intern arriving in August 2002. Eight Pastoral Interns served our congregation between 2002 and 2010, including: Jenn Moland-Kovash, 2002-03; Jon Rollefson, 2003-04; Nathan C. Allen, 2004-05; Steven Zittergruen, 2005-06; Rakel K. Evenson, 2006-07; Patricia (Volberding) Decker, 2007-08; Deborah K. Thompson, 2008-2009; Divaker Pathak, 2009-2010. Five have come from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and one each from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Colulnbia, SC; and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH. To view pictures and see some information of each of the interns and pastors from our past, click here.

On February 28, 2005, Pr. Timothy Msangi signed a Companionship Covenant on behalf of Mcheni Lutheran Parish, located in the Pare Diocese of Tanzania, which created a companion congregation relationship between Mcheni and St. Andrew. For more information about our companionship with Mcheni Parish, click here.

St Andrew’s motto: “Come and See, All are Welcome, Go and Tell“ has been crafted in four fabric panels by Barbara Cartwright and mounted above the Sanctuary doors. These panels are in part the gift of the 2005 Confirmation class and gifts in loving memory of Mrs. “Vonnie” Follette.

After Aaron Burmeister’s resignation as Cantor in September 2008, a ten-month search for a Cantor resulted our calling Associate in Ministry Thomas K. Hamilton to serve as Cantor beginning in August 2009. After Thomas Hamilton moved on to other opportunities, the church was ably served by several music and choral directors, and is currently blessed to have Robin Wagner as the music director and organist.

Pastor Breed retired in 2014, and the congregation was then served by Interim Pastor Thomas Ruess, as we conducted a search for a new pastor for the first time since 1999. At the end of 2014, the call committee met with and extended a call to Pastor Zach Johnson, who accepted our call and began serving St. Andrew in January 2015.

To our knowledge, six current or former members of St. Andrew have gone on to rostered ministries: Pastor Erik Lesher; Associate in Ministry Linda Joy Schmidt; Pastor Bill Nielsen; Diaconal Minister Gayla Crosmer, Chaplain Cindy Breed, serving as Lutheran Chaplaincy Outreach Chaplain at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; Pastor Erick Swanson; and Pastor Roberta Pierce. And, in addition to Pastor Zach Johnson, there are five current members of the congregation who are rostered: Pastor Otto Zwanziger, Pastor Cedric Lofdahl, and Pastor Jim Adix (all retired); and Diaconal Minister Gayla Crosmer.