Development of the Lutheran Church in Davenport
The Lutheran Church was the last mainline Protestant congregation to organize in Davenport. [2] Early attempts were made among the German immigrants,but they were met with only minimal success. In 1861,a German Lutheran minister was sent to Davenport. A year later he started organizing First German Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church and a building was erected in 1866. Theological disagreements erupted within the congregation and the pastor and a group of parishioners left to form Trinity German Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1869. They affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Zion languished until a new wave of German immigration came into the city in the 1870s. They continued German language services until World War I. Both Zion and Trinity remain in existence.
There is some evidence that early in the 1850s there were efforts to establish an English Lutheran Church as well. [3] Property had been acquired in Green's second addition to the city of Davenport by the trustees of the First English Lutheran Church. There was a stipulation that a two-story building,no less than 70 by 40 feet (21 by 12 m) be constructed on the property. The condition was not met and the property was forfeited. The Davenport banking firm of Cook &Sargent was involved in the transaction.
The Rev. George W. Snyder was commissioned to Davenport by the board of home missions on April 1,1879. [3] He had spent the previous year canvassing the city with the Rev. G.W. Diveley and was able to get the signatures of thirty people who wanted to belong to the new congregation. The congregation was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Iowa on October 30,1879,but no services or other functions were held by the congregation until a church building was constructed.
Snyder was able to raise $4,000 and secure property on the corner of Main and 14th Streets for $1,740. [3] The first church building was built during the autumn of 1881 and the first service for the new congregation was held on January 22,1882. The Sunday School,which was also organized that day,counted 34 students. The charter members of the new congregation included:H. B. Martin,Mrs. A. S. Martin,Jane Rhodes,Bernhard Reilley,Catherine Reilley,Anna A. Reilley,Philip Garner,Susan Garner,Lucinda Garner (who later became Mrs. John Roth) and Laura B. Snyder. [3]
The small church was dedicated on April 30,1882. Rev. G. W. Stelling,of Omaha,Nebraska,preached the sermon. Also assisting at the service were Rev. J. W. Goodlin,the secretary of the board of home missions,and Rev. S. D. Barnitz,the western secretary of the board. On April 1,1891,Snyder ended his pastorate at St. Paul's to assume a charge at Council Bluffs,Iowa. The Rev. W. Henry Blancke accepted the call on June 24,1891. The church building had become too small for the congregation,so a building committee and a finance committee were appointed and plans were developed for a new church. On May 4,1902,the new sanctuary was dedicated. The new building,organ,and furnishings cost $26,000. [3] Rev. E. F. Bartholomew,from Augustana College in Rock Island,Illinois,preached the dedication sermon in the morning and Rev. J. A. Wirt,of Des Moines,preached the evening sermon.
Blancke also served as president of the Civic Federation of Davenport during his pastorate. They employed legal extremes to fight vice and liquor. His continued leadership led to threats against himself,the congregation,and the church building. Membership suffered and fell to 100 in 1916 and the Sunday School had its lowest enrollment. [4] After Blanke's pastorate ended the congregation grew spiritually,financially,and numerically.
