St. John Lutheran Church Maxfield

OUR HISTORY

 

The early history of the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Maxfield dates back to 1853.  In the spring of that year Friedrich Bruns and a few others came from Cook County, IL, to settle in this part of Bremer County, IA.  In 1855 more families arrived.  They built their first dwelling places out of native logs, hewn by hand.  Most of them were one-room houses with hard packed clay floors.  Indians were their neighbors and cornbread often constituted their main bill of fare.  In spite of the hardships, these early settlers were happy to be in Iowa where it was possible for them to have their own homes.  Land was plentiful and they found the virgin soil rich and productive.  What was missed most sorely by them, however, was their church.  They had brought along their bibles and hymn books, but on Sunday mornings there was no place to gather for a regular church service, nor was there a pastor to baptize their children and to solemnize their marriage vows.  Thus they sent word to their former pastor, the Reverend N. Volkert of Schaumburg, Cook County, IL, and asked him to come at some convenient time and conduct worship services for them. 

   

Pastor Volkert gladly complied with their request and visited Maxfield in the spring of 1856.  It was on the Sunday of Cantate, April 24th.  With their former pastor in their midst, their hearts were attuned to the spirit of the day, “cantate,” taken from the Introit of the day, “O sing unto the Lord a new song".  We may be sure that they all joined in heartily as they opened the worship with one of our good ole Lutheran hymns.  A confessional service was held at 9:00 a.m. at which Pastor Volkert spoke on the Gospel Lesson, John 16, 5-15: “But now I go my way to Him that sent me, etc.”  In the afternoon at 2:00 p.m. another service was held at which 2 Thes. 2, 13-17 was used.  “We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, etc.”  Forty-six partook of communion on that day and five children were baptized.  Before departing on Friday morning, Pastor Volkert had a brief farewell service at which occasion he used as his text the Epistle for Jubilate, 1. Peter 2, 11-20: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, etc.”  At the close of the service they sang, “Abide with us Lord Jesus”.  In departing, Pastor Volkert promised he would use his best influence to induce the Mission Board of “The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States” to supply them with a pastor as soon as possible.  His efforts proved successful, for in the fall of the same year Pastor H. Graetzel arrived to serve them.  That was the beginning of the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Maxfield.