MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA

THE COMMUNITY OF ATALISSA, IA
A HISTORY
of its
CITY & FARMS

CHAPTER 5
ATALISSA CHURCHES


Transcribed by Shirley Plumb, December 19, 2016

Pg. 30

Christian Church

Picture: Christian Church as it appears in 1999.

       In the summer of 1870 an evangelist for the Christian Churches of Iowa came to Atalissa and held a revival meeting. The people of Atalissa decided they wanted a church here so the organization began with thirty-six members. The first services were held in the Depot and in 1872 the first church was erected. It was built on the banks of the “Little Jordan”, the creek that flows through Atalissa. In 1873 Articles of Incorporation were filed in Muscatine County. The articles were drawn up by Mr. Lot Parker, B. PG. Stucker and T. L. Ady (all members of Goshen Township) to establish the Atalissa Church of Christ as a solely religious, non-profit organization. These articles remained untouched until 1948 when they were enlarged. Ruby Arnold, Harriet Flint, Archie Staley, and A. N. Roberts recorded the articles before the Notary Public at that time.

        The first minister was J. Madison Williams and he held weekly meetings. He was also Superintendent of School in Iowa City. In connection with the church there was a well-attended Sunday School with about sixty people each Sunday.

        Some of the more prominent members were William Lundy and wife Polly. Mr. Lundy served as a representative in the legislature for Muscatine County and was the author of the bill establishing Iowa State College at Ames, Iowa. Benjamin Smith led the singing and got the tune from a pitch pipe. The church was largely a family affair composed of several families all related to one another. Some of the names were Overman, Barkalow, Stiles, Smith, Melick, Klein, Arnold and VanHorn.

        Around 1890 services became irregular so Mrs. Madie Machbaur, Mrs. Lucinda Lundy and H. B. Watters arranged for more active work in the church. These three people also got assistance from others to accomplish this task. One of the first items for business was to hire J. Madison Williams as minister again. At the time he was Superintendent of West Liberty Schools. Later on his two sons Herman and Mark preached regularly. Another minister was Charles Blanchard of Wapello who was a poet and had some of his poems published in book form.

        In 1922 the church was raised and a large basement was excavated using horses pulling “slip scrapers”. The cement blocks used to build the foundation walls were made on the spot by Charles Lamb, William Nachbaur, Edward Oepping, Charles Staley, Archie Staley and others. They got the sand for the bricks from an area down by Tice Bridge about five miles away. Archie Staley hauled the sand with a team and wagon. A new front entrance and a new Sunday school room were added. The ladies of the church held bazaars and chicken suppers in the basement to help with the expenses. A few years later a coal furnace was added. Now it is heated by natural gas.

        The church doesn’t hold profit-making ventures anymore as such ventures are opposed to in…

Pg. 31

… the scriptures. They do have fellowship dinners occasionally inviting other churches to join in fellowship.

        Over the years it has been called the Church of Christ, Church of God and the Christian Church.

Picture: 1921 Church members in this photo were the Arnold’s the Staley’s, the Oepping’s, the Kline’s, the Stiles’s, the VanHorn’s, the Hargrave’s and the Nachbauer’s.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church

        The church never had its own building until around 1900 when they built one. The services had been held in the home where Wilma Carlisle lives at 311 W. 5th St.

Zion Lutheran Church
226 Fourth Street

Picture:Zion Church as it appears in 1999.

        Zion Lutheran was founded in the summer of 1903, until then you had to go to Moscow, Iowa to have a place of worship. The Rev. Julius Doden, from Wilton, would come to Moscow by horse and buggy to hold services there. Many times they had to ferry across the Cedar River or go over it on the ice to attend. The founders of the Atalissa church were Philip Weiss, John Weiss, Christian Weiss, Nicholaus Spilger, Adolph Gatzke, Wilhelm Werth, August Klink and Carl Timm along with the Rev. Julius Doden. Even though they had founded a new church they still attended church in Moscow until they could build a church here in Atalissa. They paid 150 dollars for the church lots and the church was ready October 11, 1903. Services were held every other Sunday, one month, in the afternoon and the next month in the morning alternating with Moscow. There were 24 members. Sunday school was quite large and there were 2 teachers. The first baptisms were held May 29, 1904 and they were Else Louise Weik and Harold August Kruse. The first janitor was Wilhelm Werth. The first officers elected were Adolph Gatzke, President, John Weiss, Secretary and Phillip Weiss, Treasurer.

        The first parsonage was bought in 1905 and was east of the present one. The first resident pastor was Rev. H. F. Schumann. The present parsonage was built and dedicated in October 1909. It has been modernized and remodeled over the years.

        A bell was donated by John, Clara, Lucy and Emma Weiss and was placed in the newly remodeled Steeple tower. The Sunday school was reorganized in 1934 and had graded classes. The church was raised and a basement put under it in 1936. It was also enlarged. The first women’s group known as Ladies Aid was also organized in 1936. In 1945 the interior of the church was redecorated. In 1946 a house and lots across from the church were deeded to the church. This is now the church parking lot and a ball field for the town of Atalissa. In 1947 Henry Friedli stated in his will, that funds be given to purchase a new oil furnace. It was purchased and installed. New stained glass windows were also bought, at the time, but didn’t get installed until 1948. In 1976 a new Allen Organ was purchased, new pews and a pulpit were purchased in 1977 also air conditioning was added.

        Zion Lutheran is still quite active in the community today and is the site for the Senior Citizen Potlucks every month.

        In the 1950’s Atalissa’s Zion helped establish a mission in West Liberty. It became Our Reedemer Church in 1953. Zion celebrated its Golden Jubilee Anniversary in 1953. A new addition was added in 1961 that included an educational wing, a pastor’s study, the foyer and church entrance with restrooms. They celebrated their…

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… 75th anniversary in October 1978.

        A yoked ministry was established with the United Presbyterian Church during the late 1970’s.

        For the last few year Zion shares its pastor with the Our Redeemer Church in West Liberty.

Picture: 1953. The church congregation outside the church.
They are front row. Left to right Vicki Sterner, Linda Spilger, Janice Spilger, Gary Spilger, Gene Hinkhouse, Marilyn Freyermuth, Donald Barkhurst, Fred Morrison, Carey Wilkens, Mitchel Phillips, Arnie Wilkens, Rick Weiss, Randy Weiss and, Karl Nebergall.
Second row. Left to right Pastor Luther Meyer, Rose Meyer, Nancy Spilger, Janet Barkhurst, Marilyn Morrison, Judy Gerdts, Ronald Blick, Kenneth Freyermuth, Lois Nebergall holding Ileen Nebergall, Anna Spilger, Dorothy Weiss, Wilma Schafnit, Shirley Schafnit, Joyce Garvin-Oepping holding child, Lydia Schafnit and Ruth Phillips-Sterner.
Third row. Left to right Richard Weiss, Donald Schmidt, Florence Hinkhouse, Violet Madsen, Rose Weiss, Doris Morrison, Ruby Morrison, Dorothy Spilger holding Dennis Spilger, Winifred Weiss, Minnie Ahrens, Theresa Passmore, Christina Holtz, Ellen Marolf, Hilda Weiss, Lucille Freyermuth and Vivian Spilger. Back row. Left to right James Gerdts, Carlos Schmidt, Louis Gerdts, Lund Madson, Philip Spilger, Fred Passmore, Ewolt Schmidt, Walter Wilkens, George Weiss, Walter Weiss, Bert Schafnit, Ronald Schafnit, Raymond Oppeing, Wayne Spilger, Merlyn Spilger and Clifford Freyermuth.

Presbyterian Church
319 Fourth Street

        When the Railroads were built through Eastern Iowa, the village of Atalissa was settled. The Presbyterian Mission Board sent Rev. C. F. Beach to this part of the new west to minister to the people. On April 5, 1857 he began holding services in the freight house here in Atalissa. The congregation desired to organize a church to be connected to the Presbyterian of Iowa City. On June 14, 1857 thirty-eight people, according to old records, constituted the First Presbyterian Church of Atalissa. Officers were appointed on July 26, 1857 and subscriptions were solicited, under the direction of the trustees, for the purpose of erecting a chapel. Thirty-nine names were listed and an amount of $307.50 was collected. That was the beginning of the church that existed until July 21, 1984 when it was torn down. The work was all donated and the first service was held and the dedication was in 1875. A manse was erected in 1895 for the preacher. Manse was used to describe a Presbyterian parsonage.

Picture: Presbyterian Church in 1984

Picture: Presbyterian Church in 1875

        Further improvements occurred in 1905 and an organ was installed, costing $100.00. The first piano was purchased in 1915 bought by the Christian Endeavor. In 1917 the church was placed on a foundation and a basement and new rooms were added from material from the disbanded Cedar Valley Presbyterian Church. A garage shed was erected in 1927.

Pentecost Church

        It was located in the Royal Neighbor Hall in 1931. The preacher was a Mr. Varner.

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Page created December 19, 2016 by Lynn McCleary