our history
Our Savior's Lutheran Church
Rev. E. J. A. Marxhausen conducted services in several different buildings in Brownsdale before there was a church. As the possibilities of this area were realized, it became necessary to provide a permanent earthly home for Lutherans. A church building in the nearby town of Hayfield was purchased. The building dimensions were 28 by 44 feet and came completely equipped with pews, altar and other furnishings. The total cost, including the lot, building, plumbing, wiring and moving the building a distance of 19 miles was $2,400. It was dedicated to the glory of God on October 10, 1937. The charter members of the congregation were: Fred Escher, Chris Rettig, H.J. Probst, Herman Wollenburg, Herman Dumke, O.E. Wollenburg and Ralph Meier. The first organist was Miss Laberta Dumke.
Our Savior’s congregation from the very beginning dedicated itself to the glory of God and the work of extending and expanding the Kingdom of God. On October 17, 1937 the congregation organized the Sunday school with 15 children in attendance. Mrs O. E. (Rosa) Wollenburg served as the first Sunday School Superintendent.
In the summer of 1938 there were 85 souls in the congregation of whom 50 were communicant members. Originally, a part of a three-church parish, which included Trinity Lutheran Church, near Waltham and St. John’s Lutheran Church, near Sargeant, then later a two-church parish with Trinity and Our Savior, on it’s own for the first time, called Vicar D. E. West in 1965. In March 1966 he was ordained at Our Savior.
Through the years major improvements were made in the original church building and congregation, among them the enlargements in 1948 and 1961 and a parsonage was built in 1967-1968.
One of our ministers, Rev. F. C. Darkow served our church from 1969 through 1972. During that time he founded a youth evangelism movement that he named Ongoing Ambassadors For Christ (OAFC). On faith he resigned as our minister and led this organization for many years. It is now headquartered in Illinois and in July of 2010, OAFC had a 40th Anniversary Celebration at our church.
By 1982 our congregation had outgrown our church and a new church was built on a 4½-acre site on the west edge of town. A new street had to be put in to access the church and the congregation named the street. Our church is located on Peace Street. The facility is 12,065 square feet. The sanctuary is located in the middle with seating for about 200, with an education wing with several rooms for Sunday school, and there is a Fellowship Hall with seating for up to 250 people.
At the same time the church was being built, a pipe organ fund was started, and a refurbished pipe organ was installed in our new church. We are blessed to have two very talented ladies to play our organ.
Sons of Our Savior who entered the Pastoral Ministry are: Gary Clayton, Robert Holst, Roger Holland, George Wollenburg, Alan Eppen, and Alan Broadwell.
At the present time we have 115 baptized and 97 confirmed members. So from the dream of Pastor Marxhausen and seven men and their families in the 1930’s and with the blessings of our gracious God, Our Savior congregation has grown and flourished. May we always be so blessed.
