Church History
1900 Pastor Anton Maulwurf, who was serving a congregation in the town of Dakota, begins visiting Wautoma every two weeks, on September29, thirteen men from “Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Congregation” and applied for membership in the Iowa Synod.
1901 First Church building dedicated: an offering of $45.00 Collected
1903 Pastor Voss and Braun Served
1906 Purchase of congregations first organ
1908 Pastor G. A. Schmidt installed; the congregation numbers40 voters
1910 Friedens congregation joins the Wisconsin Synod; Seminary graduate Henry Anger ordained as pastor; parsonage constructed for $1415.00
1911 Construction of schoolhouse; Pastor Anger teaches the German language to the congregation children.
1917 America enters World War I
1920 Pastor E.G. Behm installed
1929 Stock market crash and beginning of Great Depression
1934 One worship service per month held in English, Children instructed in English.
1935 Pastor Waldemar Gieschen installed; English worship services conducted every week, German services once a month.
1937 Schoolhouse damage by fire and rebuilt with volunteer labor.
1941 American enters World War II; introduction of The Lutheran Hymnal; church constitution translated into English; carpeting added.
1943 Pastor T. W. Redlin installed; extensive remodeling of parsonage
1945 The congregation’s name is officially changed to “Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church”
1948 Congregational offerings total $1,586.96; Sunday attendance during summer months averaged 229 souls; Hammond Organ purchased for $1,886.00
1950 Peace Lutheran Church celebrates 50th anniversary; total membership is 477 souls; building project completed.
1951 Pastor Arden Laper installed; church painted for $310.00
1953 Christian Day School Opens
1958 Building Fund committee established; Elvin Bartel (Chairman), Frantz Heise, Charles Maynard, Harold Prochnow, Harvard Erdman, Claude Frohman, & Franklin Weiland.
1959 Pastor Gerhard Kaniess installed, the Art Bean property is purchased for $3,500.00; the congregation numbers 135 families
1961 Present building dedicated at total cost of $117,835.67; old church sold for $1500.00 and dismantled; school building sold for $1000.00 and relocated.
1963 New parsonage built for $26,000.00
1971 Pastor Lester Groth installed
1973 Parking area paved for $6,600.00. Building Debt Retired
1975 Peace celebrates its 75th anniversary
1982 Pastor Christian Sulzle installed
1983 Construction of seven-room addition begun
1988 New lighting system added to church
1999 Construction of carport, enlarge foyer and office addition
2000 Peace Lutheran celebrates its 100th anniversary; stained glass windows and air conditioning added
2004 Pastor John Roebke installed as associate; current membership of Peace Lutheran is 414 souls, of which 350 are communicants; total offerings for 2003-04 budget year are $226,191.29
2006 Installed a New Improved Sound System
April 2006 Peace Ev. Lutheran Church was registered as a .org the address is http://wautomapeacelutheran.org
September 2007 Debt Retired ahead of schedule
March 2008 New Music Computer Installed / Member Donates a Newer Projector / Pastor John Roebke Accepts Call to Madison, Alabama
August 2008 Pastor Roger G Riedel Accepts Call At Peace
October 2008 Pastor Roger G Riedel Installed
