Golgotha Lutheran Church

Golgotha Lutheran Church LCMS Wausa, Nebraska

Mission

It is the mission of Golgotha Lutheran Church to touch people with the message of God's love and eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ through a caring ministry of reaching, teaching, and serving the community and our congregation by the work of the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.

Description

Golgotha's History... It was early as 1884 that some of those who later became members of Golgotha Lutheran Church were served by a Lutheran pastor. The Reverend Theodore Moellering of Bazille Mills occasionally preached in the homes of scattered Lutheran families living east of Creighton. Later Fairview Schoolhouse, seven miles east and two miles north of Creighton, was used by these few families as their house of worship.
In 1891 Pastor Moellering was succeeded by Rev. F.H. Jahn. Besides the congregation at Bazille Mills, then a thriving little town in Knox County, this veteran of the cross also conducted services at Plainview and Bloomfield. The next year he began to preach at Orient, then a post office eight miles east of Creighton. Since there was no centrally located school house in the neighborhood, services were held in the homes of the families that attended church. Because of the extensive territory Pastor Jahn had to serve- traveling was all by team or on horse back- there was but one worship a month at Orient.
Among the people attending services at that time were: Leonhard Doerr, Sr., Otto Moeller, Christ Repenning, Frederick Manke, August Gieselmann, Frank Krugmann, Karl Krugmann, Ehler Hoppe, and their families and others.
When in the following years a number of German Lutheran families settled southwest of Wausa, among them William Krohn, Sr., Daniel Lorenz and William Boldt, expressed the wish to worship with their fellow Lutherans further west, it was decided by all concerned that services were to be held ion a place most centrally located. The school house of District 132, one-half mile north and one-half mile east of the present location of Golgotha Lutheran Church, was chosen as a meeting place. For a number of years this school house served as a place of worship for the German Lutheran families of Columbia and adjoining townships. Pastor Jahn served this preaching station until the summer of 1895.
That year Pastor Albert Ollenburg was called to First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bloomfield, Nebraska. To him was also assigned the little flock of Lutherans in and around Columbia Township. He preached his first sermon in the school house of District 132 on October 6, 1895. Eventually this led to the founding of Golgotha Lutheran Church.
On February 16, 1896, a cold and stormy day, after the regular bi-weekly service, a special meeting was held for the purpose of organizing a congregation. The minutes concerning this meeting read:
Wausa, Nebraska, February 16, 1896
On the date named above a number of German Lutheran families assembled for worship. After the regular service a business meeting was opened with prayer. A model constitution was presented to the members present, which was adopted and signed by nine of them. By signing it they became voting members. It was resolved thereafter that the name of this newly organized congregation was to be: German Evangelical Lutheran Golgatha Lutheran Church of Columbia Township, Knox County, Nebraska.
Jacob Peters was elected as chairman, Christ Repenning as secretary, William Krohn, Sr., Christ Repenning and Jacob Peters were elected Deacons. Frank Krugmann was chosen Treasurer. It was resolved that Sunday collections were to be gathered by way of "Klingebeutel" (a little black bag on a long handle with a tiny little bell on the pointed bottom of the bag, Old Country Style). Adjournment took place by repeating the Lord's Prayer.
Signed: Christ Repenning

The nine members who signed the constitution on February 16 were: William Boldt, Christ Repenning, Jacob Peters, Ehler Hoppe, Henry Anders, August Gieselmann, Karl Krugmann, Frank Krugmann, and William Krohn, Sr. These are the charter members of Golgotha.