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Trinity Lutheran Church

323 South 4th Street
712-873-3327

History

The story of Trinity Lutheran Church began on  June 1, 1893 when seven charter members met to form a new church in Moville.  Those charter members were John Wink, Henry Rippke, Julius Pfeiffer, Chris Bush, Henry Koetke, Chris Wink and Gustav Zellmer. Until this time, pastors from Holstein were conducting services at Moville and Salem Lutheran (rural Correctionville).

In 1945, Pastor Arnold Schlueter was installed as the first resident pastor.  It was with a sense of pride that the Moville congregation welcomed Pastor Schlueter to Trinity.  During his pastorate, the present church building was constructed at the corner of South 4th St. and Miller Blvd.  The Church is 86' by 34', a very beautiful structure of Gothic design.  It was said that almost 10,000 hours of labor were donated by men of the congregation during its construction.  The new church was dedicated on November 12, 1950.  The church parsonage was purchased in 1953.  On May 8, 1953, the congregation achieved the goal of full payment on the church structure and the burning of the mortgage was celebrated.  In 1964, a dormer was added on the west side of the parsonage for additional bedroom space.

Trinity elected its first congregational president, Robert Happel, in January 1967.  At this time, plans were being made for the addition of an educational unit.  This milestone was reached in 1968 with the construction of an addition consisting of the Pastor's study and office, library, two restrooms, a fellowship-kitchenette room, 12 classrooms and a large entry area conducive to fellowship.

In 1979, to the Glory of God, a dream was fulfilled with the purchase and installation of a Wicks 12-rank pipe organ. Members of the congregation volunteered their time and talents to remodel the Sanctuary where the pipes were placed.  Carpeting that had been in the Sanctuary since 1982 was replaced in 2005.

On May 5, 1991, Pastor Michael Kroona was installed and continues to serve Trinity Lutheran Church. During his tenure, a gold cross has been placed on the top of the bell tower in memory of Ed and Emma Zellmer.  Their son, Ken, stated at the time that this completed the original plans of the church building. In the 1990's, work was completed on the church elevator which makes all levels of the church accessible to everyone.

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