Zion Lutheran Church of Hubbell to Close

After More than a Century of Worship, the Church Will Deliver the Word of God One Last Time On Sunday, January 29, 2023, the last service at the Zion Lutheran Church of Hubbell will be held at 3:00 p.m. Church elders cited a declining population as the primary reason. Pastor Schaffer will lead this worship service with Nebraska District LC-MS President Rev. Richard Snow as guest speaker. A reception at the Community Hall will follow the worship service.The Zion Lutheran Church has been providing its congregation a place to worship for more than a century and has been an important part of the community.The church issued a statement, “Over the years, the congregation has experienced many changes. In 1946, they changed locations with the purchase of the former Presbyterian church building and parsonage. In 1988 the congregation changed denominations from the American Lutheran Church to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. However, one thing has never changed, the congregation's desire to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around them.“Unfortunately, some of the changes experienced have been rather difficult. Especially, the decline in population in the community and the surrounding area. This, along with other circumstances, has led to a shrinking membership in the congregation leading to the difficult decision that, after 117 years of serving the Lord, it was time to close.“After evaluating our current situation and available options, and after much consternation, the congregation has finally decided that our only feasible option is to close the church and dissolve the congregation. This has been a difficult decision, yet we pray (and trust) that God will see us through.”History of the Zion Lutheran Church of HubbellIn 1905, a few members of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church of rural Gilead decided that a new church was needed to serve the nearby communities of Williams, Hubbell and the surrounding areas. That October, Zion Lutheran Church was organized, with the Reverend August Busse serving as its first pastor. Following is the story of our congregation, from its humble beginnings until its final closing in April of 2023.Initially, the congregation held services on Sunday afternoons at Union schoolhouse, two miles north of Hubbell. Within a few months however, they had completed a new church building on a five-acre tract donated by Fred and Ernest Rodenbeck, a couple of miles northwest of Williams. The building was constructed by the members themselves, and the altar, pulpit, and baptismal font were hand-crafted by Mr. August Fangmeier of St. Paul's. The new church was dedicated on February 4th, 1906, with sermons preached in both German and English.A parsonage was erected on the adjoining church property in December of 1908, and was first occupied by the legendary Reverend G. A. Spring who served Zion from 1907 thru 1912, and then again many years later, from 1940 through 1950.After Reverend Spring's initial departure in 1912, the congregation was served by a steady stream of faithful and capable pastors, many of whom endured severe hardships and trials. Membership declined at times, as several of the founding families moved away. Several pastors suffered ill health or untimely death.On another front, the use of the German language in the congregation subjected them to discrimination and suspicion, especially during the World War I period. To dispel any notion of disloyalty, it should be mentioned here that, during the conflict, seven young men of the congregation were drafted into the service, with three serving in France. (A significant contingent of young men of the congregation later served in World War II, Korea, and other conflicts.)The congregation celebrated its 25th anniversary on October 19th, 1930. Over the next few years, the congregation was served by pastors Orville Reeg, (who later served at Grace Lutheran in Hebron), Howard Hahn, and I.M. Mueller. After Pastor Mueller's unexpected death on Easter Day of 1940, former pastor G.A. Spring was called back into service at Zion, arriving May 30, 1940.In 1946, after looking for an opportunity to offer services in the town of Hubbell, the congregation purchased and renovated the former Presbyterian church and parsonage there. Pastor Spring continued to serve the congregation after the move to Hubbell, until his retirement in 1950.Shortly after Pastor Spring's retirement, Reverend Anderson was called to Zion and became the church's last full-time pastor. Although membership was declining, the congregation was still active during this period, with multiple Sunday School classes, choir and small-group vocal music, Ladies' Aid and missionary groups, Men's Brotherhood, Bible classes, Luther League for the young adults, Vacation Bible Study, Sunday picnics and afternoon softball games.With Pastor Anderson's retirement in 1955, however, it became apparent that the congregation would no longer be able to support a pastor of its own. Therefore, for the next fifteen years or so, the church shared pastors with its mother church, St. Paul's in Gilead, affiliated with the American Lutheran Church.In 1971, a time of turmoil in the Lutheran Church, the congregation approached St. John Lutheran of Chester, an LCMS (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod) congregation, requesting their assistance in providing ministerial services for the Zion congregation. This evolved into a long-term arrangement, with Zion formally joining the LCMS in 1988. Since then, Zion has continued to rely primarily on pastor-sharing arrangements with other LCMS congregations, including St. John (Chester), Faith (Hebron), and Centennial (Superior).The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary in October of 2005, with several hundred in attendance - members, former members and pastors, and many friends of the congregation. This turned out to be one of the church's finest and most memorable occasions.In June of 2018, Zion entered into an arrangement with Centennial and St. John to share the services of Pastor Robert Hopkins, the then-current pastor at Centennial. This arrangement continued until Pastor Hopkins' departure in July of 2022.A representative of the church noted, “Although sadness currently prevails among us, we nevertheless reflect on 117 years of God's good gifts. We are thankful for all those who have gone before us - courageous leaders who've stepped out in bold faith to make serious commitments, and pastors.”

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