Friedens United Church of Christ (Goehner, Neb.) [RG3235.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG3235.AM:  Friedens United Church of Christ (Goehner, Neb.)

Records:  1902-1974

Goehner, Seward County, Neb.:  United Church of Christ

Size:  1 reel of microfilm

HISTORICAL NOTE

Beginning in 1898 German residents of the Goehner, Nebraska, area encouraged local religious worship, attracting the minister of the Friedens Church in nearby Seward to make occasional visits. On March 17, 1902, many of these individuals met and organized the “Deutsch Evangelische Friedens Gemeinde of Goehner, Nebraska.” Trustees were elected and two important resolutions passed: First, that the church temporarily be served by the pastor of Friedens Evangelical Church of Seward; Second, that the trustees solicit subscriptions for the building of a church edifice. Work on the building commenced that same year. The Dedication Service was held on Sunday, September 7, 1902.

The congregation grew from twenty-two to twenty-eight families in its first decade. In 1920 it was resolved that a German service would be held in the afternoon and an English service in the evening. The congregation’s constitution was revised and translated into English in 1923. A year later the parish began offering two morning services, one in English and one in German. Apparently the German service was discontinued soon after.

A parsonage was built in 1933. Physical improvements in both the church building and the parsonage have been made over the years. In 1950 a new organ costing nearly $2,900 was installed, a far cry from the church’s first instrument, a $49.95 organ purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1902. In 1961 the Evangelical and Reformed and Congregational Christian churches merged to form the United Church of Christ and Friedens Evangelical Church became Friedens United Church of Christ.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of the records of Friedens United Church of Christ, Goehner, Nebraska, arranged in four series: 1) Minutes of Congregation and Board of Trustees Meetings, 1902-1947; 2) Church Registers, 1902-1974; 3) Financial Records, 1929-1937; and 4) Printed Matter.

The volumes in Series 1 contain, in addition to minutes, the constitution of the congregation. The church registers of Series 2 contain statistical information pertaining to membership, e.g., membership rolls, baptisms, marriages, communion, tithes, and deaths. Series 3 consists of one volume of financial records, and Series 4 consists of a history of the congregation which was printed in 1952 on the fiftieth anniversary of the church.

DESCRIPTION

Series 1 – Minutes of Congregation and Board of Trustees Meetings, 1902-1947

Reel 1

Volume

1. 1. Congregation meeting minutes, 1902-1947
      
      Board of Trustees meeting minutes, 1908-1945

Series 2 – Church Registers, 1902-1974

1. 1. 1902-1932

1. 1. 1952-1971

1. 1. 1972-1974

Series 3 – Financial Records, 1929-1937

1. 1. 1929-1937

Series 4 – Printed Matter

1. 1. “Fiftieth Anniversary Memento, 1902-1952”

ADDED ENTRIES:

Friedens United Church of Christ (Goehner, Neb.)

Germans in Nebraska

Goehner (Neb.) — Churches

Seward County (Neb.) — Churches

United Church of Christ in Nebraska

Revised 07-27-2009   TMM