Epiphany's History
| After a three-month period of preliminary planning and
organizing by a small group of Christian people, the first church service,
attended by 14, was held in Lincoln School on Sunday morning, December 14,
1924. The present building did not exist. In fact, there was no church site.
The problems of financing a church and the advisability of launching a
building program lay heavily on the hearts of the small group. Nevertheless,
they were fully determined that there would be a church serving this
community. It is to their credit that they accepted the challenge presented
to them. Encouraged by a gradual growth in membership, a special congregational meeting was held on February 22, 1925, at which time the major part of a proposed constitution was adopted. The temporary church council members elected were E. W. Westerman, Secretary; J. E. Nelson, Treasurer; Charles L. Thompson Sr.; F. A. Wendt; and O. Lombein. On March 2, 1925 the remainder of the constitution was adopted and the church was named Epiphany Lutheran Church. From February 22, 1925 until Easter of that year, the following seventeen charter members were received:
The present site of our church was selected by a committee composed of E. W. Westerman, W. R. Burdsall and Arthur L. Long, Sr. Construction of the chapel was pushed rapidly in order to have the building completed by Easter of 1926. Having succeeded, the dedication service was held on April 4, 1926. Dr. John M. Bramkamp, President of the Illinois Synod, was in charge of the dedication service. This historical event also marked the first appearance of an Epiphany choir. Pastor Carl Walter was our first pastor. That spring, the first confirmation class was added to the church membership. As the membership increased, a new facility was needed. Pastor Addy and the church council created a building fund to raise a new church facing Vallette street in 1950. Groundbreaking was in April 1954, and the new building was dedicated February 13, 1955. The Sunday School continued to meet in the old church for several years. Pastor Robert Hooker came to the church in 1964, and a new building fund was established to accommodate the Sunday School. A new addition was added, more remodeling of the church was done, and the old church was demolished. In 1969, the dedication of the new wing was held. By this time, there were 875 members and 161 children in a Sunday School staffed by 44 teachers. After Pastor Hooker accepted a call to another church, Pastor Ken McKnight became the new pastor. Another building fund was established to build a new nave, obtain a new pipe organ and enlarge the seating, because the church had grown. By this time, the church had celebrated its 60th anniversary. A new building was built for worship, a new pipe organ installed, and the current nave became "Epiphany Center". This "center" serves for meetings, small dinners, women's meetings and coffee time. A new kitchen was built for the first floor and a new sacristy and small chapel were added. These additions were dedicated in 1989. As we look at the year 2000, Epiphany will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Currently, there are 911 members, 240 Sunday School students and a staff of 29 teachers. There is an Adult Day Care facility available for residents. Many areas of the church have been repainted and changed to meet the needs of the membership. The current pastor, Dennis Beach, was called and accepted in 1997. |