“Faith of Our Fathers” 12 Charter Members
Charles Klebesadel - William Moldenhauer - William Reinke - Carl F. Wolf
Daniel Schultz - Johan Zimdar - Freidrich Wichmann - August Bosin - Peter Hoppe
John Mansee - Ludwig Preppernau - Frederick Braun

SIGNIFICANT DATES IN BETHLEHEM’S HISTORY
1860 Jan. 1, first service held in home of Karl Klebesadel, a lay school teacher who led in worship
1862 Called first missionary pastor. In March, congregation purchased 3 acres of land for $12.
1865 Dedicated log church
1875 Parsonage built; 7 more acres added for $245
1885 Red brick church built
1891 Pastor Stubenvoll called-served 44 years
1895 New parsonage built
1930 First English services started once a month
1936 Bethlehem Ladies Aid started Luther League organized
1937 Bethlehem joined American Lutheran Church
1940 Women’s Mission Society organized
1941 Dartball team organized
1944 Bethlehem Brotherhood organized
1950 Sunday School began for Kindergarten-8th grade
1956 German services discontinued
1959 Billy Rosenow, son of congregation, ordained
1963 Present church built for $68,000
1973 Daniel Wissmann, son of congregation, ordained
1988 ALC, LCA, AELC merged to form ELCA
1989 Present parsonage dedicated
2000 Joined with 6 neighbor ELCA congregations in co-operative ministry to form TULP

PASTORS SERVING BETHLEHEM
1859 - 1861 Karl Klebesadel, layman
1862 - 1862 Rev. John Beyer
1862 - 1874 Rev. Peter Dicke
1875 - 1876 Rev. Jacob Diehl
1876 - 1880 Rev. Gustav Barth
1881 - 1891 Rev. Carl Schwan
1891 - 1891 Rev. Fuhrman
1891 - 1935 Rev. E. C. Stubenvoll
1936 - 1949 Rev. Gerhard Nass
1950 - 1955 Rev. Edmund Baumgarten
1955 - 1961 Rev. William Zibell
1961 - 1962 Rev. Waldo Kruse
1962 - 1964 Rev. William Koch
1964 - 1975 Rev.Waldemar Schlachtenhaufen
1975 - 1982 Rev. Kenneth Petersen
1983 - 1988 Rev. Thomas Reiff
1989 - 1999 Rev. Philip Kearns Mueller
2000 - Rev. James Johnson & Rev. Carol Johnson & Rev. Shari Routh & Rev. Howard Buenting

2005 - Rev. Jennifer Czarnota & Rev. Douglas Helling