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Our Church Services |
| Saturday |
5:00pm |
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Sunday |
9:15am |
| Monday |
7:00pm |
| Wednesday |
1:30pm |
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About Us |
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Zion Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Bay City, Michigan, was
founded on July 23, 1901. The Rev. Dr. Carl F. Graebner
of Immanuel Lutheran
 Church had started a Sunday School
(or Bible Class) in Salzburg in November 1900 to serve
the many members of his parish that lived on the west
side of the river. Soon it was evident that a separate
parish would be beneficial in serving the spiritual
needs of these Lutherans living in the Salzburg area.
Charter members included John M. Arnold, Richard Born,
John Hufnagel, John F. Loessel, August Rahn, Frederick
Reichard, Henry Ruhlig, Gustav Stroemer, Otto Stroemer,
Rudolph Stroemer, and Ferdinand Wendt, all of whom were
originally members of Immanuel. Soon other Lutherans who
lived in the area and had been members of either St.
Paul Frankenlust or St. John West Bay City joined the
new congregation affiliated with the Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod.
The congregation’s first house of worship was a wooden
frame building previously used as the Salzburg Band Hall
in the Salzburg area of what was then West Bay City. It
was purchased for $1,500, and decorated as a church for
$70. A used organ was purchased for $100. After the
addition of a steeple, bells and pews, and laying of a
cornerstone, the building was dedicated as a church on
June 15, 1902.
With continuing growth in membership, and despite the
Great Depression of the late 1920s, Zion Congregation
bravely set out to build a new church. The present house
of worship, dedicated on November 23, 1930, is a Gothic
structure of Massachusetts granite standing on the
corner of Ivy and Kiesel Streets, as did the original
church.
Worship was regularly conducted in both German and
English languages until March 24, 1974, when the last
regularly scheduled German service was held.
From its very beginning, Zion has supported a parochial
day school. In 1903 the congregation purchased the
Salzburg District School from St. Paul Frankenlust. This
school, which had been formed in 1883, came with a
school building, a teacher’s house and a teacher. It was
located on what is now Woodland Avenue between Kiesel
and Raymond Streets. In 1916, a red brick schoolhouse
was build next to the church to replace the old frame
structure. In addition to classrooms where eight grades
were taught, the new building contained a second-floor
auditorium, stage, kitchen, and basement bowling alley.
The
current school of tan brick was dedicated in October
1949 and named Zion Memorial Building in tribute to the
men and women of Zion who served in World War II. It
provides the congregation with classrooms, a gymnasium,
meeting rooms, kitchen, dining room, and a bowling
alley. Zion Lutheran School has an enrollment of 132
students from preschool through the eighth grade for the
2004-2005 school year.
In keeping with the Lutheran Church’s strong tradition
in music, Zion has since its earliest days enjoyed a
band, mixed adult, children’s, treble and male choirs,
and now also has an orchestra, hand bells, women's
chorus, and a contemporary group of musicians known as
the Rock of Zion.
Social organizations, too, have played a strong role in
Zion’s ministry, offering fellowship and providing
financial support for ministry projects through its
groups of women, men, couples, families, and youth.
Reaching out to the community, Zion participates
regularly in the Saginaw Valley Blood Program, Boy
Scouts, Girls Scouts, Bay County Food Pantry and CROP
Walk.
Within the Lutheran community, Zion has been
instrumental in the establishing of three other Lutheran
churches in Bay County: Faith in Bangor township,
Pilgrim in Essexville and Mt. Olive in northwest Bay
City.
Through the century, 11 pastors, 5 pastoral assistants,
1 interim pastor, 5 vicars, 10 principals and 95
teachers have served Zion Congregation.
From its humble Germanic beginnings, Zion E vangelical
Lutheran Church has grown to a membership of over 2,100
from many diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
Currently, we are adding an additional 3,500 square feet
to the church, including two medium-sized multipurpose
rooms, two handicap restrooms, an office and some
utility space to better serve our congregation and the
community. Considering how far God has brought us to
this time and place, we strive to continue to fulfill
our vision to become “Christ’s Center for Excellence in
Outreach and Discipleship.”
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