The people of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church are part of the invisible Christian Church on earth who believe and confess the Lutheran Confessions as informed by the innerrant Scriptures in the Holy Bible. Members of Grace Lutheran serve in a variety of roles including a synod called pastor, locally called workers and volunteers to help with worship, ministry, evangenlism and stewardship.
Grace Lutheran has called Pastor Neumann as their shepherd from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The voter's assembly, under the authority of church's constitution, has called people to serve in the positions of president, vice-president, 3 elders, 3 trustees, financial secretary and treasurer to serve the congregation. Volunteers for organists, Sunday School teachers, choir and musical leaders also serve the church. Volunteers also serve the congregation in unseen ways by preparing communion, making coffee, cleaning church, publishing the newsletter and performing many other services.
Grace Lutheran has a voter's assembly the includes all male confirmand members who have signed the church's constitution. Voter's assembly meets quarterly and to prepare a budget in early December. There are also groups serving the Lord at Grace that include the local Ladies Aid and LWMS (Lutheran Women's Missionary Society) meeting monthly. The high school Youth Group consists of the 9th - 12th grade students and friends who meet for activities once a month.
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 07:16
Getting to Grace
Written by Perry Lund
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 06:37
Grace is located on the southeastern quadrant of Oskaloosa along the west side of Highway 23. There is a Casey's General Store on the east side of Highway 23. The church driveway is the first driveway off 9th Avenue.
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 09:19
Grace History
Written by Perry Lund
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 20:23
Grace Lutheran Church was organized in Oskaloosa, Iowa in a house north of downtown during 1945. The location was at the northeast corner of B Avenue West and North A Street. Soon, a better meeting location became available as Presbyterians had just built a new worship building and let the older church building open for rent.
From 1946 until 1963, Grace Lutheran Church held services in the old Presbyterian Church on 3rd Street south off Highway 92. With changes to the downtown area and Grace's congregation growing in numbers, a new location was searched for to build a new church facility.
In 1963, a new church was constructed on a site off then Highway 63 South and 9th Avenue. The new location provided space for the church building and parking for about 35 - 40 vehicles. This location continues to service today's Oskaloosa congregation. The highway numbering changed in the late 1990s and the current address is Highway 23 and 9th Avenue.
In the early 1980s, the congregation at Grace decided that a parsonage for the pastor and his family could be build south of the church on property that had just come up for sale. The parsonage was built with the help of a Lutheran Association for Church Extension (LACE) loan.
In 1998, a new addition to the west side of the church was completed which added handicap access, a space for fellowship time and Bible study, and additional classroom space in the lower level. In 2009, the church completed a major rennovation to the roofing, adding 4" of insulation over the sanctuary and new Decra metal shingles over the entire roof span.
For a period of years from 1995 to 2007, a sister congregation named Our Savior held services in Pella, Iowa at the Pella Memorial Building on the west side of the downtown square. With as many as 7 families attending services during the duration of the congregation, God blessed the church.
Pastor Roger Neumann has served Grace Lutheran Church as pastor since 1980 to the present day.
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 05:38
Grace Leadership
Written by Perry Lund
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 20:18
Grace Lutheran is served by several individuals from in our congregation who are called and voted on by the Voter's Assembly. The President and Vice President have 2 year terms, Elders and Trustees have 3 year terms, and the Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Secretary all have 2 year terms.
Grace Lutheran is blessed with a musically talented congregation who are lead by organists and music directors who give of their time and talents endlessly to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Organists - Barb Van Haaften (contact), Margaret Kistler (contact), Gloria Steinke (contact)
Music Directors - Renae Van Zomeren (contact), Joshua Taylor (contact)
Grace has many volunteers not listed specifically here. The names of other members can be found in the website's main menu under "People".
Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:48
Meet Pastor Neumann
Written by Perry Lund
Tuesday, 22 September 2009 20:14
Pastor Roger Neumann has served Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS) since 1980. In the 1980s, Pastor Neumann also servered Newton, IA. as pastor for Grace Lutheran Church (ELS). In the mid 1990s, a sister congregation, Our Savior, was started in Pella, Iowa and regular church services started at the Pella Memorial Hall, where Our Savior continued until 2007. The members of Our Savior now worship at Grace in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Pastor Neumann, originally from Wausaw, Wisconsin, attended the preparatory school at Watertown, followed by college and seminary. Pastor Neumann vicared in the Phoenix, Arizona area prior to his assignment to Grace Evangelical here in Oskaloosa.
Pastor Neumann, along with his wife Rose Marie live in the parsonage next to Grace Evangelical Lutheran. Pastor and Rose Marie have two sons, David, who is attending school at Indian Hills and Tim, who is at Iowa State University.