Victoria, Victoria County
German immigrants of the Victoria area began holding Lutheran worship sevices in private homes as early as the 1840s. The organizational meeting for this church, the first Lutheran congregation in the county, was conducted on December 14, 1851. Under the leadership of the Rev. William Strobel, the members raised funds for the operation of the new parish. In a charter meeting the following year the congregation was formally established as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Victoria. The name was changed in the 1860s, during the pastorate of the Rev. Ulrich Berner. Active in area service, the church has sponsored missions in the nearby communities of Coletoville, Inez, and Tivoli. In addition, members also supported the Indianola ministry of the Rev. Frederick Flath. Other programs have included a school which closed in 1895, the Ladies Aid Society, now the Lutheran Church Women, and the Lutheran Brotherhood. All worship services were conducted in the German language until 1914 when English was first used on a limited basis. Additional buildings at this site were constructed later for the church, which has remained a significant area institution since the 1850s. (1981) 1981