As a distinct landmark of Papillion, First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papillion, has served the Lord and the community for over 125 years. The Gothic architecture with its traditional German interior has been our church home since its dedication on April 19, 1925. Pen and ink portraits of our pastors, past and present silently oversee countless meetings and gatherings. Display cases containing treasured memorabilia and photographs layout our history and growth from our humble beginnings in 1876 to the present. Many members of our congregation and our community are a walking testament of the early mission of our forefathers, "to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." This was accomplished by numerous years of offering Lutheran schooling which started in a little basement, one-room school in the late 1800's.
The first service was held on Pentecost Sunday, June 2, 1876 in Sander's Hall lead by the Rev. John Hilgendorf, the first minister assigned to serve the Lutheran denomination in Sarpy County.
A resolution to build the first church was adopted on June 30, 1878. The first stone of the new building was laid on October 14, 1878 on the lot where the church office is currently located and was dedicated in the spring of 1879. The building was enlarged and a tower added in later years.
During the early 1920's the need
for a new church building became more apparent. The cornerstone was laid on
June 8, 1924 and dedication services were held
April 19, 1925. Numerous improvements and additions were made possible by special
memorial gifts, donations, the youth and the untiring efforts of the Ladies
Aid.
The old church had a little basement room in the rear of the building where the school was housed for a number of years. With the growth of the school, plans were adopted to build a new two room school which was later dedicated on August 25, 1918. The school was open until 1939 and was reopened from 1954 to 1973.
To meet the needs of a growing congregation, a new education wing was added to the existing church and was dedicated on December 4, 1988. The First Lutheran Preschool was established in 1990 to share the love of Jesus, to nurture the whole child, and to provide excellence in education for the children of our congregation and those of the community.