I hope to eventually have a list of all the churches that were in Buffalo County before 1920, with a brief history and some records from each one. Currently the only churches that I have detailed information from are:
First Lutheran Church in Kearney
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Kearney
St. Paul's Lutheran Church which was at Peake, 7 miles north of Riverdale,
November 2009 Zion Lutheran Church, rural Shelton.
I can also do look-ups from Immanuel Lutheran, which was located at Watertown, rural Amherst. Contact Mona for a look-up in the complete transcription of their records.
Other church-related pages:
A single issue of The Church Enterprise, a church newsletter from the United Brothern Church of Kearney from June 23, 1899.
Pleasant Valley Church in Loup Township. In 1917 it was voted to build a non-sectarian Church which was built at the north side of Pleasant Valley cemetery, the money being donated by people of the community. The Church stood until 1963 and was sold to Evangelical Wesleyan Church, Ansley, Nebr.
Photos of the Sunday School of the Sartoria Church in the early 1900's
St. John Lutheran Church, which was located near Poole, Nebraska.
If you have any photographs or information about churches in Buffalo County, I would be happy to include it here.
For a listing of Kearney churches in 1908, see the City Directory of 1908. The Vermillion's Guide for Buffalo County, pages 70 and 71 lists all the county churches in 1931.
Following is a current (December 1998) list of churches and some limited information about several Buffalo County churches, based on information found in the Kearney Hub, which features a different area church each week-end.
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ASSEMBLY OF GOD Glad Tiding Assembly of God 114 center St. Gibbon, NE 68840 New Life Assembly 2715 W. 39th St. Kearney, NE 68847 Templ Betel First & Rice Sts. Gibbon, NE 68840 BAPTIST First Baptist 1616 West 39th St. Kearney, NE 68847 Gibbon Baptist 7th & Court Sts. Gibbon, NE 68840 Immanuel Baptist 3621 Third Ave, Kearney, NE 48847 Kearney Baptist Church 515 E. 56th St. Kearney, NE 68847 CATHOLIC Immaculate Conception 314 Church St. Elm Creek, NE 68836 Our Lady of Lourdes 515 Sicily Ave Ravenna, NE 68869 Prince of Peace 1210 E 11th St. Kearney, NE 68847 St. James 3801 Ave A Kearney, NE 68847 St. John Capistran Ash & Jefferson St. Amherst, NE 68812 St. Mary's Pleasanton, NE 68866 CHRISTIAN (Disciples of Christ) First Christian 3311 Ave I Kearney, NE 68847 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE First Church of Christ Scientist 1617 W 39th St. Kearney, NE 68847 EASTERN ORTHODOX St. George Antiochian Orthodox 1505 Ave G Kearney, NE 68847 EPISCOPAL St. Luke's 2304 2nd Ave. Kearney, NE 68847 EVANGELICAL FREE Evangelical Free 4010 7th Ave Kearney, NE 68847 Pleasanton Evangelical Free 806 N. Hackberry Pleasanton, NE 68866 Began in 1981 FOURSQUARE The Lighthouse Church 3520 Ave F Kearney, NE 68847 LUTHERAN Bethlehem Lutheran LCMS 324 Kufus Ave Ravenna, NE 68869 Family of Christ ELCA 1319 5th Ave. Kearney, NE 68847 First Lutheran ELCA 3315 Ave G Kearney, NE 68847 Grace Lutheran LCMS Highway 10 Pleasanton, NE 68866 Good Shepherd Lutheran, Wisc. Synod 1208 E 47th St. Kearney, NE 68847 Holy Cross Lutheran LCMS 3315 11th Ave. Kearney, NE 68847 Trinity Lutheran LCMS Cherry & Garfield Amherst, NE 68812 Zion Lutheran LCMS 2421 Ave C Kearney, NE 68847 Zion Lutheran Shelton, NE NAZARENE First Church of the Nazarene 3211 Ave Q Kearney, NE 68847 |
PRESBYTERIAN Trinity Presbyterian PCA 3910 22nd Ave Kearney, NE 68847 First Presbyterian USA 4511 6th Ave Kearney, NE 68847 SALVATION ARMY Salvation Army 1719 Central Ave. Kearney, NE 68847 SEVENTH-DAY Church of God 1719 Central Ave Kearney, NE 68847 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Seventh Day Adventist 3312 Ave B Kearney, NE 68847 UNITED METHODIST Amherst United Methodist Cherry & Monroe Amherst, NE 68812 Elm Creek United Methodist 300 N. Tyler Elm Creek, NE 68836 Ravenna Zion United Methodist Rt. 1 Ravenna, NE 68869 Pleasanton United Methodist 702 N Sycamore St. Pleasanton, NE 68866 First United Methodist 4500 Linden Dr. Kearney, NE 68847 Williamsburg United Methodist RR 1 Elm Creek, NE 68836 Iglesia De Christo 1623 Central Ave Kearney, NE 68847
Faith United Methodist |
BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH
Begun in 1910, Bethlehem has since received members from these former neighboring Lutheran congregations: Trinity at Majors, Trinity at Haystown, Trinity at Hazard, and Immanuel at Litchfield.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
This group was organized in 1873, meeting in homes, hotel rooms, The Times building, and even in the open air. In 1879 they began building at the corner of 23rd Street and 1st Avenue. In 1922 they dedicated a new house of worship at 22nd and 2nd Avenue. In 1996 they moved into their new facility at 4511 6th Avenue.
GIBBON BAPTIST CHURCH
Organized in 1872, the members first met in the school house. After the county seat was moved from Gibbon to Kearney in 1874, the court house building was used by the Nebraska Baptist Seminary as well as the local congregation. The college moved to Grand Island in 1885. The members reorganized and then built a church, dedicated on April 20, 1890. This building is now one of Nebraska's historic church structures. In 1966 a new building was dedicated. The Gibbon Baptist Church is a member of the Grand Island American Baptist Association of Churches, The American Baptist Churches of Nebraska and The American Baptist Churches/USA.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC CHURCH
Ravenna, NE
Father Boyle visited monthly in 1883 to offer mass in the Ravenna area, until a church was built. St. Mary's, the first Catholic Church, was built in 1887. After a new building was built in the late 1940's, it was named Our Lady of Lourdes.
ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH
Pleasanton, NE
The Catholic families who homesteaded in the area in the 1880's were predominantly of German descent. They gathered at the David Zwiener home for Mass. A church was built at Prairie Center in 1891 and people would travel there for Mass. In 1909, a church was built in Pleasanton, and land was purchased for a cemetery.
MILLER CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Miller, NE
The Christian Church was organized in Armada, and moved with the rest of the town to the new location of Miller in 1890. A church was built in 1907, and was replaced by a new building in 1991. Unfortunately many early records were destroyed.
ST. LUKE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
2304 Second Avenue, Kearney, NE
This church was founded in 1882, and had the name Good Shepherd. In 1888 it took the name St. Luke's Church. The first hospital in Kearney, St. Luke's, was begun by this church.
TRINITY LUTHERAN
Amherst, NETrinity was organized in 1907 with members from Immanuel Lutheran, Watertown, rural Amherst, and was served by Immanuel's pastors until 1918. Because of the decline in rural population, Immanuel merged with Trinity in 1970. Records from both congregations are kept at Trinty.
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