This page is still under construction, but it can provide an overview of the congregation’s history.
While no longer an active congregation, we’d like to post some basic history of our neighboring congregation, who for many years shared a pastor with Zion. Members from First English joined Zion and St. John’s when the congregation closed in the 2nd decade of the 2000’s, prior to 2017.
Two earlier attempts by Missouri Synod (LC-MS) pastors to establish a congregation in Lockhart dwindled out, but in 1924 a congregation was gathered, a constitution ratified, and the main chapel construction began. The church as at times known also as simply “First Lutheran” but the 1924 constitution legally establishes it as “First English”. First English remained the only Lutheran church in Norman County that held English language only services until at least 1934.
Lockhart was a healthy rural town and the church grew with it. All building debt was retired in 1934, the 10th anniversary of the congregation. Over its first 20 years, pastors mixed between LC-MS and ALC (American Lutheran Church). They shared pastors with Immanuel Lutheran, Pleasant View, a few miles south for many years. In 1973 First English joined with Zion to form a parish sharing one pastor.
The building still stands and is given basic care. If you drive through Lockhart, which now has only one occupied house, it will be easy to find. Pictures will be added to this page later.