Soo Line: Thankful at Thanksgiving — Gratitude for willing hands that completed the towering steeple atop Zion Lutheran Church

Soo Line by Soo Greiman

November brings the season of Thanksgiving, a good time to count blessings and share gratitude. In the spirit of the season, the Hudson Herald is featuring stories of people who are particularly thankful at Thanksgiving and look forward to the future with hope and optimism.

For almost 150 years, Zion Lutheran Church, northwest of Hudson, in the heart of Iowa farmland, has stood as a historic landmark. With its very tall steeple and bell tower, the church has, for well over a century, been an architectural and spiritual beacon to the surrounding community. But due to time and Iowa’s harsh weather, the iconic structure has suffered.

“Both the bell tower and steeple were on deferred maintenance for some time with several factors causing the delay,” pointed out Zion’s pastor, Scott Strachan. In listing those factors, he explained the most expensive was having to hire or rent a lift that could reach 120 feet in the air. The second reason for the delay was finding people who had the time and know-how to make repairs on the old steeple and its contents.

“We are a very rural church with very independent people,” the pastor said. “To put it plainly, when we come to faith in Jesus, we are the Church, not the building or the pews or anything of that matter. The people are the Church. So, without people who serve as the hands and feet of our Lord, there wouldn’t be anything to celebrate nor a place to worship. No meeting or vote by the congregation was taken on the work that was needed. Instead, two members of the congregation, both farmers, took it upon themselves to make the repairs. It was two families with the skill and love needed to make it happen.”

Rodney Degener and Harlan Brandhorst came to the pastor saying they would be starting the work soon, which prompted reconstruction efforts to get underway.

“That’s how a lot of work gets done at Zion,” Strachan said. “People simply see a need and step up to do it.”

Work on the structure’s lower portion, the bell tower, began in the summer of 2024, continuing into fall. Explaining the reason for that schedule, Strachan noted both Rodney and Harlan are farmers, so the reconstruction effort occurred after they completed spring planting and before fall harvest was underway.

The project took three years, during the summers of 2024, 2025 and 2026.

“And this fall all the repairs got finished,” the grateful pastor beamed.

It was dangerous work, but you wouldn’t know it from the guys who were working on the steeple and bell tower, he observed, adding, “And the lift only caught fire once. We even had church ladies who rode up the lift and were glad to explore the bell tower.”

A historical look back at the church reports it was established at its Grundy Road location in 1878, where it was called “The German Lutheran Church.” The current church building, steeple and bell tower were built in 1905, the same year the bell was cast in St. Louis, Mo. The church was dedicated Nov. 26, 1905.

Currently, the church is making plans to rededicate the steeple sometime next summer, in 2027. Even more celebrating will occur the following year, in 2028, as Pastor Strachan said, “That’s when we will reflect and thank God for 150 years of history at Zion. We’ll host an open house celebration to honor that history and to glorify God’s faithfulness to us.”

“One last thing to say,” he added. “I want to share heartfelt appreciation to Harlan Brandhorst and Rodney Degener for their work on the steeple and bell tower. I know it will stand for many more years because of their selfless work. We are all very appreciative of it!”