Our History

Ebenezer Evangelical Lutheran Church was first organized in 1867 by Lutherans who descended from early German settlers to Rowan County. They were situated nearly halfway between Lutheran Chapel in China Grove and Old Organ Church in Rockwell. They were also about halfway between St. John's in Salisbury and St. James in Concord. These families desired a local place to worship since traveling was difficult and unsafe in the Reconstruction Period.

A petition to create a new church was presented to the Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of North Carolina on December 3 & 4, 1866. The Conference accepted the petition and passed a resolution that a new Lutheran Church be organized at or near Bostian School House. During the next year, an organizational meeting was held at the old Bostian School House, a small one room 20' x 20' building built out of hand hewn logs. The synod voted to approve the church on May 2, 1867 and the first meeting was held on June 3, 1867, at the "Old Bostian Log School House" located about a quarter mile from the present school.

Six families (Siffords, Grabers, Stirewalts, Bargers, Ketners, and Eddlemans) made up the original charter - 19 members. On March 1, 1868, work started on a church building on 3 1/2 acres of land donated by the Stirewalt family. The first church, a frame building was 40' x 60.' The whole cost was about $2,000.00, including donated lumber. It was built by the members; men, women and children. The building was dedicated (free of debt) on January 31, 1869 and called Ebenezer Evangelical Lutheran Church.

    •    Some interesting facts:

    •    Salary of the first Pastor was $150.00 per month

    •    First child baptized August 11, 1867

    •    First marriage January 23, 1868

    •    First burial in Ebenezer cemetery - February 5, 1869

    •    Entered into Organ-Ebenezer Parish - 1879; Dissolved in 1927

    •    Church building extended 12 feet, steeple built and bell placed in tower around 1914

    •    Entered into Ebenezer-Mt. Herman Parish - 1930; Dissolved in 1947