A Downtown Iowa City Congregation with 170 Years on the Same Corner
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church stands at the corner of Market and Dubuque Streets in downtown Iowa City, on the eastern edge of the University of Iowa campus, where it has occupied the same block since 1858. The congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America grew out of an 1855 mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Society and has stayed in place through fires, rebuilds, and the steady rhythm of weekly worship. With more than 1,000 members at its height and a long history of ecumenical and campus work, the congregation now brands itself simply as community for all people.
From Mission Outpost to Cornerstone
The story of Gloria Dei is one of persistence. Twenty-eight German and English speakers founded the mission in 1855, but the German speakers left within two years. The remaining English speakers built their first church on the present corner of Market and Dubuque in 1858 and kept going even after the General Synod's Board of Home Missions cut off support in 1862. Membership climbed to 40 by 1876, and a new building called First Lutheran Church was dedicated on November 18, 1894. Within a year the congregation had grown past 100 and was hosting the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Iowa and the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society.
The congregation, then known as First English Lutheran, continued to expand its membership, facilities, and influence. By 1951 about 500 members made it one of the larger Lutheran congregations in the area, and the church hosted the national convention of the Luther League of America, drawing more than 1,200 young people from across the country. Pastor Roy Wingate arrived in 1956 and led the congregation for 37 years. A capital campaign was already underway for a new building when an arsonist destroyed the existing church on the morning of April 1, 1962. Worship moved to the Englert Theater for nearly two years, the name changed to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and the present building was dedicated on February 16, 1964.
Gloria Dei's influence reached into the wider community. Dr. George Forell, a University of Iowa religion professor and Gloria Dei member, spoke at Iowa City's first ecumenical service in May 1969, a gathering of more than 9,000 people from 19 churches. Through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s the congregation kept its pattern of growth and service. Because of its location next to several University of Iowa dorms, Lutheran Campus Ministry became a long-standing focus of ministry.
A Reconciling in Christ Congregation
Gloria Dei publicly identifies as a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the ELCA. Its welcome statement, adopted as part of the congregation's mission principles in fall 2021, reads: Gathered by grace and recognizing our unity in Christ, we welcome to full participation in our community of faith all who are seeking God's love and grace. We welcome persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; we welcome all regardless of socioeconomic status or social standing. We commit to racial equity and welcome all regardless of race or ethnicity.
The mission statement shapes four focus areas. Diversity and inclusivity push the congregation to erase lines and bridge walls across age, race, income, culture, marital status, and sexual orientation, with particular attention to reaching young adults and children. Visibly inviting and welcoming extends that same gracious reception beyond the doors. God's Work, Our Hands calls members to be generous stewards of time, talent, and resources, and God's Work, Our Voice encourages speaking the gospel of grace in the wider world. The principles call the congregation to celebrate salvation by grace through faith, to be a welcoming and nurturing community for all, to stand for justice and peace, to be good stewards of the natural environment, and to serve and involve the University of Iowa community.
Sunday Worship and the Week That Follows
Worship is central. From mid-September through mid-May, two Sunday services take place at 8 and 10:30 a.m., with the Education Hour between them from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. During the summer, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the congregation gathers for a single 9:15 a.m. service. Holy Communion is celebrated at every service, with bread that is free of gluten, dairy, egg, and nuts, and a choice of wine or juice. The dress code is informal; the congregation's own guidance is simply to come as you are.
Children belong in worship. Worship supplies, including Worship Buddies, fidgets, crayons, and a Children's Bulletin, are set out near the entrance. A Children's Chat gathers children just before the Scripture readings for a brief, age-appropriate message before they return to their seats. Every child and adult is welcome at the communion table. A Cry Room with sound and large windows into the worship space sits just across from the back of the sanctuary, a Nursery is downstairs across from the fellowship hall, and a lactation room is on the second floor.
Accessibility is built into the building. The front entrance and sanctuary are wheelchair-friendly, the elevator next to the front doors reaches all three floors, and large print bulletins and hymns are always provided. The worship space is equipped with T-Coil, and hearing assistive devices can be requested from an usher. The main floor restrooms are single-user and gender neutral, as are those on the second floor. Masks and hand sanitizer are available throughout.
Parking is easiest on Sundays. The lot to the west of the building off Market Street is open to all worshipers, with additional spaces along the alley in back. Two spaces near the main entrance and two at the east end of the alley are reserved for accessible parking. The city meters on the north side of Market Street and the city lot across from the church are not enforced on Sundays or evenings. Members who drive in on weekdays need a parking permit and should not park in the numbered spaces, which are rented out from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Music That Fills Three Floors
Music is integral to worship at Gloria Dei. Dr. Michael Zemek serves as Music Director and Dr. Lynda Haakken as Organist, and the Sanctuary Choir, vocal soloists, and instrumental ensembles regularly take part in services. Members can sign up to bake communion bread, assist with communion, serve as assisting ministers, read Scripture, usher at either service, or share vocal and instrumental solos. Liturgical art is created and installed by members of the worship community.
Faith Formation for Every Age
The Sunday morning Education Hour runs from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. during the program year. On the upper level, classrooms serve preschoolers through fifth graders. Preschool through third grade use Sparkhouse's Spark curriculum, paired with reflection practices such as labyrinth walking, mandala coloring, Praying in Color, and spiritual journaling. Fourth and fifth graders journey through the two-year Connect curriculum, which walks them through the Old Testament and into the New, and encourages them to ask hard questions about their developing faith. During this hour, parents and other grown-ups are invited to Parents' Corner, also on the upper level, for breakfast pizza, donut holes, coffee, and conversation.
Adult Education happens on the lower level in the Fellowship Hall and in other rooms around the building. The Adult Forum on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. from mid-September to mid-May hosts presentations and discussions on faith, spirituality, and citizenship, and most sessions can be joined online. A Men's Bible Study meets Tuesday mornings at 7:45 a.m. in the Luther Room, and a DVD Study gathers at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Library. Pastor James Lindberg leads two weekly Scripture Studies on Thursdays, one at 10:30 a.m. and another at 6:30 p.m., with both sessions offered in person in the Luther Room and online. Recent series have explored how Christians have understood heaven and hell from ancient Hebrew concepts of Sheol to modern theological perspectives.
Embodied Baptism for Middle Schoolers
Confirmation at Gloria Dei is built around a program the congregation calls Embodied Baptism. The program takes young people in sixth through eighth grade through three one-year cycles, each focused on a single part of the baptismal covenant: proclaiming Christ in word and deed, caring for others and the world God made, and working for justice and peace. Students study Scripture and the teachings of Martin Luther with pastoral staff, meet with a mentor of their choosing and their parents or guardians, and complete a meaningful year-long project. Past student projects have included a fundraiser for Water to Thrive, research into local and international food insecurity, a soccer equipment drive for the companion parish in Samé, Tanzania, and regular volunteering with Girls on the Run and the Iowa City Animal Shelter. Each year concludes with a Celebration Dinner for the whole congregation.
High School Ministry gathers students in ninth through twelfth grade once a month on Sunday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. for games, conversation, and the occasional small service project. Middle and high schoolers are also invited to volunteer in Sunday school classrooms on Sunday mornings during the education hour, an arrangement Gloria Dei calls leveraging influence.
A Neighbor to the University of Iowa
Because of the church's location on the eastern edge of the University of Iowa campus, Lutheran Campus Ministry has been part of Gloria Dei's identity for many years. The LCM student center shares the building at 123 East Market Street and is open regularly for students to study, cook a meal, pray, or talk with the campus pastor. LCM offers worship, learning, spiritual growth, fellowship, and service opportunities in Christ's name and can be reached at lcm-elca@uiowa.edu. Gloria Dei lists Lutheran Campus Ministry as one of the giving options on its online giving page.
Food, Clothing, and Conversation on the Fourth Friday
Gloria Dei has built a long list of local partnerships that members engage with through the Outreach Ministry. Members of the congregation prepare and serve a free, hot lunch on the fourth Friday of each month at the Iowa City Free Lunch Program, often feeding more than 100 people. The church is a year-round drop site for the CommUnity Crisis Center and Food Bank, with a shopping cart near the front entrance accepting non-perishable donations. It also acts as a drop site for the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP), accepting gently used clothing and new hygiene products during weekday office hours; items not used by DVIP are passed on to Shelter House, Crowded Closet, or Goodwill. Other ongoing connections include a partnership with ESCHUCHA MI VOZ, a faith-based immigrant-led community organization, and Gold-level sponsorship of the Iowa City Pride Festival. The church operates a Little Free Pantry and Library and supports Longfellow Elementary.
Caring and Wellness Ministry gathers members for prayer shawl knitting, homebound visits, Eucharistic visitation, the Prayer Care Team, freezer meals for those in crisis, and providing meals and supplies during emergencies. The Social Ministry team runs seasonal efforts such as the Pie Sale, which has raised money for CommUnity Food Pantry and the Winter Wear Clothing Drive, a Plant Sale, and a coat drive. WELCA (Women of the ELCA) circles meet for fellowship, study, and service.
Companion Parish in Samé, Tanzania
In 2020 Gloria Dei entered a companion parish relationship with the Cathedral Lutheran Parish in Samé, Tanzania, with mutual task forces dedicated to learning from and supporting one another. Since then the two congregations have hosted virtual visits and pen-pal Zooms, funded a new iPad for the Cathedral Parish to share videos on a shared YouTube channel called Imani Moja, and held special offerings for the construction of restrooms and forty desks in a new education wing called Aaron's Wing. A Mission Endowment grant of $8,000 is helping fund a new Level 6 education wing at the Cathedral Parish. Travel team members from Gloria Dei have visited Samé, and the next goal is to bring three Samé parishioners to Iowa City.
The congregation also supports Water to Thrive, an organization that helps bring clean, safe water to rural African communities.
The Mission Endowment Fund and Giving
The Mission Endowment Fund, managed by the Mission Endowment Committee with the Trust Department at Hills Bank, provides perpetual financial support for projects and Christian organizations beyond the congregation's operational budget. A minimum of 20% of any distributions goes to local community agencies or to synodical or churchwide ministries. Grants from the fund have supported a Prom Dress Giveaway, a replica of the Chartres labyrinth, a Summer Senior Series, and classrooms in Samé.
Online giving is available through the church's Vanco giving page. Designated funds include the annual offerings that support the ministries in the church's budget, a Building Fund, the Mission Endowment Fund, the Minister's Discretionary Fund, and Lutheran Campus Ministry. Members can also direct their gift to a specific ministry or partner organization.
Finding a Way In
Visitors and prospective members are invited to fill out a virtual Guest Information Card on the For Guests page. A separate Membership Form is available for those ready to take the next step. First-time visitors receive a personal follow-up email, and new members are welcomed at an orientation class. Eating to Connect dinner groups form each fall so that newcomers and longtime members can meet around good food and good conversation.
Volunteers can sign up for more than a dozen ministries through dedicated interest forms: Caring and Wellness, Communications, Culinary, Evangelism, Faith Formation, Fellowship, Finance, Funeral Hospitality, Memorials, Mission Endowment, Outreach, Property, Stewardship, Social Justice, Tanzania, Technology, WELCA, and Worship and Music.
The congregation makes room for members at every stage of life. A Remembering Place columbarium offers niches for members who wish to have their ashes kept at the church, and Funeral Hospitality Ministry supports families with salads, desserts, kitchen help, and linen care. The Community Pastoral Counseling Service is listed as a local partner for anyone navigating depression, stress, relationship conflicts, life adjustments, or religious confusion.
Where to Find Them
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is located at 123 East Market Street, Iowa City, at the corner of Market and Dubuque Streets. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The church phone is (319) 338-2893, and the general email is church@gatheredbygrace.org. Pastor James Lindberg can be reached at pastorjames@gatheredbygrace.org. The livestream is broadcast every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. (or 9:15 a.m. in summer) on the YouTube channel @CommunityForAllPeople. Sunday bulletins and sermon texts are posted for the current week. Members can subscribe to the Rejoice! newsletter, the weekly Connections Sheet, and text-message updates.