A Congregation at the Six Corners
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church sits on Kimball Avenue at the Six Corners intersection on the west side of Waterloo, Iowa, the same neighborhood where sixteen families first gathered in 1945 to begin a new Lutheran mission. Today the congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America through the Northeast Iowa Synod, and its members still arrive from across the metro area as well as from two blocks away. The congregation describes itself in a single line: "Welcoming All. Growing in Faith. Serving with Love." A longer motto, "Learning to Receive, Growing to Serve," has framed its ministry for years.
Worship is the center of life at Zion. The sanctuary holds Sunday services in a reverent, liturgical tradition shaped by the Lutheran Book of Worship, with a weekly celebration of Holy Communion. Music carries a large share of that tradition. A pipe organ installed in 1968 and a grand piano are heard in nearly every service, and two choirs - a chancel choir and a bell choir - rehearse on Wednesday evenings and sing throughout the program year under Director of Music Daniel Gast.
Sunday Worship and What to Expect
Sunday worship gathers at 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, with the service also livestreamed on YouTube at the same hour and then uploaded to Facebook afterward. Communion is offered every week, so anyone joining from home is invited to have bread or crackers and wine or juice ready to share in the sacrament. The welcome that greets visitors is concrete: greeters meet people at the door, ushers guide worshipers to communion, scripture readers carry the lessons, acolytes light the candles, and a rotation of lay communion assistants helps the pastor distribute the elements. After the service, the whole assembly gathers for coffee and conversation in the hall next door.
The congregation speaks of an atmosphere of "accessible reverence." Some come to heal and find hope; some come to celebrate with the music; some come to receive communion bread and wine; some come for the ancient language of the liturgy; some come for a word that meets the day. Children are welcome, as are the sounds that come with them. Older members who have trouble hearing are also a normal part of the assembly, and the building is set up to receive them.
From Mission Chapel to Growing Congregation
Zion's story begins on January 5, 1945, when sixteen families met at an elementary school in southwest Waterloo and organized a mission congregation. By May they had remodeled a house at Kimball Avenue and Fourth Street into a chapel and installed their first pastor, Herold Adix. Within five years the chapel had been replaced by a larger building. In 1949 the young congregation gave up its mission status and became self-supporting.
Pastor Adix left in 1955, and LaVerne Kampfe arrived as the second pastor, leading an addition to the building that was dedicated in March 1958. A pipe organ was purchased and dedicated in 1968. Victor Wenger came in December 1969 and stayed until June 1983; during his years the mortgage was burned, stained glass windows were installed, the kitchen was remodeled, a new constitution was adopted, and the Lutheran Book of Worship became the congregation's hymnal. Peter Anderson was installed in December 1983 and served until 1991, a period that saw offices remodeled, the library expanded, a church van purchased, and two properties to the south acquired for growth and parking. The first Youth Director was hired in 1989.
Since then the building has been made handicap accessible, the parking lot expanded, the roof replaced, restrooms re-floored from the memorial fund, the downstairs ceiling repainted, and the grounds re-sodded. The Six Corners intersection, the congregation likes to point out, is itself a metaphor: in the cross of Christ, the love of God intersects with the brokenness of the world, and the life of faith is lived in those crossings.
Music Every Week
Music is one of the most visible marks of Zion. The chancel choir rehearses most Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary, and the bell choir rehearses at 6:00 p.m. in the same space. Both choirs are always open to new members and participants. The pipe organ and grand piano accompany worship weekly. Volunteers also run the technical side of services - PowerPoint slides, cameras, and the online feed - so the livestream keeps reaching worshipers at home and across the wider internet.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Zion's faith formation program is built around a few simple rhythms. Sunday School meets during the school year for children. On Wednesdays at noon a multi-generational group gathers around the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday. Communion classes are offered for any age when there is a need or a request, and young people in junior high take part in Confirmation. The church's desire is that learners of every generation keep growing into their baptism.
Worship Ministries, Sunday by Sunday
A long list of lay ministries makes the Sunday assembly possible. The Altar Guild cares for the altar furnishings and vestments. Communion Preparation sets out the bread and wine each Sunday morning and washes the communion ware afterward. Communion Assistants serve with the pastor. Scripture Readers read the day's lessons, with copies provided in advance. Acolytes light the candles. Ushers welcome, take up the offering, guide people forward for communion, and tidy the pews after worship. Greeters are often the first face a visitor sees, and coffee hosts keep Fellowship Hall supplied with coffee and treats. Funeral Receptions are organized by a dedicated crew that prepares light food and serves families following a member's service. Home Communion volunteers take consecrated elements from Sunday worship to home-centered members on a regular basis.
Volunteering Beyond the Building
Zion sees its volunteer life as outward-facing. The congregation regularly takes part in Trunk-or-Treat in the surrounding neighborhood and rings bells at Christmas for the Salvation Army, along with other service projects that change from year to year. Inside the building, the facilities committee keeps the grounds, parking lots, and interior in good repair.
Children, Youth, and Family
Zion has long treated ministry with young people as central to its calling. Beyond the Sunday School program, the church has hosted a sequence of youth-focused staff over the years, including three "Tentmakers" who brought energy to the youth programs and the first Youth Director hired in 1989. The current youth and family ministry continues that commitment to walking alongside young people and their parents.
Seniors at Every Stage
Senior life at Zion is taken seriously. Members who no longer drive can arrange for the church bus to pick them up at home or at a care facility for the 9:00 a.m. service. The building is equipped with an elevator and large accessible restrooms. Fellowship offerings aimed at older adults include a quilting group and a book club, and a pot of coffee is usually brewing with a comfortable chair waiting nearby. Home Communion extends the same care to members who can no longer attend in person.
Fellowship Across the Week
The Fellowship Ministry knits the congregation together. Each Sunday morning volunteers set up Coffee and Conversation before and after worship, ordering donuts and arranging hosts. A monthly Lutheran magazine, "Christ in Our Home," is funded through the fellowship budget. On Thursday mornings between 9:00 and 11:00, members and friends gather at FatCup Coffee on Fletcher Avenue for Caffeinated Conversations, a casual drop-in with no fixed agenda. The annual Rally Day Picnic each fall gathers the congregation on or near the church grounds for food and fellowship.
Giving, Newsletters, and Staying in Touch
Zion publishes a monthly newsletter, Gracelines, which carries news about congregational life and the surrounding community, along with an upcoming-events calendar. Financial gifts can be mailed to the church office or given electronically through Tithe.ly or Vanco Payments, with a note when a gift is intended for a specific purpose. The office is staffed Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., reachable by phone at (319) 235-7045 or by email at office.zionluthwaterloo@gmail.com.