The Beginning
Peace Lutheran Church came into being when a number of members of Saint Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS) in Arlington felt the need to separate from that fellowship and form an LCMS Congregation. In the Fall of 1982, meetings were held to form and organize a new Lutheran church in the Missouri Synod. At this time, a Steering Committee was formed to lay the groundwork for a new congregation. The committee members were: Arlen Bruhjell, Mrs. Arnold Grove, Gordon Koring, Mrs. Glenn Meyer, Gene Moskop, Lowell Nagel, William Pinske, Elroy Reetz and Phyllis Wisch.
On December 9, 1982, an open meeting was held at the Arlington Community Hall. "Peace Lutheran" was the unanimous choice for the name for the new church. The elected church officers were: President - Gordon Koring; Vice President - Erwin Otto; Secretary - Donna Reetz; and Treasurer - Ruth Spannaus. The offer from the American Legion was accepted for the use of their building at the Arlington fairgrounds for all church activities.
The first organized meeting of Peace Lutheran was on December 20, 1982 at the Legion building. President Gordon Koring opened the meeting with a prayer asking for guidance and leadership. Services for Christmas and New Year's were discussed. It was voted at this meeting to start a Building/Site Fund. The purchase of 150 folding chairs for additional seating was approved. The meeting was then closed with the Lord's Prayer and singing of "Silent Night".
The First Worship Service
The date was December 25, 1982. Pastor Erhardt D. Eifert of Norwood, who was recently retired from the LCMS ministry, agreed to hold the first worship service for the new congregation. The Saturday Christmas Day worship service was at 9:30 AM. It was held at the Legion building at the fairgrounds in "A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols". Ruth Spannaus was the accompanist.
First Annual Meeting
The first Annual meeting was held January 13, 1983. The Treasurer's report showed total assets of $13,000. Phyllis Wisch was appointed to the official Historian. After meeting with LCMS District officials, Pastor Eifert agreed to be our vacancy pastor, spending Thursdays in Arlington each week. He would instruct the teachers, make sick calls and hospital calls and attending evening meetings. Head ushers for the first year were Dick Stien and Bruck Pinske. By a unanimous vote it was decided to keep Sunday services at 9:30 a.m. The first elected Elders were: Harold Bullert, Harvie Obar, and Roy Soeffker. A Constitution committee was appointed. The membership list as of December 31, 1982 showed 240 members.
Our Building
In February 1983, Bill Pinske, Gene Moskop, Erwin Otto, and Lowell Nagel were appointed to serve on a Building/Site Search committee. On March 13, 1983, a special meeting was held to consider (2) tracts of land for a future building site: the Matz-Trocke property on the southeast side of Arlington at a cost of $10,000. A Building Committee was formed with Arden Kreft and Bill Pinske as co-chairmen. In June 1983 metal culvert was purchased at a Sibley County sale to fill in a ditch at the new site. At the 1984 Annual Meeting, architect Brady Mueller was present to explain drawings of the proposed churc hand the flor plan. At a special January 1984 voters meeting, a ballot passed (111-7) to accept the proposed plans from Brady Mueller and Architectural Partners Inc. of Mankato. In June 1984, the ground work and grading started at the new site to prepare for possible construction. A special meeting was held on August 26th to consider (4) bids from contractors with Arlington Lumber Company chosen as the General Contractor. A bid was accepted to build the new church for $325,000. The Groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sunday, September 30, 1984, the block work was almost completed and was covered with hay bales and plastic to protect it during the winter. Construction finally started in March 1985.
Five months later, the church structure was done. The opening hymn, "Christ, Thou art the sure Foundation," was sung. The cornerstone was placed in the brick wall by Buzz Matz and Raymond Stock and blessed by Pastor Kinkel. There was much discussion about the stained glass windows on the North wall. Back in April 1985 it was decided to install four windows each having 3 panes at a cost of $315 per pane. Pastor Dinkel drew the plan for the symbols representing the six seasons of the church year. The windows were purchased from Vets Glass Comopany in Winnebago, MN. Window installation was in mid-November 1985. In 1992 the clear glass windows in the balcony were replaced with stained glass windows at a cost of $3,200.
Other decisions were made about the pews and carpeting. The decision to have stationery padded pews was made in June 1985. Padded chairs were more expensive so the pews were ordered from Gunder Manufacturing Company in Humbolt, Iowa. The total cost of the pews in the canbctuary and in the balcony was $16,961. The ship hall was a dark rust with material on the cushios of the pews to match. Warren's Floor Covering of Arlington laid the carpet in late October 1985.
Ray Meffert constructed the Altar which was first used at the Legion building. The wooden cross on the North wall, lectern, pulpit, baptismal font, hymn boards, communion stands, Chancel railings, mailboxes, kitchen cabinets, bulletin boards and the cabinet holding the organ pipes were all constructed by Kreft Cabinets of Arlington. The wedding kneeling bench was built by Harvie Obar.
The dedication service for Peace Lutheran Church was held on November 17, 1985 at 2:00 p.m. The opening hymn was "Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty". Pastor Erhard Eifert was the preacher, Pastor John Bradtke was the Lector, and Pastor Emil Dinkel was the Liturgist. The organist was Ruth Spannaus and the choir director was Mary Lou Dinkel.
In January 1995 a committee was appointed to explore the costs of a new space for Sunday School rooms. The committee members were Bruce Pinske (Chairman), Ruby Dvorak, Bill Beseke, Val Rosenfeld, Lowell Nagel, and Bill Pinske. At the October 1995 voters' meeting, the motion carried to proceed with building an addition to the east side of the building. At a special meeting on March 10, 1996, the bid of $166,520 from Mesenbring Construction of Arlington was accepted. The groundbreaking ceremony was May 5, 1996. Five months later the Dedication service was held on October 6, 1996. At the end of the service the youth released balloons in honor of the celebration. The new Educational Wing had 7 classrooms and a youth activity room.
In December 2002, one of the classrooms was turned into a nursery. Parents with small children would have somewhere to go during the worship service if needed. The drawing on the wall was done by Amy Stearns.
For 2007, the membership roster lists 601 members. The congregation has continued to prosper under God's grace. The church building is all on one level, making it accessible for the handicapped. It includes a warm and inviting worship area, offices, meeting rooms, a fellowship hall and a spacious kitchen.
Education opportunities are offered through Sunday school classes, vacation Bible school, catechism classes and adult Bible classes.
In 2007, the organizations of the church were Peace Guild, a member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League; Lutheran Youth Fellowship; and junior handbell choir. The senior choir and senior handbell choir had been disbanded before 2007. The Feeding of the 500 Club, a group of senior citizens, meets once a month during teh school year for food, fellowship, and fun.
Peace Lutheran Church adopted first the mission statement of: "The mission of the people at Peace is to become disciples of Our Lord who grow in gace and use the Word and sacraments to obey His command to make disciples of all nations." Born on His Birth, Built on His Life. In 2022, Peace updated our mission statement to now read: "To develop lifelong followers of Jesus through trusting and compassionate relationships built on faith in Christ Jesus." Gather-Grow-Give-Go.
Bell-Tower-Carillon-Canopy
In April 1992 the footings were dug for the 39 foot bell tower. The tower made of brick was designed and constructed by Buzz Matz Construction of Arlington. In the upper area of the bell tower arched openings house a bronze enamel-coivered aluminum bell shell. The 35 foot copper-covered steeple with the cross is placed above the bell tower. The design and construction of the steeple was by Campbellsville Industries of Campbellsville, Kentucky. Four carillon speakers are concealed behind the louvers in the lower portion of the steeple. The Digital Auto-Bell carillon control equipment is in a steel cabinet in the balcony of the church. The carillon may be used with the program memory or may be manually operated. It has a Westminster chime and an hour strike. The canopy is attached to the bell tower connecting it with the church and gives a protected entrance to the narthex. The design and construction of the canopy was by Morris Mesenbring Construction of Arlington. The dedication service for the bell tower-carillon-canopy was on September 20, 1992, with Pastor Arden Malotky officiating.
Organ
The Rodgers 705B Kent Organ was designed especially for our church by King of Instruments Studios of Minneapolis, MN. On March 16, 1986 a organ concert took place at Peace to celebrate the dedication of the Rodgers Organ. The guest organist was Merrill N. Davis III, President of King of Instruments Studios.
In September 1992, a contract was signed with Garrison Music Center of Richfield, MN to purchas 73 Principal Pipes at a cost of $12,500. The wooden cabinet to hold the pipes is attached to the balcony railing.
In 1985 Our current Worship center / offices / fellowship hall & kitchen were dedicated where they now stand on Freedom Drive in Arlington. A later addition of Sunday school rooms / Youth room / Library was added in 1996.