Austin Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church

Austin Messiah was organized in 1895 as a member of the Augustana Synod. It was located at 908 N. Waller Ave., at the corner of Iowa St.

Served by occasional visits from Lutheran pastors as early as 1880, the Swedish colony in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago began holding worship in a private home in 1892. From this group three congregations were formed: Messiah, St. Paul's, and the Mission Covenant congregation. In 1894 Rev. M.C. Ranseen held services every other Sunday in the Norwegian Lutheran Church of Moreland. A Petition to the Mission Board of the Illinois Conference of the Augustana Synod led to the Board calling Rev. C.E. Cesander. His first sermon was April 7, 1895, and at a meeting at the Norwegian Church of Moreland on April 19, 1895 the congregation was organized as the "Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Messiah Church."

A lot was purchased at Huron Street and Lockwood Avenue, and the first church (pictured above after move to W. Ohio St. in 1899) was built. It was dedicated on Dec. 1, 1895.

The congregation quickly split into two groups, those who lived in Moreland and those in Austin. On Oct. 28, 1898, the congregation was divided into two parishes and the property split equally. The western colony retained the name "Messiah" but sold its share of the church property to the other group, which took the name "St. Paul's." The Messiah contingent purchased two lots at Iowa Street and Waller Avenue, where they constructed a new building (pictured below), which was dedicated on Nov. 6, 1899.

In 1925, plans were made for the construction of a new church building. After much debate over location and some financial difficulty, the building (pictured at bottom) was built at the same location and dedicated Dec. 2, 1934.

In 1930 the name changed to Austin Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church, at the same time that all regular services were held in English.

Pastors

Sons of the congregation
Leonard Johnson
Einer T. Einerson
H. Karl Ladwig
Raymond Hedberg
Donald Rydbeck
Edward Carlstrom
William Jacobsen
Lester W. Hoffmann

Original records
Original record books should be located at Austin Messiah Lutheran Church, 908 N. Waller Ave., Chicago, IL 60651-2695. Early books have been microfilmed and are available at the ELCA Archives and at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. Filmed as Augustana #A3, the microfilm contains church minutes from 1895-1939 and membership records from 1895-1931. The ELCA Archives also has congregational histories, church publications, and other materials relating to Austin Messiah, including a nearly-complete run of Messiah Messenger.

Sources
"Austin Messiah Fiftieth Anniversary, 1895-1945," 1945.

"Historical Sketch," Messiah Messenger, April 1940.

85th Anniversary bulletin, 1980.