History of College Hill Lutheran Church and Brammer Student Center.

It took 26 students and two crowded buses to start College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center. Sometime before midsummer of 1941, on an ordinary Sunday morning, 66 college students from the Iowa State Teacher's College (ISTC) met at the corner of College and Seerley streets to take two buses to Immanuel Lutheran church in Waterloo. There they desired to follow Luther's teaching and keep the Sabbath holy by gladly hearing the Word of God. A most commendable response for anyone, especially for college students burdened with studies.

However, the students soon suspected that not all of them would be attending worship that day. Unfortunately, they were right. Twenty-six disappointed students had to remain on that corner, wave goodbye to their classmates, and return to their dorms, unable to attend worship because there was no room on the buses.

This story could have ended there, just an anecdote buried in a district archives were it not for a concerned pastor who included it in his report to the Board of Directors of Iowa District East, meeting on a summer's day in July, 1941.

On that 29th day of July the board worked through their agenda, from one report to the next, a little discussion here, a motion passed there. Much of their work was routine, until they came to Reverend Oetting's report.

They read the report like they read any other, little realizing that the story of the 26 college students lie in wait for them. They were trapped. It stung; the men winced; they acted. They immediately authorized an emergency provision enabling the district to begin work at ISTC.

This was not the first time the board had discussed work at ISTC, however. Months before, on October 22, 1940, the Board of Directors had formed a committee to investigate suitable sites in Cedar Falls for a chapel. This committee was also empowered to take an option on the site. And it is very possible that the committee was still studying the issue, until that July day when 26 college students moved the board to action.

Backed by a grant of $25,000 from the Nation Lutheran Education Association, what had once languished in committee was now alive. College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center was born.

Less than two months after the emergency provision, on September 12, 1941, the Board of Directors resolved to call a pastor and to purchase a large home for $3,500 to serve as a residence, chapel and student center. The very house chosen was on once owned by the late Dr. D. Sands Wright, the first instructor at ISTC.

Then, less than one month after that resolution, on October 8, 1941, a call was extended Reverend Edgar Brammer of Gainesville. He accepted and he moved from Florida into the big white house in Cedar Falls, Iowa in January, 1942.

So College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center owes its founding to the grace of God -- and 26 hapless college students whose bane has become their successors' blessings.

On February 15, 1942, college Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center was dedicated and Reverend Edgar Brammer was installed as it frist pastor. Also on that day, 40 Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod students who were registered at ISTC became College Hill's first student group, who later formed Gamma Delta.

What this group of students lacked in numbers they more than made up for in enthusiasm. One of the first projects young Pastor Brammer, the students, and the Walther League of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Waterloo, undertook was a canvass of the College Hill neighborhood to determine church membership in the community. On March 22, 1942, participants paired off, each pair surveying their particular section, After they had interviewed each home's occupants, they left announcements of Holy Week services. Brammer noted in a scrapbook, "Much helpful information was obtained, and interesting and worthwhile experiences were had by the students as well. At 5 o'clock we came together again at the chapel for a chili supper, after which we sorted cards and compiled the information from them."

About one month after the canvass, the Board of Directors of Iowa District East granted College Hill permission to become a congregation; the new congregation adopted a constitution soon after. It was not until late summer of that year, however, that College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center was formally accepted into the District and Synod at the convention in Clinton.

On July 19, 1944, the Board of Directors instructed the trustees of the Cedar Falls "Property", namely President Hesse, Pastors J. Schliepsick and George A. Koch, in consultation with the College Hill congregation and the officials of the National Lutheran Education Association, to work on plans for an adequate building in Cedar Falls. Although the foundation was laid on paper to build a church for College Hill, construction of this new structure was slowed by wartime shortages of manpower and materials. By God's grace, however, the war was soon to be over. On May 16, 1945, the Board of Directors met with Louis Steinmeyer, a St. Louis architect, as he presented his plans for the new student chapel.

Later in August of that year, the Iowa District East met in convention in Atkins, Iowa. One of the items on the agenda concerned additional funding of $50,000 for the mission at ISTC and the work at the campus church at The University of Iowa because wartime demand had pushed prices upward and now what seemed like an adequate sum for College Hill in 1940 -- $25,000 - was no longer adequate. With the pressures of war and the other concerns it seemed and impossible request - but not for God. Because on the night before this resolution was to come before the convention, Japan surrendered; the war was over.

The next day, the country celebrated war's end with services of thanksgiving. Although all its citizens were elated, there were none more so, perhaps, than those at the little church convention in Atkins. The resolution to grant $50,000 for the work in Cedar Falls and Iowa City passed without dissent.

In the fall of 1945, the district trustees studied the architectural plans for College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center. And, on January 28, 1946, additional property was acquired for $7,800 to house Pastor and Elsa Brammer when the Wright house was torn down to make room for this new building.

As plans were being made to build a new chapel, the little congregation at College Hill Lutheran Church more than doubled; a second service was added. When two services became inadequate, the congregation rented Gilchrist Chapel to hold services, Sunday school and Bible classes. A new home was badly needed - and quickly.

The district finally approved plans and , early in 1950, the property committee took bids. Even with the added funds granted in 1945, College Hill was still short $20,000 from the lowest bid made by Peterson Construction of Garnavillo. The congregation reached an agreement with the company; the district and the congregation were to make up the shortfall.

In the meantime, architect Steinmeyer's health was failing and he was unable to come to Cedar Falls to supervise the work. So a local architect was given the task: David Toenjes of Waterloo. The Wright house was then torn down and work begun.

On Sunday, May 27, 1951, the dedication of a new church building to be held at 3 p.m. that afternoon. It had been most of 11 years since the Iowa District East had first begun to explore the possibility of starting a congregation in Cedar Falls. And now, after formally recognizing College Hill as a congregation, after serving students during wartime and peacetime, after much planning and prayer, the district and College Hill Lutheran Church dedicated a new red brick Early American-style chapel and student center, on that warm spring day in 1951, all accomplished by the grace of God.

The service of dedication featured Reverend W.D. Oetting of Waterloo, now President of Iowa District East and chairman of the building committee, with special guest speaker Reverend Walter C. Birkner of Fort Wayne, Indiana, chairman of the Student Services Committee of the Synod. Together with A. L. Peterman, congregational representative on the building committee and Reverent Edgar A. Brammer, secretary of the committee and pastor of College Hill, the 185 communicants and their friends and relatives gave thanks to God for their new building.

In all, College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center cost $82,000 to build of red brick, Indiana limestone and slate grey asbestos shingles. This was to be but the first phase of the building program; however, it remained the only phase for more than 40 years.

Now that the College Hill congregation had a permanent home, its membership could grow even more, from 221 baptized in 1951 to 366 in 1959. Since the sanctuary could only seat about 130, three services were added to accommodate worshippers. As the college's enrollment increased, so, too, did the task at hand for College Hill. The congregation continued to have three services to accommodate worshippers. Because the newly constructed building was quite crowded, so the congregation desired to purchase the adjacent property to expand their little church. The district, however, had other plans.

It was on November 21, 1961 that the Iowa District East Board of Directors resolved to sponsor another mission in Cedar Falls; a year later, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church was dedicated. Our Redeemer was primarily to serve the town and College Hill was to serve the campus. This gave some College Hill members a choice and, in the next three to four years, approximately 50% of the membership transferred to the new church.

Two other changes occurred in the 1960s: in 1961, Iowa State Teachers' College officially changed its name to the State College of Iowa. Then, in 1967, it became the University of Northern Iowa. As the college grew into a university, it presented an even greater challenge to College Hill's ministry.

Although enrollment was greater than before on campus in the 1970s, student numbers were fewer than before in church. Students, on the whole, appeared to be less interested in practicing their faith than their predecessors had been. According to a brief prepared by Pastor Brammer to the District Mission Committee dated September 17, 1973, enrollment at the University of Northern Iowa was expected to rise to 8,400 students in that year. Doubtless, the potential mission field for the church was also increasing, but the attendance in the early 1970s was relatively small.

Also during the 1970s, competition from evangelical groups such as Campus Crusade and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes increased, according to Pastor Brammer. However, amid such outside pressures, ministry at College Hill Lutheran Church and Student Center did continue.

As the new decade still waddled in diapers, College Hill's founding pastor retired; the congregation gathered on January 27, 1980 to bid him farewell. Having served College Hill for 38 of his 42 years in the ministry, it was time for him to hang up his stole and to close his Agenda.

After Pastor Brammer retired, there was a vacancy for about two years. Then, on March 26, 1982, Pastor Randy McHone was installed. Pastor McHone served for about 4 years. There followed another period of vacancy until February 1987 when the call was extended for the second time to Pastor Steven M. Eggers of Knoxville, Iowa. Pastor Eggers accepted and he was installed on May 3, 1987.

By God's continued grace through Pastor Eggers' shepherding, the congregation again began to grow, from 78 baptized in 1987 to 104 in 1989. Student membership had increased as well, from 10 in 1987 to an average of 40 by the end of the decade. Slowly, student leaders emerged and the student group began to grow.

Since there was no longer a group called Gamma Delta (for this name and its Greek structure went out of existence in 1969), Synod then began a new group called Lutheran Student Fellowship (LSF). Pastor Eggers served as the first coordinator of Region 7 that encompassed Iowa, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, and Wisconsin. Not only did Pastor Eggers become active, but also did College Hill's student population, with Roland Schmidt serving on the first LSF National Council.

There have been many challenges that have been made to help get the group to grow. The first challenge was to get 50 students to church on one Sunday. The students did this and Pastor Eggers had to shave his beard off. The second challenge was for 75 students at church. This one was met also and then Rob Inouye had to shave his legs for this one.

In the 1990s, equipping the saints for service took on special meaning at College Hill. Called a "servant Event," eight students and Pastor Eggers went to Corpus Christi, Texas to assist a Hispanic mission. The group stayed in homes and spent their days repairing termite-infested lumber, landscaping, rebuilding fences -- whatever the mission congregation needed. Somehow they managed to sneak in trips to the ocean and a trip to Mexico. College students spending spring break serving others was so unique that Corpus Christi television stations covered the event. Ever since then, the college students have gone on a Servant Event every year.

Pastor Eggers time at College Hill was up in 1995 when he took another call. College Hill was vacant for about a year when Pastor Tom Oligvie was installed as College Hill's 4th pastor in January of 1997. Since Pastor Tom Oligvie been at College Hill, the attendance on Sunday has increased and the student population has increased to about 45 students per Sunday. The LSF group now has about 30 active members and it is still growing. The LSF groups goes now on a Fall Servant Event and a Spring Servant Event to spread the word of God and to make this earth a better place to live.

In 1998, College Hill and Iowa District East purchase the two lots that are next to the church. One of the houses was torn down because it is too bad to fix up. The other house now is used as the Student Center for College Hill. The house is used to live some of the peer ministers of College Hill.

In 2004 the expansion was completed of the new Brammer Student Center.