Country Churches
The pioneer spirit shapes the heart of Pyrmont Trinity Lutheran Church.
Less than 10 years after Missouri became a state, Lutheran immigrants from Hanover, Germany, arrived in central Missouri. In 1830, they made their way through oak-forested hills, brush and rocks to Morgan County, an area once inhabited by the Osage Indians.
In 1842, after traveling 20 miles to Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Benton County for a number of years, the members who lived east of the parish asked for a release to form their own church. The parishioners held their first service on Sept. 1, 1848, near the pioneer town of Pyrmont, Missouri. They built a log church and dedicated it as Pyrmont Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1867, members built a larger building and the original log structure became a school.
In 1895, fire destroyed the church building. Members then constructed a new building using the identical dimensions, but with an added tower. At the parish’s 50th anniversary back in 1898, a 600-pound bell was raised into the tower. That bell still calls the congregation to worship today.
Over time, the congregation’s spirit of giving and service has only grown. Within recent years, the church sent an entire month’s offering to a Missouri congregation whose building was destroyed by a tornado. The following year, a New Jersey church whose members suffered loss in Hurricane Sandy received a similar gift.
For more years than members can remember, the congregation has hosted a summer ice cream social. In December, the members present an Ole Tyme Christmas in the Country community event featuring singers and musicians. Offerings collected at these events provide funds for local food banks or other charitable projects.
Today, Pyrmont Trinity Lutheran Church and its parish hall are the only public facilities remaining of the former Pyrmont homesteading community. But the congregation’s giving spirit still stands as strong as its early pioneers.