Augustana Lutheran Church has anchored the corner of 38th and Lafayette for over 50 years. However, its history goes back another 100 years before that. The Kansas-Nebraska Territory was organized in 1854 with Omaha becoming the capital city. This was a town where men outfitted themselves with supplies needed to find gold and silver in the West. A few years later, in 1862, Omaha became the eastern terminus for President Lincoln's dream of a transcontinental railroad. With the end of the U.S. Civil War three years later, the whole area saw a flood of immigrants, mostly from northern Europe, who were eager to find a piece of land to call their own. Nebraska statehood followed shortly thereafter, in 1867.

In 1868, twenty Swedish men and women rented a hall on Farnam Street in order to worship in their accustomed Lutheran faith and language. They would eventually call themselves the Immanuel Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church. It met at various downtown locations until 1882, when a large building was constructed on the corner of 19th and Cass. Immanuel Lutheran would thrive at this location for over 50 years.

Omaha grew rapidly in the latter part of the 19th century. By the dawn of the 20th century, many of Immanuel's members had moved west of the 19th and Cass location, and wanted a church closer to their homes. In 1902, in a small chapel on 36th and Charles, a new congregation was born. It took the name of Zion Lutheran, and by 1913, all services were conducted in English.

Within 5 years, Zion would build an impressive structure on 36th and Lafayette. Adult membership grew to over 500, with almost 200 children in attendance. In January of 1936, during the Depression years, Zion and Immanuel voted to merge in order to serve the community more efficiently. The two groups took the name of Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Lutheran.

Some parcels of land two blocks to the west were given to the church and others were purchased so that Augustana could construct a new building. But World War II intervened and plans stalled. The present day church at 38th and Lafayette was completed in 1951 and the education wing was added in 1957. Members come from all parts of the city to worship.

In 1976, Augustana installed the first female pastor in Nebraska—Lora Gross. She served as associate pastor to the Reverend Vic Schoonover. Since then, Augustana has had three other women pastors. Our current pastor is the Reverend Susan Butler.

As a progressive congregation, Augustana is concerned with its neighborhood. In the 1970s, Augustana began a ministry called Project Embrace. This summer program for children is offered for seven weeks in June and July and offers activities such as crafts, music, computer instruction, and field trips, all within a Christian environment.

In the early 1980s, the congregation sponsored a Laotian refugee family, leading to the growth of the Hmong population within the church. Lormong Lo, an elected member of the Omaha City Council, was one of their outstanding members. Most of our Hmong membership has moved out of state. We miss them.

In addition to belonging to a consortium of churches involved in Habitat for Humanity, Augustana established its own organization, the Cornerstone Foundation. The board of directors for Cornerstone is made up of church members and representatives of the surrounding community. With tangible and financial assistance of the congregation, Cornerstone rehabilitates neglected homes in the area and sells them to families in need of reasonably-priced housing. The Cornerstone Foundation is presently looking into building new homes on existing vacant lots.

A Capital Fund Campaign was begun in 2002 with the theme, Graced by the Past, Called to the Future. An amount in excess of $400,000 was pledged to enable us to install a new roof and make repairs and improvements to our 50-year-old building.

Augustana is indeed a community of progressive thinkers, and we welcome you to join us. We’re in the city for good!