The History of Bethlehem - The Early Years
In 1886, the first church services were held by Trinity Lutheran Church,
Bethlehem's mother church,
in their mission school on the corner of 24th Place and McKinley Avenue. The school had been
placed there for the convenience of their members who lived on what were, at that time,
the outskirts of Milwaukee.
On August 8, 1886, a meeting of about 40 Trinity members was held
to discuss the need to
form a new congregation. A year of planning began. The mission school was moved
from the corner lot to its present location on an adjoining lot. The church would cost $8,000 to build. On September 3, 1887,
the cornerstone for the new frame Bethlehem Lutheran Church was laid. This cornerstone
can still be seen on the southeast corner
of the present church building.
On May 13, 1888, the new congregation was formed and took the name of Evangelische-Lutheran
Bethlehem Kirche, a German Lutheran Church. Ninety-three members were released from Trinity
Lutheran Church to form this new congregation. In 1910, Bethlehem Lutheran Church became
the first German congregation to hold services in English. These services were first held
on Sunday evenings, but later were held in the morning, after the German service.
The name Bethlehem means "house of bread". For over 119 years, Bethlehem Lutheran Church has been
offering the Bread of Eternal Life to this area of the city. Although the farms and grain
fields which once surrounded the building are gone, Bethlehem Lutheran Church remains standing
in the midst of a field which is ripe for harvest.
