Mission Statement
“More disciples living more faithfully by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
History
Walsburg Lutheran Church, Leonardville, KS, was organized in 1873 by a group of Swedish immigrants. In the early years the pastor at Mariadahl Lutheran Church also served as the Walsburg pastor. Mariadahl was located about 12 miles northeast of the current Walsburg church. The first church building was erected in 1877.
The early years brought many trials; one of the most devastating was a fire which destroyed all but the stone walls of the church on May 22, 1918. The task of rebuilding was begun, and the original walls were used as they remained standing. The rebuilding was completed by April, 1919.
In 1972 Walsburg formed a joint parish with the Olsburg Lutheran Church, Olsburg, KS, in order to share a pastor.
As with many other Lutheran congregations, there were those at Walsburg who were opposed to the ELCA Human Sexuality Social Statement. This resulted in a vote in November, 2010, of leaving the ELCA. The vote did not result in the two-thirds necessary to pursue a second vote. However, this dissention did result in about half of the congregation no longer being active members. Walsburg went through several years of not having a children’s Sunday School or a Vacation Bible School.
After a few years, due to the efforts of a few members, the Vacation Bible School and Sunday School were started up again, and both are currently thriving. In 2018, there were about 40 children at Vacation Bible School, and there are regularly about 10 to 12 children for Sunday School.
The Church Today
Walsburg has also been able to gain in membership over the past several years, and is a very active presence in the community. Our current average attendance is 50 and the congregation is supported by an excellent staff.
Walsburg has a small but very active WELCA group. A group of about 6 to 8 women meet monthly for Bible Study and a business meeting. Also, the Hope Circle group of about 8 to 10 women meet monthly for a Bible Study from Gather Magazine. The main project for the women is quilts, baby care kits and health care kits for Lutheran World Relief. The women make at least 80 quilts annually, as well as collect items for about 30 baby care kits and 40 health care kits. In addition, they have monthly projects for other community needs, both locally and for other outreach needs.
The Walsburg congregation strives to maintain the nearly 100 year old building. One recent project was the refurbishing of the unique tracker pipe organ, but the care of it is an on-going process. Another project that was completed in 2020 was extensive repair work and restoration on the stained glass windows.
We hope that this brief summary will help give some insight into the Walsburg congregation.
Walsburg Lutheran Church 