Pastor C. J. Gunderman was called and installed in November, 1930. He served 14 years until 1944. Then Pastor A. R. Ahlman was called to serve the congregation until 1948. Pastor F. J. Rath followed and he continued to serve until June, 1966 when he retired because of advanced age. Presently Pastor Eugene Vetter of St. John's in Battle Creek is serving the congregation.

There were other church groups, preaching stations or perhaps only Sunday School Stations scattered about the country when travel was still difficult.

There was at one time a congregation and church established on the corner of the intersection southwest of the Paul Sesler farm home. This was the Christian Church. Its principal members included: R. F. Tiedgen, Eddie Daniel, Crochet Chrisman and others. The congregation did not survive and the building was sold and moved to Madison where it is still used as a Church building.

Then there was Mt. Zion, a congregation organized by the Virginians out in Schoolcraft Precinct across and down the road from the old "Alf" Reeves home in Section 11. The cemetery started by these goo people is in Section 13, now known as the Osborn cemetery.

Mrs. Elmer Volk, granddaughter of William O. Cunningham wrote the story of the Maple Grove Church on the site of the present Maple Grove School across the road from where Marvin Renner now lives. They always had Sunday School even though a preacher was not available. This congregation was affiliated with the Methodist Church.

Mrs. Maude (Whitla) McIntosh relates that as a child and before the family moved into town, she regularly attended Sunday School in what was then known as the Alberry School (District 64).

These pioneer Christians truly longed to study and hear the word of God.

In many instances the people would help build a church even before they built more than a dugout or homesteader's shack for themselves. A good example of such devotion is the story of the St. Paul's Lutheran Congregation at Norfolk. In the Battle Creek area a few settlers came in 1867, a few more each year thereafter and by 1872, St. John's Lutheran Church was organized, as the first organized congregation.

School District 5, Battle Creek, was organized in April, 1870, and it comprised, at that time, the west portion of Battle Creek Precinct, much of the west half of Valley Precinct, a great part or all of Highland Precinct and much of Deer Creek Precinct. As time went on, portions of the district were taken away to form county districts.

As has been previously mentioned, the first school building

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