Pastor Paul Krumm, ordained into the Holy Ministry on June 26, 1983, accepted his call to serve as pastor to Zion's congregation at Manning, and was installed on July 3, 1983.
From November,1983, to November, 1984, extensive renovations were made throughout the church. The improvements included installation of a new heating system, complete repainting of the interior walls and replacement of carpeting. One of the Sunday School rooms was converted into a church library. Another room was transformed into a youth lounge. A choir room, adjoining the south side of the nave, was converted into Zion Chapel.
On the exterior of the building, the west wall was repaired and a short brick wall was erected on the northwest corner of the church property bearing the church name.
In April of 1984, Paula Weiss joined the ministry of Zion Lutheran Church as Director of Christian Education. In addition to her work with Zion's education programs, she provided leadership for youth and assisted with the music ministry of Zion, playing the organ, directing children's musicals and working with the adult and youth choirs.
Zion made a significant commitment to Christian Education in September of 1985 when Zion Preschool was established in the northeast room of the lower level of the church. Kristie Borkowski was hired to conduct the programs which were designed to provide children, three and four years of age, with social skills and school readiness activities in addition to learning about the love of Jesus.
The growth and needs of the Zion congregation led to the installation of Pastor Merle Lebahn as Associate Pastor on March 2, 1986. In addition to assisting at Zion, Pastor Lebahn was the resident pastor of Trinity Lutheran at Audubon. However, the new ministry lasted for only six months. In September of 1986, he accepted a call to serve a congregation at Lawton, Iowa.
On the heels of Pastor Lebahn's resignation, came announcement by Pastor Krumm that he was leaving Manning to accept a call to Sunnyvale, California. Pastor Krumm preached his last sermon on October 19, 1986. Members of Zion bid farewell to Pastor Krumm and his family at a dinner following the service.
Over the next seven months, as Zion went through the process of calling a new minister, Pastor Charles Haake of Carroll served as vacancy pastor with the assistance of DCE Paula Weiss.
In March of 1987 Pastor Robert Riggert accepted Zion's call, coming to Manning from Cylinder, Iowa, where he was serving two congregations. The installation service of Pastor Riggert was held June 7, 1987.
During the ministry of Pastor Riggert Zion Lutheran Church celebrated the 25th anniversary of the dedication of its present house of worship on February 7, 1988.
In the fall of 1988 Zion was asked to participate in Manning's German Heritage Christmas festival. Zion's choir saw this as an opportunity to share the Christmas story through the presentation of a Christmas cantata. The concert was so well attended, by members and non-members, that it became one of Zion's traditional Christmas events.
In 1996 Zion again faced staffing changes when DCE Paula Weiss announced that she had accepted a call to serve the Lord at Alexander, Arkansas. After assessing the needs of Zion, the church council resolved to place a call for a second pastor.
On June 23, 1996, following graduation from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, Curtis Dwyer was ordained into the Holy Ministry and installed as Zion's second pastor, called to assist Pastor Riggert with the needs of a large, active congregation.
Transition continued for Zion as Pastor Riggert announced ten months later that he would be leaving in April of 1997. While continuing to reside in Manning, Pastor Riggert accepted a call by the Board of Directors of Iowa District West to serve as Executive Director for Education and Youth Ministry.
The Lord heard the prayer of Zion and answered by sending his servant Daniel Vogel. Following a move that brought his family hundreds of miles from Miami, Florida, Pastor Daniel Vogel was installed as Senior Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church on October 19, 1997.
Today, Pastor Vogel, Pastor Dwyer, and the Zion congregation, under the guidance and blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, carry forward the purpose for which Zion was organized 100 years ago, namely, "disseminating the Gospel truth according to the confessional standard of the Lutheran Church, the Book of Concord of the year 1580." To that end the members of Zion strive to "let the Word of Christ dwell among us richly" through regular and special services and through a program of Bible-study for young and old in formal and informal groups. Zion also adheres the Lord's commission to His people "to preach the Gospel to every creature" and support the training and sending program of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
As Zion looks back over its humble beginnings, its many trials and tribulations, one thing stands out -- God's Grace. Without His grace Zion would not have been able to exist and grow. May our Lord continue to shower His grace upon His Church in Manning until the end of time!
A Remembrance
by Jim Ansorge
"I remember the church bell being tolled when a Zion member died. The bell would ring and then the years of the member's life would be tolled, one at a time. And, if you didn't wait until the bell stopped swinging before starting the tolling, the bell would jam up against the toller thing and Fred Rutz would have to climb up into the steeple and unjam it.
I can remember getting a lot of phone calls after the tolling stopped. People wanted to know who died."