The March 14, 2004 Worship Service began with a special offering. Members of the Sunday morning Congregation were pleasantly surprised when Pastor David Johnson instructed them to take coins from the offering plate. When the ushers passed around the offering plate, instead of placing money in, each person received one of Zion's new 100-year commemorative medallions.











Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill, now in its 99th year of serving the Lord Jesus Christ in Baldwin County, has anticipated its Centennial Celebration in 2005 by commissioning pewter medallions celebrating God's faithfulness to this church. The face of the medallion portrays the historic church while the reverse carries a message of God's faithfulness and love.






Historically, Swedish pastors from the Thorsby community were visiting Silverhill as early as 1897. By December 1905 Pastor Hartelius would organize "Swedish Lutheran Zion Church" as an affiliate of the Augustana Synod of Rockford, IL. All organizational documents from 1905 were in Swedish. It would be a number of months (April 2, 1906) before documents conforming to Alabama "English" would establish the church under Alabama law (May 21, 1906), but actual registration would not be processed by the Office of Probate in Baldwin County until June 2, 1906. Church and Sunday School services were held in Swedish, the language of most people in Silverhill until English became the dominant language of the church as the children of Swedish emigres became adults and as other nationalities settled in Silverhill a generation later.




Zion Lutheran Church initiates its Centennial Celebration with the acquisition of these Medallions. Visitors and guests may receive a medallion replica at 10:00 Sunday morning worship services through Zion's Centennial year. Zion Lutheran Church is located a block off State Highway 104 at 4th Avenue and 7th Street in beautiful Silverhill, AL.