The Building of the Lehr Tabernacle

The idea of holding camp meetings in the area started sometime after 1915, with a meeting being tried in Jamestown about 1920. The first camp meeting in Lehr occurred in 1921 and was held next to the old Evangelical church in town.

"The speaker's platform was built out of packs of shingles. There were three services a day. The morning and evening preaching services were done by the Evangelist and the afternoon service was conducted by local pastors." (John Erbele, as written by Robert Erbele)

In 1921, the Evangelical churches of Lehr, Streeter, Wishek, Linton, Napoleon, Kulm, and Ashley formed a German Camp Meeting association. The Lehr Tabernacle was built in 1922, and old-fashioned evangelistic tent meetings were held each year for a week or longer. These meetings drew people from Evangelical churches all over North and South Dakota - and were a high point of each summer as friends and families gathered together for worship.

Although supported by all churches of the German Camp Meeting Association, the Tabernacle was especially nurtured by the five churches of the Lehr Circuit. Most of these were country churches that eventually closed as roads improved, allowing people to come into the town of Lehr for services. The Lehr Circuit consisted of: Zion Church - Five miles south of Lehr, original pastor was Reverend Heinrich Loewen. Founding families included Wittmeier, Miller, Georg, Schilling, Nagel, Ruff, Seefried.

Emmanuel Church - Twelve miles north of Lehr in the Koenig settlement, original pastor was Reverend Philip Laux. Charter families were: Bogner, Sukut, Enzminger, Leischner, Fercho. Other founding families were: Katz, Erbele, Krueger, Fercho, Bogner, Enzminger, Weisz, Christmann, Fandrich, Elhardt.

Friedens Church - In Lehr, original pastor was Reverend Robert E. Strutz. Charter families were: Lachenmeier, Lehr, Ziegenhagel, Mack, Nagel. r~ Other founding families were: Derheim, Kranzler, Kramer, Klein, Aman, Bittner, Becker, Sukut, Bogner, Hoff, Nies, Riech, Mayer.