In the mid-nineteenth century, a number of German immigrants settled in the hills of southern Indiana near the town of present-day Bear Branch. As their numbers grew and the farms that dotted the landscape grew into a community, those living there decided to organize religious services. In the early 1850's, they began by meeting in homes.

In 1855, it was decided to organize a congregation and build a proper structure. On May 25th, 1856 a church was dedicated and given the name St. Peter's Lutheran Church. The first church building was a log structure, probably similar to the one pictured below, which was a log building located on the property where the Bear Creek Lutheran church stood.

The congregation grew in spirit and number and in the year 1878, it was decided to build a new, more substantial building. The church that was built was made of brick and the sweat of the congregational members. The bricks were actually made on the church property from brick mint. The congregation was still made up solely of German immigrants. The people of this community actually spoke German as a first language. All services were in German. It was, in effect, a closed community. Most members in the area all came from the same small locale in Germany. Therefore there was already a communal bond between the different families.

This continued until World War I, when because of our involvement in the war, the German communities and churches were viewed with distrust. At this point, an effort was made to make the communities and the churches more open. Churches began conducting services in English, and a number of families altered the spelling of their names to make them sound and look more "American".

At the same time, transportation and technology were breaking down the barriers between towns and villages, the same way that the internet and satellite communications are doing on a global scale today. The grandchildren of the immigrants who had settled in this area began to be exposed to a more diversified culture as telephones, cars, and radios came into use. German was no longer the first language of those living in the community. The members of the congregation began to accept and become a part of the "American" culture

The twenties also saw a growth in church activites. A Ladies Society was organized, dedicated to charitable work. It is still active today as the "Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America," or WELCA. Sunday School classes were organized, and Luther League, an activities organization for teens, was created as well. The forties and fifties were also a time of growth as a church choir was organized, an Adult fellowship group was formed, and an organization for children called, Junior Mission Band was started. In 1956 the Congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary and dedicated a new Parish Hall.

Then, in 1974, disaster struck. On April 3rd of that year, a tornado destroyed the church and many homes in the surrounding community. Everything was leveled. Even many of the headstones in the cemeteries were overturned. This occurred on a Wednesday afternoon during the Lenten season, and if it had occurred only a few hours later, the church would have been full of people. Luckily, no one was killed or seriously injured by this tornado.

Shaken, but not defeated, members of the congregation rallied and in 1975 a new church building was built and dedicated on May 25, 1976. This is the structure that we worship in today. In the past 25 years there have also been many changes in the fabric of our congregation as well. With the construction and development of the interstates, Ohio County has become a bedroom community for Cincinnati. Many families from oustide of Ohio county have settled on properties that were once family farms. The area has become more and more diversified. Many new families, some from Lutheran backgrounds and some not, have been welcomed and become members of the congregation.

Today, as we enter a new century, we realize that many challenges face our congregation. As changes continue to alter the face of our community, it instills in us a need to meet the needs of those who live here and support the message and mission of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives.

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