Grace Lutheran Church (Malden, Missouri) Records

Lutheranism began in the Bootheel section of Missouri in Parma in 1919, flourishing for 20 years. The mills in the area began closing down, so people moved away from the area, and the Parma church closed in 1942. The Lutherans who remained in Parman transferred to Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston. In 1948, a mission was started in Malden. Services were held in a trailer next to the PX building for three years. In 1950, a piece of land that had previously been a cotton field was purchased and a church building was constructed there. Grace was organized on February 18, 1951. The dedication service of the building was held on September 30, 1951. In 1959, the congregation started a church in Dexter, and some of the members of Grace transferred there. Grace became a mother church again in 1963 when another Lutheran church was formed in Kennett. Again, some of Grace’s members transferred to the daughter congregation. In 1980, a new sanctuary was added to the building and was dedicated on May 4, 1980. The congregation of Grace celebrated their 40th anniversary on September 29, 1991, their 50th on September 30, 2001, and 60th on September 11, 2011.