First LSA in Sioux City by Marie Scheffer
Submitted January 2024
Back row: Alan Scheffer, Nancy Braun, Marie Scheffer, Beth Nordquist. Front row: Gary Rentz, Cindi Anderson, Linda Nielsen, Jim Braun. Grace Davidson took the picture.
By December 1978 there were 9 adult believers with administrative rights in Sioux City, and it was permissible then for Assemblies to form at any time of the year when this condition was achieved. Accordingly, the Spiritual Assembly of Sioux City was formed by joint declaration on December 4, 1978. Membership consisted of Cindi Anderson, James and Nancy Braun, Grace Davidson, Linda Nielsen, Beth Nordquist, Gary Rentz, and Alan and Marie Scheffer. A recognition ceremony was held later in the month, at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge, attended by Baha’is from four nearby communities. Marie Scheffer gave a talk on the basic responsibilities of the Assembly, and James Braun gave a brief history of the Faith in the area. Karen Para of Kingsley, as a representative of the National Assembly, presented a certificate of recognition to the new Spiritual Assembly.
NOTE: This paragraph is an excerpt from a detailed history of the Faith in Sioux City, being researched and written by Marie Scheffer.