Little Botetourt County church celebrates a big anniversary

BOTETOURT CO., Va. -

Looking through black and white photos, you can tell how much Wheatland Evangelical Lutheran Church in Botetourt County has changed - if by only looking at the tree in the corner.

But, after 150 years, and a couple of construction projects, the church is still doing the job it set out to...

Explains church member Katie Loope, "We care about each other, so it's an uplifting place/experience. Music, the liturgy, it's what we need at the end of the week or the beginning of a new week. And, it's something I miss personally when I'm not here on Sundays."

Church council member Katie Loope married into the church in the 70s.

Her husband's family has ties that date back to the beginning.

"This is a rendition of our founding minister Reverend Shickel," says Loope pointing to a picture on the wall.

In 1864, the church was originally called Luther Chapel and was located on Little Timber Ridge in Buchanan.

By the late 1880s, it had moved to a new site, with a new name, on Wheatland Road.

The white church gave way to a brick structure in the 1930s.

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Little Botetourt County church celebrates a big anniversary