Lutheran Church
Newman House
About Mid-Nebraska Lutheran Home The vision for the Mid-Nebraska Lutheran Home began as early as the fall of 1956. Conversations about the George and Phoebe Gutru Home among the Lutheran pastors in the area, the Gutru Family, Bethesda Homes, and state and county officials regulating "homes for the aging" continued for over one full year before the Articles of Incorporation were filed on October 10, 1957. Member churches who incorporated the Home included nine area Lutheran Churches: Trinity Lutheran, Zion Lutheran, and Shell Creek Lutheran, all in Newman Grove; St. Ansgar Lutheran, rural Lindsay; Salem Lutheran, rural St. Edward; Zion Lutheran, Albion; Immanuel Lutheran (South Branch), rural Albion; Zion Lutheran (North Branch), rural Albion; and, Grace Lutheran Petersburg. "Conversion" plans for the Gutru Home progressed through the next two years. After completion of the remodeling in 1959, the Home was able to accommodate 20 residents and admissions began in January 1960. Governor Frank B. Morrison attended the dedication of the Mid-Nebraska Lutheran Home in that year. With demand high for occupancy, the first addition was built in 1961 from the lumber secured from the old Zion Lutheran Church building east of Newman Grove. A second addition was built in 1966 to accommodate a new kitchen and dining room. Fourteen guest rooms were also added to bring the capacity to 45. With a generous gift from the John and Beta Johnson Estate, the 1979 addition enlarged the dining room, added a solarium, beauty shop, mechanical area, bathing and utility rooms, medication room, and several resident rooms to bring the occupancy potential to 59. And, in 1987, the Board again decided more space was needed to accommodate resident needs and meet the local demand for occupancy requests. A funding drive to match a $50, 000 gift from the H. L.Gerhart, Sr. families provided welcome support for this addition. It was completed in 1991 and featured a remodel of the original 1961 unit, a new Physical Therapy room, solarium, office space, bathing and shower rooms, activity room, and eleven resident rooms. The potential for licensed beds was increased to 65. In 1997, MNLH met the requirements under the Medicare program and became certified to provide skilled services in May of that year. Requirements for Medicaid certification had already been met years earlier. The mission continued when the eighteen-unit assisted living facility, the Newman House, opened in April 2003. This addition was made possible through a grant from the Nursing Facility Grant Conversion program managed by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the reserves of the corporation, tax-exempt bonds and the generous gifts from supporters in the communities of Newman Grove, Lindsay, and Albion areas. There are currently 41 licensed skilled nursing beds and 18 Newman House apartments licensed for 21 residents available for occupancy. We are proud to provide private occupancy accommodations for nearly all of our 41 residents, regardless of payer source.