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| 6/6/2007 10:36:00 AM |
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Scheie Lutheran Church to celebrate
its 150th birthday
By Melissa
Vander Plas
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| Scheie Lutheran
Church | | The Scheie
Lutheran congregation will be hosting its 150th birthday
celebration this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On
Friday, there will be a community party and outdoor social
with special guest Tom Overlie. This event will be held at
6:30 p.m. at the Lew and Ellen Aasum garden at 332 East
Prairie, Mabel. The program will begin at 7. In case of rain,
the event will be held at the Scheie Lutheran
Church.
On Saturday, at 11:30 a.m., there will be a
cemetery walk to Weisel Cemetery and at 1:30 p.m., one may go
over to the North Cemetery if interested. Wally and Sharen
Storhoff will host the walk to Weisel Cemetery and recommend
wearing good walking shoes and bringing rain gear "just in
case!" The cemetery board will be taking those who are
interested to the North Cemetery. Persons who want to go on
the walks should meet at the Scheie Church parking
lot.
Historical displays will be open at 2:30 p.m. with
a confirmation reunion at 3 p.m. and a coffee party from 4 to
5:30 p.m. A Norwegian worship service will be held with the
Rev. Percy Larson and the Rev. Paul Johnson and other special
guests, beginning at 6 p.m. A cemetery walk, with celebration
of light, will be held at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday, there
will be a festival worship with Bishop Harold Usgaard at 10:30
a.m. with a congregational photo and a catered meal following.
The cornerstone, removed earlier this year, will be resealed
and placed back into the church's foundation.
The
church's history began 150 years ago on June 8, 1857, when 11
families became the charter members of the First Evengelical
Lutheran Church - now known as the Scheie Lutheran Church. The
name Scheie was later taken as a tribute to the first resident
pastor, Andreas Scheie of Milwaukee, Wis.
It is
believed that the group first worshipped in a small log
schoolhouse or community building in the valley, and so wanted
to construct a good church building as early as 1860. However,
as the church's first historical book reflects "the rumblings
of the terrible conflict between the North and the South was
plainly heard, and plans were dropped until 1863."
The
motion to build was on Oct. 30, 1863, and the church
dimensions were to be 40x28x16 feet with a steeple and
gallery. The cost was about $2,400.
These pioneer
families endured so much and persevered so well as they tried
to settle in this new land. As reported in one of the church's
history books, "Immigration slowed down due to the money panic
of 1857. This was also the winter of the 'crust.' Forty-two
inches of snow fell and three rains froze the land into a
glazed crust that stayed all winter. People got around on
skis, and even the wildlife like the deer died because of the
weather or death by wolves and dogs." Indian presence,
disease, and the Civil War only added to the perils of pioneer
living. Some families buried many of their children as the
diseases had no cure or mercy.
Despite this, the church
progressed and actual buildings were built. Living through the
fires of the churches was another shock to the faith
community, but again, plans were made immediately for the next
building project. The current church structure that stands
today was dedicated in 1913 and was built at a cost of
$12,000.
As the Scheie congregation celebrates this
week, they find two new historical pieces on the narthex wall
as one enters the church. One contains the signature of the
two builders of this structure, Eddie Dahl and John Aake. The
other contains the very top of the present altar, which was
removed in the remodeling process when it became too tall for
the area. These pieces were created by Gale Erickson of
Rochester, a childhood member of Scheie.
An historical
display will show the life of Scheie and a new DVD created by
member Judy Narun is available as well as a new booklet on the
last 25 years created by members Robert and Terese Housker.
The Rev. Mary Waudby has also made mementos that are
crafted from glass saved from the large stained glass windows
that were sucked out and destroyed in the tornado of 1969.
The Norwegian descendents will be given a special part
as that heritage will be honored in worship and food.
A chance to bring the past into the present is what
Scheie hopes to do this weekend and the congregation invites
all of the community to come and join with them in celebrating
their heritage as they look toward a faith-filled
future.
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