Calvary 's Mission Statement: ‘We worship and proclaim Jesus Christ as our Savior to show Christ's love to our neighbors near and far.”

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH - RAPIDAN
125th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
1874 -1999

Pastors Who Have Served Calvary Lutheran Church:

• Rev. M. O. Borge - 1874-1884

• Rev. K.G. Faegre - 1884-1887

• Rev. A.G. H Overn, - 1887-1892

• Rev. Hans Allen - 1892-1894

• Rev. Erling Hove - 1894-1902

• Rev. J.E. Engebregtson - 1902-1904

• Rev. Nils Nordgaard - 1904-1920

• Rev. Gilbert Oppen - 1920-1945

• Rev. L.L. Peterson - 1945-1953

• Rev. Earl Peterson - 1953-1962

• Rev. Glen Rachuy - 1962-1965

• Rev. Iler P. Anderson - 1965-1969

• Rev. A. Milford Thompson - 1969-1976

• Rev. Hubert R. Kaste - 1976-1981

• Rev. Leon L. Stier - 1982-1988

• Rev William D. Meiers - 1988-present

A quick look at our heritage:

125 YEAR HISTORY OF CALVARY RAPIDAN - 1874-1974

Calvary Lutheran Church had its beginning in 1874 with Pastor Borge gathering together as many settlers as he could and meeting in the homes in the area" Pastor Borge came from Mankato either by horse and buggy or by rail. Two of the homes that held services in those days were those of Ellef Anderson and Ole Broste. Some of the early members of the congregation were: Mr. and Mrs. Syver Broste, Ole Olson, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brandli, Syver Kvam, Mr. and Mrs. Ellef Jensen, Ole Stavem, Hans Johnson, Thorstein Erickson, Lars and Ellef Baanhus, Christian Erickson, Ole Skov and son Carl, Mr. and Mrs. Ole Broste, Ole Johnson, Lars Rosstel, Hans Thorson and Tobias Brude.

In 1880, (or 1885), a new and beautiful house of worship was erected. God's virgin homegrown trees provided the lumber that laboriously went into its construction. Trees were cut and the logs dragged to the mill, which was located on the present Marvin Hiller farm. The church was erected on the site of the present Calvary Lutheran Church Cemetery west of the village of Rapidan. A church barn was built in 1896 to house the horses used to transport the people to church. This barn still stands north of the old church site and is on the farm now owned by Richard Nelson. It is presently used as a machine shed.

Later Christopher Erickson and Emil Knudsen built the entrance to the church with a curved roof and a unique cross. Years later the belfry and bell were added. The bell was cast of iron and has the inscription" Evangelical Norwegian Lutheran Church, Rapidan, Minn." on it. The name of the church was later changed to Calvary Lutheran Church.

Arne Berger painted the paintings on the altar, "The Ascension of Christ", “Christ and the Last Sheep”, and “Calvary 's Three Crosses” in the early 1900's. The paintings now adorn the wall of the parish hall of the present church. They were framed by Oscar Knutson in 1965.

The basement was put under the church during the First World War with Italian workers employed to mix the cement.  In 1939 the Sacristy was added, the furnace room built, the furnace installed, and the basement remodeled.   In 1948 an oil furnace replaced the former wood and coal furnace.

A humorous historical note is recorded when the first organ was purchased in 1904. The people were frightened to think that they would have to sing to the tune and tempo of such a music box. Carl Flo was the organist and also led the singing for 40 years.

In 1876 the Jackson Lake Parish of Amboy was added to the Rapidan Parish. Then in 1921 the Lake Crystal and Butternut Parishes were added making a four-point parish. The Reverend Gilbert Oppen of Lake Crystal served as Pastor from 1921-1945. The parsonage was then located in Lake Crystal.   In 1945 Jackson Lake and Rapidan voted to call a pastor jointly and bought a parsonage in Amboy for $3500.

At the general convention of our church body in 1946 the name of our Synod was changed from N.L.C.A.. (Norwegian Lutheran Church of America) to E.L.C. (Evangelical Lutheran Church) since the inclusion of the word Norwegian was no longer relevant. In the years 1960-61 another merger of three synods: E.L.C. (Evangelical Lutheran Church),   A.L.C. (American Lutheran Church) and the U.E.L.C. (United Evangelical Lutheran Church) united to form our present synod, A.L.C. (American Lutheran Church). The name of the church publication was changed from the Lutheran Herald to Lutheran Standard.

Soon after the congregation was organized in 1874, the Ladies Aid Society was formed. At first the meetings were held every three weeks but later were changed to once a month. This organization has continued down through the years and is now known as the American Lutheran Church Women. The former Ladies Aid Society supported home and foreign missions, charitable institutions, Lutheran World Relief, and needs of the local church and community, as is being done by our A.L.C.W. today. The women in the early church provided the cleaning of the church building, redecorated the sanctuary and basement, and also did knitting and sewing for the Red Cross. To supplement their regular offerings at the meetings the first Tuesday of the month, they sponsored food sales, bazaars, the 17th of May picnics and 4th of July festivities.

In the 1950's the church women started to have an annual Oyster Stew Supper but these had to be discontinued in the mid '60's when the Rapidan Creamery closed and they could no longer use their steamer to prepare the stew. They had a turkey supper for several years but now it has been changed to a ham supper. In early years sumptuous lunches were served at the regular meetings, but over the years the menu has been cut and now we serve only one item of food and coffee.

The Luther League was organized in 1934 with the meetings being held in the homes on the third Wednesday evening of each month. The league's purpose is to provide an opportunity for the members to worship and to speak out through topics and readings, and to support and discuss the work of the church at large. There are adult sponsors who aid them in their activities. In the early years it was a family gathering. They sponsor an ice cream social annually during the strawberry season.

The Sunday School was organized in the early 1920' s with Mrs. Amend Flo and Mrs. A.O. Lee taking the lead. Summer Bible School was held almost from the beginning, sometimes taught by students from the Seminary or the Lutheran Bible Institute with the help of local women and girls from the congregation. At the present time volunteers from our congregation do the teaching. Release time instruction is held one hour each week. In the past three years they have been held jointly with St John's at Rapidan, (Missouri Synod).

For many years one of the big events of the year was the annual Mission Festival. It was held in late summer and was an all-day affair with a potluck dinner. Usually a foreign missionary was the speaker and a special offering for missions was taken. Some of the early missionaries were Eric Sovik, Rolf Syrdal, Tvedt, Hjalmer Astrup, Cora Martinson, and Hans Thoreson.

The inevitable change from the use of the Norwegian language to the use of English in the worship service was finally brought about in the latter part of Rev. Oppen's ministry. The secretary's reports were first written in English in 1929.  Some of the members served long terms of office. Mr. O.C. Skov, A.T. Johnson and Amund Flo served as secretary for many years each. George Nelson acted as janitor and bell ringer for many years. Christopher Erickson acted as sexton for a long and undetermined number of years. He passed away in 1954 and since that time his son Arnold has been sexton except for a few years that Paul Flo served in that capacity.

From the early statistics of our congregation we learn these facts

The first baptism by the Rev. Borge was Christian Roland, son of Johan and Martha Roland, on January 22, 1872 .

The first confirmand was Lewis O. Skov on July 23,   1882

The first marriage was on May 28, 1872 and the couple  was Knut Jorgenson Erstad and Anna Syversdatter Broste.

The first funeral was that of Lars Johnson Sletten on October 9, 1879

God blessed our forefathers in their labors. They laid a good foundation and built well, for they built on Christ, the rock. As the years took their toll on the frame church erected on the hill overlooking the Rapidan Dam, interest arose in 1958 on the possibility of erecting a new church building.  After some meetings and discussions, it was decided to build on a new site, rather than on the original historic site. In January 1958 the congregation voted to begin making plans toward construction of a new church. Rev. Earl Peterson was pastor at the time. A canvas of the congregation resulted in pledges totally $28,000, some of which was given immediately and some to a three-year period. A proposal for a $45,000 structure was presented to the Congregation but no action was taken.

In 1960 two acres of land were purchased in the village of Rapidan from the late Carl Bosin for $2,000.  During the time we were raising money, Russell Lawrence and Arnold Anderson rented farm land to the church members. The members donated the labor and the building fund received one half of the proceeds from this enterprise.

In March 1963 the congregation voted to authorize newly-organized committees to go ahead with all necessary studies and plans. As a result, negotiations with an architectural firm were begun.

On December 18, 1963 the congregation accepted the basic plan presented by the planning and building committees for a new church building, authorizing them to contact the firm of E.G. Becchetti, architectural engineer, 25 University Avenue South.

During the summer of 1964, the work progressed rapidly on the new building from ground breaking on April 12, 1964 and the cornerstone laying on May 31, 1964 to the completion of the building.

The members of Calvary Lutheran were truly blessed by God for the ways and means, willing hearts, and generosity of the members. We approached dedication day and the celebration of the 90th anniversary with grateful hearts and thanksgiving to God for His many untold blessings.

Dedication services were held on November 21 and 22, 1964. Pastor Glen R.A. Rachwy was serving our parish at that time. The 90th anniversary service with communion was observed on Saturday evening, with the Rev. Jennings Feroe of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Mankato, was the speaker. On Sunday, November 22, more than 600 people attended services in the new church. At the 10:30 a.m. morning service, the Rev. Lester Peterson, a former pastor, and now of Centerville, South Dakota, was the speaker.

Following a dinner at noon for guests and members, Dr. Edward Hanson, Willmar , President of the SW District delivered the dedicatory service at 2:30 p.m. Greetings were read from Pastors and sister congregations. Greetings were also read from a former pastor, the Rev. Earl Peterson who was then in Paris preparing to work in the mission field in Cameroon, Africa.

The first confirmands in the new church were Sandra Karels, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Karels, Sandra Kay Tarjeson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Tarjeson, and Randall Craig Peterson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lesley Peterson. Pastor Rachuy confirmed them on June 6, 1965.

The first wedding in the new church was that of Claudia Ziegler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Ziegler, and Marvin Franz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Franz . They were married by the Rev. Rachuy.

Pastor Iler P. Anderson held the first baptism on September 26., 1965. The baby was Timothy Lee Hoeft, son of Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Hoeft.

The first funeral was held on February 14, 1965 for Mrs. Carrie Reedstrom who died at the age of 100 years. Pastor Iler Anderson officiated.

In the late summer of 1965 with remorse and nostalgia for the landmark of 90 years, the men of the congregation began the task of razing the old Calvary Lutheran Church building. This church was a precious part of our heritage and the memories were many, especially among the older members. Praise to God for His guidance that we, as His faithful souls, decided to build on the foundation of faith, that future generations may continue to worship God in the new church home.

The material from the razed building was sold at auction on October 8, 1965. Many of the furnishings of the church were taken to the new home-- namely, the altar cross, paraments, candelabra, baptismal , and one pew. This pew is in the Narthex. The pictures from the altar hang in the parish hall. The bell was removed and stored in Claude Nelson's garage and in 1974 a new bell tower was erected and the bell hung. How sweet on a clear Sunday Morning to listen to the clear ringing bell!

Again, we can sing "Praise be to God" for on November 12, 1972 we burned our church mortgage . Participating in the mortgage burning ceremony were Pastor Milford Thompson, Richard Nelson, chairman of the congregation, N.N. Berg and Orville Titrud, chairman of the congregation during the financing and building of the church, Greg Larson, Douglas Randall, and Kindahl Erickson, trustees.

Calvary now has a membership of 265. Confirmed membership is 180 and 60 are enrolled in the Sunday school.

The cemetery is under the perpetual care plan with E.C. Reedstrom, treasurer and Arnold Erickson, caretaker.

On September 7th and 8th, 1974 Calvary was privileged to celebrate its Centennial. A confirmation reunion was held during the evening of September 7th with former members coming from far and near. Greetings were brought from each and interesting events that took place during their years of confirmation were recalled.

On Sunday morning Dr. Edward Hanson, President of the SW Minnesota District preached the sermon. At noon a sumptuous meal was served to all at the Rapidan School . In the afternoon, E. C. Reedstrom read the history of the congregation. Visiting pastors as well as former pastors brought greetings and spoke briefly. Sister congregations also sent congratulations and flowers for the occasion. Many pictures were taken including one outside the building of all the Sunday morning worshippers, by a photographer.

May the younger generation continue the great work, which is entrusted to them so that Calvary Lutheran Church may stand as a beacon light pointing out the path to the harbor, the path to the abundant life in Christ.

"God builds no churches. By His plan that labor has been left to man."

Edgar A. Guest

Written By

Mrs. Evelyn Erickson in 1974

CONTINUED HISTORY OF

CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH

RAPIDAN. MINNESOTA

1975-1999

The preceding history covers the first 100 years in the life of our church from its formation in 1874 to its Centennial Celebration in 1974. This included the building of the original church on the present site of the Calvary Lutheran Cemetery west of Rapidan town. As the membership grew, it was decided to build our present church home in Rapidan town. This building project took place in the summer of 1964 and our new church was dedicated on Nov. 21, and 22, 1964. The following paragraphs will highlight events of the last 25 years.

We have been blessed with dedicated and caring pastors. Rev. Milford Thompson was our pastor from 1969-1976. He and his wife, Adele, resided in Rapidan and faithfully served Redeemer Lutheran of Decoria and Calvary. He resigned from this pastorate in 1976. We then decided to become independent from Redeemer with whom we had shared a pastor since 1965. We then had as our pastor, Hugh Kaste, who also served as Director of Lutheran Social Services in Mankato. Pastor Kaste served us until 1982.

At that time we took a step in faith as we voted to call our first full time resident pastor, Rev. Leon Stier. He and his wife, Nancy, and children Matthew and. Amy lived in Rapidan. Pastor Leon served as shepherd of Calvary's' flock until he accepted another position in December, 1988.

In November, 1989 Rev. William Meiers accepted our call and was installed as our pastor. He and Sonja and children Heidi, Britta, and Christopher have brought many talents to our congregation. Under the leadership of these pastors, our beloved Calvary has continued to thrive and grow in faith and membership. We now have 378 baptized members of which 296 are confirmed members.

In 1978-1981 Calvary joined with Zion of Lake Crystal to participate in an Intern Program. We had as our interns, Bill Russell and Tony Boder. It was a rewarding experience for all of us.

The year 1981 found us again in partnership with Zion as we sponsored a Vietnamese Refugee Family, the Hoc Trans. They were very grateful for the support and help they received. Although the Hoc Trans were not Christians, they were faithful in attendance at either Zion or Calvary. The Hoc Trans family was very industrious and determined to be financially independent. The family later moved to Houston, Texas where they operated two convenience stores. Their five older children have earned college degrees and the youngest child is still in high school.

Our church home was filled with happy pre-schoolers during the years of 1977-1987. Iris Nelson and Sue Sween opened a nursery school named Rainbow's End. When Sue moved away in 1983, Paulette Nelson joined Iris. I'm sure many area children have happy memories of Rainbow's End.

As in the past, Calvary continues to put a strong emphasis on teaching God's word to the children and young people. By 1984 we were happy to have a Sunday school enrollment of 100 students. The need to expand the education area was apparent. After several discussion meetings, a special congregational meeting was held on April 8, 1984. It was voted to obtain funding up to $120,000 for the new addition. A committee was formed to finalize plans, with Rick Buck as chairman. The support of the congregation is summed up in this statement:

“We believe that the building of a parish education unit is essential to our growth in individual maturity and the vitality of our worship and service as a congregation."

The following contracts were awarded:

  Architect-----------------------James Kagermeier Associates of Mankato

  General Contractor-----------Myron Construction of Mankato

  Mechanical Contractor------- Javens Mechanical of Mankato

  Electrical Contractor---------Eagle Electric Co. of Eagle Lake

Groundbreaking occurred August 5, 1984 with Pastor Leon Stier in attendance. The addition was completed that fall. It consisted of 2,520 square feet and included nine rooms at a cost of $95,500. It was dedicated Feb. 17, 1985 which also was the 111th Birthday of Calvary!

A special offering was taken that day for a new carpet in the sanctuary. The mortgage for the addition was burned on Sunday, April 6, 1986.

The Sunday school is well attended by enthusiastic children. In 1984 it was decided to use a portion of the Sunday school offering to support three children in the Christian Mission in Pele, which is in the poor section of Port-au-Prince. Haiti. This continued until 1996. At the present time a monetary offering is sent to a Lutheran Mission in Bogata, Columbia.

The children arc responding to Matthew 25:34. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."

Children's sermons have been common during the worship service on Sundays. Gail Malvin has been preaching to the little ones for quite a few years. Pastor Meiers also speaks to our children frequently.

Some of our children sing their praises to God when participating in the Children's Chorister Choir directed by Sonja Meiers. How sweet it is to hear their happy voices expressing the love and faith in their hearts!

The young people have an active Luther League that meets once a month under the leadership of Brandee Shoemaker. Besides having a good time together, our youth do many projects of service for our church and community. For example, on two Wednesday evenings during the Lenten season the Luther League prepares and serves supper to church members prior to the evening service. They also help with the Easter breakfast served on Easter Sunday. After the disastrous tornado that struck St. Peter in 1998, our youth participated in the cleanup efforts of that community. Also, in the summer of 1998 they worked with Common Ground in building homes in Mankato for the Habitat for Humanity organization. It is not unusual to see them in the fall helping our elderly members clean their yards. They have much to be proud ofl On occasion they have attended National ELCA Youth Conventions. Most recently they have been participants to meetings in Washington D.C. and New Orleans. These conventions have often been a time of spiritual growth for our youth. Finally, for many summers it has become a tradition for the Luther League to go canoeing and camping in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. They have a wonderful time!

As this group nears college age, they may choose to benefit from the John S. Johnson Memorial Fund. Mr. Johnson was a former member of our church who chose to leave a generous portion of his estate to an Education Fund from which Calvary young people could borrow for their college education. Arlen Ostermann administers this fund which has been active since 1977. Since then a total of $123,000 has been loaned to 60 college students and 2 adults attending seminary.

Since 1995 the CLCW has been sponsoring a yearly hayride and picnic each fall at the farm of Jack McGowan. Additional activities such as candle making, climbing Jacob's Ladder, throwing the tomahawk, and riding the zipline are offered and enjoyed by everyone! Gail and Dennis Gremel have been leaders in this event.

Another activity for the CLCW starting in the early 90's has been the Clothing Re-Run Day in October. Notices are placed in the local papers and the Church is opened to the public on a Saturday morning. Used clothing and bedding items are given away for free. Coffee and donuts are served to the public by the ladies. Leftover items are donated to the King's Aid Charity. Paulette Nelson, Lee Sing, Jeanne Howland, and Iris Nelson have been in charge of this yearly CLCW mission project.

For the past three years our CLCW has put on a Christmas Cookie Walk for the public in early December. Lucille Doss has been in charge of this bake sale. The public fills Styrofoam boxes with Christmas goodies for a set fee. This has proved to be a very successful fundraiser for our CLCW.

Finally, on occasion the CLCW has sponsored Mother-Daughter Luncheons. Our themes for the last three luncheons have been; '"Favorite Dolls", "Special Teddy Bears," and "Hats." In May another luncheon is planned. The theme for this one will be "Wedding Dresses and Memorabilia."

On May 8, 1999, we had a very special celebration called the "Mother - Child Event." The theme was wedding dresses and memorabilia. The church was beautifully decorated and a group of men served the ladies and children a delicious luncheon. They also entertained us with various songs.  The afternoon featured a show of wedding garments from 1883-1998. The models were escorted down the aisle by Pastor Meiers.  Everyone had a wonderful time!

Pastor Meiers formed a Men's Bible Study and Breakfast one Saturday morning a month. For our retired members, a monthly Senior Citizens Bible Study is held.   An Adult Bible Study on Sundays during the Sunday school hour is offered. Members have many opportunities for learning. We have been blessed with Pastor Meiers as our minister!

A slight change in the Calvary Constitution by-laws was made in 1985. It was voted to change the number of Council members from 6 deacons and 6 trustees to just 6 elders. Each elder was to serve a 3-year term.

In 1986 Calvary established a Special Proiect Mission Fund. Our first project was to donate $3,000 toward the building of a church in Cameroon, Africa. In June 1987 we were honored to have as our guest speaker, Robert Pendzie, who was the pastor of the new church in Cameroon. At that time Rev. Pendzie was advancing his pastoral education at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.

Calvary had been a member of the American Lutheran Church Synod since 1960. In April-May of 1987 a constituting convention was held in Columbus, Ohio for the purpose of forming the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Synod. They were to combine the synods of:

  American Lutheran Church

  Lutheran Church in America

  Associated Evangelical Lutheran Church.

In 1988 we were officially members of the E.L.C.A. Synod.

A group of nine local churches joined to form the "Common Ground" in 1996. The churches involved at this time are Redeemer of Decoria, Grace, Bethlehem, Messiah, and Christ the King of Mankato, Zion of Lake Crystal, Epiphany of Eagle Lake, Medo Lutheran, and Calvary of Rapidan. Their goal is to further local missions.

In the mid - 90's Calvary sponsored its first Old Tyme Picnic. On a Sunday morning in mid-June services are held in a large tent set up on the north lawn of the church. Pastor Meiers and Sonja arrive in a horse drawn buggy just as our pastors did many years ago. The old hymns are sung and it is a very inspirational service. Later in the afternoon a picnic supper is served to the public. The Blue Ox Jazz Babies and Gerald and Carol Larson and the Keynote Singers have entertained us with their music. To put this picnic on requires the help of many church members. Karen and Duane Bergemann, Lee and Doug Sing, Barb and Dennis Huebsch, Kathy and Ray Thorson, & Jeannie and Tim Howland have been the main organizers of this event.

Our congregation is also blessed by members who are willing to share their time, talents, and money in the service of their church. To list a few, we have devoted Sunday school teachers, hub group leaders, council members, choir members, organists, musicians, church secretaries, and a janitor.

Leonard Kunz has faithfully served as Calvary's janitor for 17 years!

Joan Turtle and Carol Larson have been our organists, and pianists at Calvary for many years. Joan has been playing now for 31 years! She has also served as choir director for many years. Carol has been playing for 39 years! Deb Ireland has been helping now on the piano for a number of years. We have been so blessed by their gifts!

The Calvary Lutheran Cemetery is located one and a half miles west of Rapidan village, at the sight of the former church building. When the church was taken down in 1965 the foundation was also removed. This increased the number of grave lots available by 80 double and 19 single grave sites. More land is available west when more lots are needed. The cemetery is operated under the perpetual care plan. Richard Nelson is the treasurer and Raymond Thorson and Dennis Huebsch are sextons.

The birch tree growing in the Calvary cemetery for more than a century has been dubbed the largest birch tree in the state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources measured the base of the trunk at 10½ feet in circumference. The tree was so identified in May of 1999.

The members of Calvary Lutheran Church continue to be unified in our belief in Jesus Christ as our Risen Lord and Savior. As a family, we rejoice with those among us who are experiencing joyful times, and grieve with those who sorrow. Our faith is best expressed by:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11: 1

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God." Ephesians 2:8

The theme verse for our 125th Anniversary is Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

This is the verse that was displayed on a plaque in the "old" church. As the sound of the church bell ushered members to their pews many years ago this verse was there to remind them of the everlasting certainty of God's love. What was true then, is true now in the 21st century!

We pray for God's continued guidance as we rejoice in the 12Sth Anniversary of Calvary Lutheran Church. Thanks be to God!