The Elk Creek Lutheran Church of Hale was formed on Monday, June 25, 1877 when a few men from the area gathered at the North Branch School to organize the church and begin work on a constitution. Worship services in those formative years were held mostly on a monthly basis, one Sunday a month and several other services on various weekdays.
No plans for a church building existed until a Building Committee was elected at a church meeting at the neighboring South Branch School on April 2, 1887. Their task was to locate and acquire land suitable to build a permanent place to worship. Work on the new church building began just over 2 years later on June 15, 1889 with a foundation that was built by members using stones from the nearby hills. In June of 1890 the congregation accepted a bid from one Mr. Herid who agreed to build the church for $500.
The very first service to be held in the yet to be completed church was the Christmas program of 1890. The people of God gathered with great joy in their new place of worship to praise, honor & remember God’s entrance into our world.
In the 140 years since the formation of the Elk Creek Lutheran Church of Hale many challenges and changes have influenced the appearance of our congregation. A fire destroyed the church on September 5, 1914 and three days later the people of Elk Creek gathered together on a scarred, barren site to worship and begin plans to rebuild. A new church, complete with the baptismal font rescued from the first church and a newly crafted hand carved altar was completed by June of 1916. In 1935 the English language was introduced into the worship services, first by alternating with the Norwegian services and eventually giving way completely. 1937 brought the modern improvements of a new asphalt roof and electricity. In 1950 the decision was made to build a parsonage and construction began the following year. Stained glass windows were installed throughout the sanctuary in 1958 and in 1967 a Sunday School addition was added to the south side of the church. In 1977 the sanctuary was extensively remodeled and the basement received similar treatment in the early 1980s. 1990 brought about a major physical change with the installation of an elevator to serve all three levels of the church. The new millennium ushered in the addition of a new organ, sound system & air conditioning. In 2010, our current improvement project began - an addition to the east side of the building to accommodate two new handicap accessible bathrooms.
As God’s people empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to proclaim the Good News of God in Jesus Christ we have seen a great many changes and endured a multitude of challenges as the Body of Christ here in this place. We look to the future, proclaiming as the author of Psalm does that our help is indeed in the Lord.
No plans for a church building existed until a Building Committee was elected at a church meeting at the neighboring South Branch School on April 2, 1887. Their task was to locate and acquire land suitable to build a permanent place to worship. Work on the new church building began just over 2 years later on June 15, 1889 with a foundation that was built by members using stones from the nearby hills. In June of 1890 the congregation accepted a bid from one Mr. Herid who agreed to build the church for $500.
The very first service to be held in the yet to be completed church was the Christmas program of 1890. The people of God gathered with great joy in their new place of worship to praise, honor & remember God’s entrance into our world.
In the 140 years since the formation of the Elk Creek Lutheran Church of Hale many challenges and changes have influenced the appearance of our congregation. A fire destroyed the church on September 5, 1914 and three days later the people of Elk Creek gathered together on a scarred, barren site to worship and begin plans to rebuild. A new church, complete with the baptismal font rescued from the first church and a newly crafted hand carved altar was completed by June of 1916. In 1935 the English language was introduced into the worship services, first by alternating with the Norwegian services and eventually giving way completely. 1937 brought the modern improvements of a new asphalt roof and electricity. In 1950 the decision was made to build a parsonage and construction began the following year. Stained glass windows were installed throughout the sanctuary in 1958 and in 1967 a Sunday School addition was added to the south side of the church. In 1977 the sanctuary was extensively remodeled and the basement received similar treatment in the early 1980s. 1990 brought about a major physical change with the installation of an elevator to serve all three levels of the church. The new millennium ushered in the addition of a new organ, sound system & air conditioning. In 2010, our current improvement project began - an addition to the east side of the building to accommodate two new handicap accessible bathrooms.
As God’s people empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to proclaim the Good News of God in Jesus Christ we have seen a great many changes and endured a multitude of challenges as the Body of Christ here in this place. We look to the future, proclaiming as the author of Psalm does that our help is indeed in the Lord.
