Longtime members First Lutheran Church in Pillager is celebrating its 100 year anniversary this weekend, with events planned for both Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28 - 29. Pictured above outside of the church are (from left) longtime members Dan and Pat Long; and Sharon and Gordon Youngblom. The church is hoping many people from the community will stop by at some point during the weekend. Sunday service begins at 9:30 a.m. (Staples World photo by Dawn Timbs) First Lutheran Church of Pillager will celebrate its Centennial anniversary this weekend, with a combination of food, fellowship and worship.

The festivities begin on Sat., Aug. 28, from 2 - 5 p.m. at the Pillager Area Community Center, with “Heritage Day;” and will conclude with a 9:30 a.m. service on Sunday, followed by a fellowship dinner.

“It should be a very full weekend,” said Tom Kavanaugh, church member and Centennial Anniversary Committee Chairman. “We’ve been planning this for about two years; and have had a lot of fundraisers as well. This truly is an effort of our entire congregation.”

Sunday School leaders Edie Pietz (left) and Wendy Jacobson, members of the First Lutheran Church in Pillager, are pictured in what was once the main sanctuary of the church, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend. Pietz served as Sunday School superintendent for many years, a position that Jacobson has held since 2007. (Staples World photo by Dawn Timbs) Saturday is all about food and fellowship, Kavanaugh said, mentioning a pig roast, roasted turkeys and games for the kids.

It will be a time of getting reacquainted with fellow parishioners from the past.

“We’ve got a lot of former pastors who will be coming back for this,” Kavanaugh said. “The Timmermans from the 70’s and 80’s; Pastor Blenkush, Pastor Kathy Ingebritsen and Pastor Berdahl are planning to be here as well.”

Sunday’s service will feature participation from many of the church’s former pastors, as well as a sermon by Bishop Tom Aitken and music by the First Lutheran Choir.

“It should be a really special service,” said Sunday School Superintendent Wendy Jacobson.

Jacobson is also a member of the centennial committee and helped put together a church history booklet which will be available at the celebration.

The booklet is a collection of information gleaned from church history booklets written in 1940, 1960 and 1985, Jacobson said. It also includes highlights from the past 25 years at First Lutheran Church in Pillager.

Hugo Thorene was the first pastor of the Lutheran Church in Pillager, a Swedish speaking congregation.

Prior to the forming of this church, as is noted in the booklet, two Lutheran con- gregations had existed outside of Pillager: one to the southeast called Furuland; and the other to the southwest called Scandia Valley.

At a meeting held in 1910, it was agreed that the two churches should combine into one church located in the town of Pillager. This new congregation would be called First Evangelical Swedish Lutheran Church.

Other decisions made at this meeting were: only men 18 years and older had the right to vote on church matters; church dues should be $3 per year for men and $2 per year for women; and Pastor Thorene was called to serve the congregation and to conduct services every third Sunday afternoon.

Conversation with charter members revealed that during 1911-12, the Scandia Valley church building was bought from Hans Nelson and torn down. Its lumber was hauled with teams and wagons into town and rebuilt upon the lot, obtained from Mr. and Mrs. Olle Johnson, on which it still stands today.

Over the years, the church building has gone through expansion projects; and new parsonages have been built and remodeled.

Pastors salaries have been affected by church membership and the state of the economy. In 1932, as noted in the booklet, the congregation reduced the pastor’s salary from $375 to $300. This no doubt was due to conditions caused by the depression.

In 1967, the First Lutheran Church in Pillager joined Bethany Church in Cushing, becoming one parish and sharing pastoral services.

Although there have been many changes throughout the years (including the decision in 1913 to give church women the right to vote; and in 1933, to use both Swedish and English at regular services), the mission of the First Lutheran Church of Pillager has remained the same: A body of believers building a local institution from which we extend God’s hands and feet: Planting, Rooting, Growing and Harvesting the Seed of Ministry.

For Dan Long, a member since 1947, the church has been a spiritual home for him and his family. “All four of my children were baptized here; I was married twice here, some of my kids are members here. It’s a special place.”

The church is also very involved in the Pillager community; and is home to a number of community meetings, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and School Team dinners.

Currently, Pastors Chris and Heather Culuris, a married couple, lead the combined congregations of First Lutheran in Pillager and Bethany Lutheran in Cushing.

In the Centennial Celebration

booklet, the pastors have written, “One hundred years of serving Christ

in this place is something to celebrate. It is good to gather together, reflect on God’s work through our congregation and celebrate the lives touched by the ministry here.”