| Summary: | Clarence Solberg: Ordained 1942. Served in Bison, South Dakota; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Area missionary in northern California, assistant director of Home Missions, ELC; Regional director of Home Missions in NW United States, western Canada and Alaska; Executive assistant to president of Northern Wisconsin District ALC. Since 1969, Bishop of North Pacific of American Lutheran Church. Glenn Hetland: Ordained in 1960, served ten years as a missionary to Brazil, later served at Beltrami, Minnesota and now at Van Nuys, California. David Lura: Attended Wartburg College, Iowa two years, one year clinical training in Lincoln, Nebraska, served in Navy for four years, graduated from University of Hawaii in 1976, completed Master of Divinity, Illif, Colorado in May 1980, called as pastor in Rock- ford Methodist Church at Rockford, Washington, where he is serving at the present time. ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH (Lutheran Brethren) 1881-1981 The Zion Lutheran Church had its beginning in 1881 when a group of immigrants from Norway settled along the Sheyenne River and on the prairie in what is now Sverdrup and Bald Hill Townships. At first they met for worship on Sundays in their sod and log houses. The preachers were two men from the group which came that spring, namely, Ola Westley and Andreas Vatne. In the summer of 1881 Pastor P. Nykreim of the Norwegian Lutheran Conference visited the newcomers. Encouraged by him, they, together with several others who had recently arrived from Minnesota, organized the "Thime Norsk Evangeliske Lutherske Menighed" October 16, 1881. Fourteen settlers were enrolled as members. Pastor Nykreim was elected chairman. Early members were the families of Ola Westley, Ole Stokka, Betuel Herigstad, Nils Herigstad, Andreas Vatne, Martin Lunde, Sven Lunde, Ole Lima, Peder Wuflestad, Jens Bull, Torkel Fuglestad, Endre Aarestad, Betuel Lunde, Elling Froiland, Tonnes Vatne, Karl Lende, Arnt Njaa, Hans Braasten, Christoffer Ashland, Ingeborg Soma, Sven Loge and Waldemar Klubben. Pastor Lundeby from the Goose River area served the congregation in 1883, and the next year the congregation divided when 13 of the members reorganized into Elim Norwegian Evangelical Congregation and became associated with Hauge Synod with Pastor Jacob Nesheim from Norway serving as minister. On June 23, 1886 they acquired land for a cemetery and a building site for a church. The land was donated by Ola Westley. The first burial in the cemetery was that of an infant and the second burial, which occurred in 1888, was that of Vilhelm Vatne, first husband of Ane Lima Vatne. In 1896 Elim joined with Hoiland congregation and took the name Ebenezer Norwegian Lutheran Church. The congregation remained an independent Lutheran Church and was served by pastors from Hauge Synod and the Lutheran Free Church. On December 19, 1896 the future pastor, O.J. Edwards from Red Wing, Minnesota arrived. Services were held in the schoolhouse near the Jorgen Soma farm home. In February 1897 the congregation numbered more than 30 voting male members over 18 years of age. Later that same year the congregation purchased 40 acres of land on which they erected buildings for the pastor and his family. As time went on the schoolhouse became too small for the increased attendance and they began to make plans for building a church. On December 20, 1901 a meeting of the trustees was held to discuss the matter. This was followed by a meeting of the entire congregation the next day. Several plans for an adequate size building were submitted. The estimated cost was $1,000 or less. The seating capacity would be approximately 115. The Ladies Aid had requested that the building of the church be started in the spring. The Ladies Aid had $600 in its treasury toward this project, and with an additional $300 from the congregation they believed they would have sufficient funds with which to erect a small, attractive and solid church. In response to the request of the Ladies Aid the congregation resolved to begin the work in the course of the winter by hauling sand and stone, and then after the spring work finish the foundation and make further decisions as they found best. Zion (Westley) Lutheran Church south of Cooperstown. The building was begun in the spring of 1902 at the site donated earlier, which is located five miles south and two miles east of Cooperstown. It consisted of a main auditorium and a smaller side-room partitioned off by wood folding-doors. This room had a cookstove in one corner and was used as a kitchen and a place for serving food whenever afternoon services were held in addition to the forenoon service. It was used on Sunday mornings for the adult Bible class and also provided extra seating space to accommodate overflow crowds. The Sunday school classes met in various areas in the main auditorium. The first funeral service conducted in the new church was in December of 1902 for a young man, Baard Nilsen Herigstad. -164- Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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