| Summary: | choir. Sadie Baker was the first organist, succeeded by Edith Hurly as early as 1897. There was a very large Sunday School. Rev. Dan- ford's diary recorded "April 26, 1885: preached at Forman, organized Sunday School after the services." The Ladies Aid Society was very active. Their meetings were attended by the entire community and their families, who came to enjoy the food that couldn't be equaled anywhere. Picnics often were held in Bishop's Grove. About 1919 it became increasingly difficult to find Methodist Ministers to serve the parish and the church closed. Most members transferred to the Congregational Church while some attended the Lutheran Church. Several years later the parsonage was sold. The church building went, ironically, from machine shed, to church, to machine shed. The church building, for a time, became a repair garage and finally was torn down about 1923. Trinity Lutheran Church When the immigrants came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the years 1883-1886, they settled in Forman, Rutland and Weber Townships. Their first concern after providing food and shelter for the family was to have the word of God preached to them in the faith and language of their fathers. The first services were held in the Brandt school house, two and one-half miles south of Forman by Rev. Westerlund who was serving the Nordland congregation in Rutland. On Nov. 6, 1887, a Lutheran congregation was organized. The first trustees were Nels Dyste, J.C. Brandt, Even Fjelstad, Nels Arntzen and Even Dyste. It was called the Scandinavian Evangelical Church. In 1968 the name was changed to Trinity Lutheran. Pastor Westerlund served until 1891. The congregation was incorporated under the laws of North Dakota on Jan. 8, 1894. Rev. Rasmus Lavik was called to Milnor and adjoining congregations. He held services alternately at the Brandt school and in Forman. Services in Forman were held in the Congregational Church or in the public schoolhouse. The people going to the Brandt schoolhouse later met in the Sannes schoolhouse about six miles south and one mile east of Forman. Forman felt the need of a resident pastor and one who could speak English, so lots for a parsonage and TRINITY LUTHERAN Church was organized in 1887 and a church built in 1914. THE NEW BUILDING was dedicated May 4, 1969. church were purchased in 1911. Forman, Cogswell and Rutland called Rev. Sander Tollefson. He served until 1916. The parsonage and barn were constructed in 1912 in Forman. In 1914 Trinity Church was constructed for $4,500. Rev. Tollefson had taken over temporary services in Rutland in 1915 along with his other congregations. When he resigned in 1916 Cogswell and Brampton formed their own parish and Forman and Rutland another. Rev. Gjernes was installed in Forman on Aug. 12, 1917. He resigned in 1954 because of ill health. He continued to serve until Rev. John Rotto accepted the call and was installed July 31, 1955 by Rev. Gjernes. The ground breaking for the Christian Education Building was conducted on July 13, 1958, and the building was dedicated June 14, 1959. Rev. Rotto served until the summer of 1960 when Rev. Nordby came as interim pastor. John Berg served from 1961 to 1965. The Rutland pastor was interim until Gary Clark began in November, 1966. For some time the question of remodeling or building a new church had come before the congregation. When it was decided to build a new church, the following members were appointed to the building committee: Neil Anderson, Robert Case, Herbert Disney, John Dyste, Ardell Hansen, Cyril Kudelka, Cora Mollerop, Donald Olson, Blanche Seavert and Clarence Sundquist. Ardell Hansen was elected chairman and the church was dedicated May 4, 1969 with Pastors Gjernes, Rotto, Berg and Clark taking part. Pastor Ose was installed Oct. 18, 1970. Again there was a question of whether to repair or build a new parsonage. The parsonage committee members were Con Colby, Magnus Ekstrom, O.C. Engle and Ron Henrickson with Con Colby as chairman. The building was dedicated Pentacost Sunday, June 6, 1976. The mortgage was burned in 1982. When Pastor Ose left in September, 1977, Pastor Warren Bigelow served from Jan. 1,1978, until he died Aug. 12, 1979. The present pastor, Gary Van Hunnik, was installed Jan. 20, 1980. Among dedicated organists who served for long periods of time were Bertha Dyste Hurly who started at such a young age she could hardly reach the pedals, Mrs. Gilman Maltrud and Mrs. Glenn Oleson. There have been a great number of volunteers among the young members of the church. The first Sunday School taught by the pioneer mothers was in the Norwegian language. Later the Congregational Church and Trinity had a Union Sunday School. In 1917 Trinity decided to have its own organization and since that time, there have been many, many devoted teachers. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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