Buena Vista County, IA
USGenWeb Project




History of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Sioux Rapids, Buena Vista County, Iowa
 

The church bearing the above name was organized in Sioux Rapids, May 11, 1871.  C. W. Johnson was the first leader of the society.  Other officers elected were Svend Pederson, secretary; Ole H. Dahl, cashier; Peter Johnson, O. Storla, and H. Storla, deacons; Peter Jacobson, and Ole Halvorson, trustees.  A. P. Aaserid was the first minister.

 

Services were held for several years in the courthouse, which was then situated in Sioux Rapids, and also in the schoolhouse and in private homes.  The first church, a building thirty by forty, was erected in 1882.  An addition, twenty-four by twenty-eight, was built in the summer of 1894, besides a small part for the altar.  The present parsonage was erected in the summer of 1891, and the society now owns a splendid property in every respect.

 

The present officers are constituted as follows:  deacons:  T. Colby, B. O. Christenson, A. Tallaksen; trustees:  P. E. Barstad, A. Refsland, and H. L. Halvorson; secretary, G. O. Osmundson.  The membership of the church society numbers three hundred and thirty.

 

The Sunday school:  H. B. Urdahl, superintendent, and Sophia Erdahl, secretary.

 

The Young People's Society:  Halfdan Helmers, president.

 

Lee Centre Ladies Aid Society (in the country):  Mrs. Albert Hanson, is president.

 

Sioux Rapids Ladies Aid Society:  Laura Landsness, president, and Mrs. H. Helmers, secretary.

 

There are two societies composed of the young ladies of the church, one called The Young Ladies Society, with Augusta Johnson as president, and the other called the Young Girl's Society, with Julia Christensen as its president.

 

The present pastor is now organizing an English Lutheran church in Rembrandt, at which place he has been holding services since the fall of 1908.

 

The following ministers have been pastors of this church:  Revs. A. P. Aaserid, Amon Johnson, P. Matson, H. O. Helmers, and the present pastor, Henry Noss.

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Extracted from:  Wegerslev, C. H. and Thomas Walpole.  "Sioux Rapids."  Past and Present of Buena Vista County, Iowa.  Chicago:  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909, p. 182.



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