Stillwater Free Lutheran Church celebrates 100 years

With its spire pointing heavenward now 100 years, Stillwater Free Lutheran Church exudes a country church charm that touches the souls of all who pass the West Valley landmark.

“Everybody considers this their church,” the Rev. Tim Bartholomew said. “It’s nice that they think of it that way.”

On July 9-10, the congregation celebrated the centennial of their house of worship at the juncture of West Valley and Church drives. Although expanded several times, the core remains very visible as built by Norwegian founders and christened Stillwater Norsk Luterske Menighed.

“In all the remodelings, they’ve kept as much intact as they could,” Bartholomew said. “They’ve done a remarkable job of keeping the old and new together.”

Senior church member Ruth Horn, 95, recalls attending services in the old building when she joined as a bride in 1941. She said the oil lamps had just been switched to electricity and a woodstove right in the front of the sanctuary barely battled back the winter chill.

“They didn’t have any trouble getting people to sit up front,” she said with a laugh. “There was a cold draft in the back.”

With the addition in 1981 that doubled the size of the church, the congregation preserved the old sanctuary and pews but moved forward the altar, communion rail, baptismal font and pulpit that had been hand carved by founding member Mens Nordtome and his son Martin Nordtome.

Mens was the grandfather and Martin was the uncle of current congregation members Carol Starbuck and her sister Elaine Lessor.  Starbuck, now 75, recalled that  grandmother also contributed to founding the second Free Lutheran church in the valley.

“My grandmother was in charge of the ladies aid society,” Starbuck said.

According to a history compiled by church members, the ladies aid group organized social events to raise money for the building as well as to keep members “working for the spiritual benefit of the community.”

“There were ice cream socials, necktie parties, oyster suppers, Thanksgiving dinners and bazaars, and the 17th of May festivals,” the history reports.

 Starbuck’s grandmother marked another first for the church.

“She had the first funeral in the church,” Starbuck said. “She died in 1913.”

Her grandfather Mens was one of the group which decided in January 1911 to build what became Stillwater Free Lutheran Church. Mens then served on the building committee that hired Fred Grinde  to construct their church.

 On July 8 of 1911, people traveled by foot, horseback and buggy to the 3 p.m. service to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone that signaled the start of construction.

 Along with the service, the 1911 event included a meal served in a large shelter built of poles and covered by evergreen boughs called a lov hytte. At the 100-year commemoration, the church youth group built a small replica of the lov hytte, where they sold goodies such as lefse (potato crepe) and rosettes.

Bonnie Upton, organist and 39-year church member, served as the anniversary event coordinator. She and many other members worked together to organize a silent auction, history presentation and an open pit barbecue picnic.

“The big meal is an annual thing,” Upton said. “We started that five years ago.”

Outdoor festivities took advantage of a concrete fire pit, a wood pavilion and large tent added over the years to the church grounds. Young celebrants enjoyed a bounce house and the church’s new playground equipment.

“The favorite fun thing we did was the dunk tank,” Upton said with a laugh. “That water was ice cold.”

Quilt makers used their talents to make a commemoration quilt featuring images of the inside and outside of the classic white church. It was auctioned off, then donated back to the church to frame and to display with a quilt created in 1911, a treasured artifact that includes signatures of the original congregation.

As a special treat for the anniversary, Upton fired up the church’s retired antique pump. Due to holes in the bellows, she had to pump for all she was worth.

“That was fun,” Upton said, “The older people got a kick out it.”

The 1911 congregation would be stunned at the high tech changes that  have taken place in services.

Upton now plays a Clavinova keyboard that simulates an organ as well as a range of other instruments. Church music goes out over a 24-station sound board that Bartholomew said can run anything from a cassette tape to an MP3 player and beyond.

“It’s an old church but pretty high tech,” he said.

 The pastor has moved the pulpit into a corner in favor of the freedom of a wireless mic. Bartholomew presents his sermons on PowerPoint, using a remote control to raise and lower a big screen and flip through images channel through his laptop computer. The church communicates with its website www.stillwaterlutheranchurch.com.

He said these changes were made over time, along with other changes such as adding a youth minister and other staff, purchasing two acres next to the church and planning for a future multipurpose building. An historic change occurred in the 30s when services changed from the Norwegian language to English.

Horn remembers attending the non-English services.

“My husband was born in Norway,” she said. “We had Norwegian services once a month.”

These days, Bartholomew preaches to about 120 worshipers each Sunday at a contemporary praise service at 8:30 a.m. and a traditional service at 11 a.m. Wednesday nights offer AWANA for children, youth meetings and adult Bible study.

Bartholomew said changes caused pain for some but were necessary for survival. He said the congregation has a responsibility to “be faithful to the sacrifices of founders” but the church is not a museum.

“It’s a living, growing organism that has to change,” he said. “The message is the same but the methods of delivery have to change.”

In 2011, the congregation includes a wide mix of backgrounds and people of former faiths. Bartholomew said the quaintness of the country church brought in more than a few as well as serving people outside the confines of the congregation.

“Our openness and servanthood to the neighborhood has grown our church,” he said. “I’m one of a handful of pastors who perform weddings and funerals for people outside the church.”

One thing hasn’t changed as the church moved to affiliate with the Association of Free Lutheran Churches in 1964 and then become a Home Mission congregation in 1975. Stillwater Free Lutheran Church remains locally controlled after a century of services.

Bartholomew describes its organization as an inverted pyramid with the congregation, under God, at the top. He said he has a servant relationship to the congregation, which suits him just fine.

“This congregation has been very good to work with,” Bartholomew said. “That’s why I’m still here 17 years later.”

Like their founders, the congregation follows the Lutheran catechism with an emphasis on following the teachings of the scriptures. An open hand remains extended in help and to welcome to all who chose to enter the bright red doors of the white church.

“One thing I hear a lot is that it’s a comfortable place to be,” Bartholomew said.

Horn, Starbuck and Upton agreed with that assessment. Horn described the congregation as a big family that cares for one another. Upton said she hears new members say they feel like they have come home.

“That’s kind of the way I feel,” she said. “It’s family, it’s home, it’s a great little church.”