Colton Lutheran Church

This folder includes a booklet from their 50th anniversary, a congregational historical record, a booklet from the 70th anniversary, a ewspaper article about the 80th anniversary, a historian’s report for Colton Lutheran Church, a report from the congregational meeting in 1974, an information pamphlet on the church, a booklet for the 90th anniversary, a program for special communion service for the 90th anniversary, and a church constitution.

A young pastor serving a congregation in Portland is credited with beginning Colton Lutheran Church. Pastor Renhard organized the Swedish Colonization Company in 1906 and the Swedish Evangelica lLutheran Carlsborg congregation in 1907. A new church was constructed and on Sunday, June 21, Pastor Renhard organized the Sunday School, celebrated the first services of Holy Communion, and received several new members. In 1937, by a vote of the congregation, English became the official language of the church, but it was not until 1945 that the name of the congregation was changed to Colton Lutheran. In the early 1950s, stained glass windows were installed throughout the nave, a tile floor was laid in the church parlors, and more facilities for Sunday School were built. In 1967 Colton Lutheran Church transferred Camp Colton, a conference ground they had built up and maintained for many years, to the Pacific Northwest Synod of the LCA.