Hope Lutheran Church

This folder contains a copy of a newspaper article about the church, a congregational historical record, a booklet from the 20th anniversary, a bulletin from 1963, a report of the organization of a new congregation, a request for permission to organize a congregation, a bulletin from the dedication service 1965, a bulletin from the installation of pastor Wesley Howell 1987, a bulletin from 1980, and a brief history of the church.

Hope was the first mission congregation of the new LCA, organized on May 5, 1963. With strong lay and pastoral leadership, the congregation enjoyed a good beginning, with 113 persons present at the first worship service and 134 baptized members on the charter roll. A parsonage and building site were purchased, and on December 12, 1965 the first service was held in the present structure. On January 7, 1968 Rev. Ronald F. Moen was installed as Hope’s second pastor. One of the highlights of Pastor Moen’s tenure was the organization of “Hope School for the Special Child" for children with disabilities. It offered a Sunday School experience (on Saturdays) and was the only school of its kind in the area. Facility improvements have included the remodeling of the church kitchen and conversion of the parsonage into an education building.