History of Little Cedar Lutheran Church-2004 Website
This history was taken from the 2004 Little Cedar Church website.
Let us take a quick look back to the very beginning of our congregation when a small group of pioneers, whose strong belief in God and the Christian faith, prompted them to gather for prayer and a worship service.
These pioneers had left Norway. They came to Dane County, Wisconsin and, after a short stay there, they came west to Adams, Minnesota by ox team. Here, the first log cabin was erected. It was the home of Helge Erickson Floen. It was 18 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet high. The roof was thatched with hay and sod and the floor was made from poles of red ash. There was, at that time, an abundance of timber, along with fertile soil and good water. These were fine advantages in a new home.
The Township of Adams was settled exclusively by foreign-born Norwegians, Germans and Irish. To the Irishman, William Madden, goes the credit for naming the township Adams, after one of his friends in New York State.
The first deaths in the township were those of Stephan Olson and Stephan Christianson. The two of them had set out on a December morning for Six Mile Grove in Nevada Township by ox team to procure some badly needed food. The people in Six Mile Grove had been in this area one year previously and had gotten out a crop. On their way home, they were overtaken by a severe blizzard, lost their way and froze to death. During the night, the oxen somehow managed to find their way home. Each man left a widow and one child. A daughter was born to Stephan Olson’s widow a few days after his death; she also died and was the first white child born and baptized in Adams Township.
This must have been an incident which triggered the need for church services and Rev. C. L. Clausen held an organizational meeting in the home of Helge Erickson Floen. In June, 1856, Pastor Clausen conducted the first service at the home of the widows of Stephen Olson and Stephan Christianson. The first Lutheran clergyman to settle in the township was the German, Rev. Christian Hildebrand. He came to Adams Township in 1858. He died in December 1864 and was buried on his own homestead (Section 30, Adams Township).
The Little Cedar congregation was first organized on November 26, 1859, at a meeting in the log home of Hans Erickson Floen, (the present James Bergene farm). After much discussion, it was agreed to build the church in section 4 of Adams Township, where the cemetery is now located. It was named after the Little Cedar River which originates in Marshall Township.
The first church, a log structure, was built during the war in 1863. Each member furnished a certain number of logs. The dimensions of the church were 30 feet by 40 feet by 16 feet high. For four years, the pastor was whoever happened to be the circuit rider at the time.
Our congregation was named after the Little Cedar River which flowed near the early church site. One-half acre of land was purchased from Rasmus Vigness as a site for a church and burial ground (the present cemetery).
Shortly following the organization of the congregation, the Civil War erupted in 1861. At every call for men to join the armed forces proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln, the Norwegians were among the first to respond in great numbers. Those leaving from Adams Township were mustered into the 15th Wisconsin Regiment also called the Scandinavian Regiment, and when they marched through Chicago on their way south, they numbered about 1100 men. Pastor Clausen was called as a chaplain and accompanied them through many of their engagements. Then, the soldiers came home in 1865 and, with them, the Danish born Rev. Clausen, and in October 1867, delegates from Rock Creek, Six Mile Grove, Little Cedar and Red Oak Grove, met with him in his parsonage in St. Ansgar, Iowa. He agreed to serve the parish with Little Cedar having 12 services a year and paying him $148 for the year.
PASTOR C. L. CLAUSEN 1859-1871
Before being called on a yearly basis, Pastor Clausen had been active in the congregation. He helped organize it and held a first service at the home of the widows Olson and Christianson just east of Adams. The next worship service was conducted by Pastor Adolph Preus at the home of John Olson Hesjedal in Sec.31 of Clayton Township where Marshall Church is located. Later, most of the services were held in the Eric Knutson Aaberg home and in his grove when weather permitted. This location was north of the village limits on the west side of the road.
A burial plot was dedicated a short distance south and west of the village, along Highway 7 by the bridge and grove of trees on the pastureland of Harvey Sathre's farm. Eleven people were buried there. No markers are left.
Pastor Clausen was a busy man with a lot of miles to travel and the Rev. P. G. Ostby was called to assist him. Then, during the month of April in 1871, a parish was organized consisting of Austin, Red Oak Grove, Blooming Prairie and Little Cedar. The settlement was coming of age. It was now more than twenty years old. Most of the land was in private hands and was cultivated. Rev. Ostby was called as pastor and accepted. He resided in Austin and furnished his own home.
More about Claus Lauritz Clausen can be found on the site about the Wisconsin 15th Regiment.
PASTOR P. G. OSTBY 1871-1877
During Pastor Ostby's pastorate, it was decided to build a new frame church the same site as the log church. The old church was dismantled and sold for $75 and moved to the Village of Adams, where it was reassembled.
A new frame church was built with measurements of 40 feet by 60 feet by 20 feet high with a chancel sacristy 16 feet by 24 feet by 16 feet high. The steeple was 102 feet including the spire. In addition to the building, a one-half acre of land from John Olson Hesjedal was chased making a total of one acre for church and cemetery.
The church building was finished in the Fall of 1876. It was not furnished except for the pulpit. The times were difficult and over $1200 that had been scribed was in arrears and never paid. Women of the church were very eager to assist in helping furnish the new church, so the Ladies Aid Society that had been organized two years earlier (in 1874) helped in any way they could. When it was dedicated, it still needed a bell, an organ and light fixtures.
The first marriage in the new frame church was on Feb.7, 1877; that of Anton Asper and Annie Johnson. The congregation adopted a Constitution and By-Laws in 1876 and was incorporated under the laws of Minnesota in 1879. (In 1947 these were translated from Norwegian to English and printed in book form).
REV. B. B. GJELDAKER 1877-1881
In the latter part of 1877, another parish alignment was made and Six Mile Grove, Mona, Lyle and Little Cedar were joined in a parish and called Rev. B. B. Gjeldaker as pastor at a salary of $700 a year. He lived in Lyle. He served this parish until the latter part of 1881, along with two assistants.
REV. J. MULLER EGGEN 1881-1900
In 1881, the parish called Rev. J. Muller Eggen at a salary of $700, who served from January 1, 1881 until 1900. During his pastorate, a church bell was purchased in 1888 (weight 1100 Ibs.). It was rung for the first time at the funeral of Carl Holstad, son of John and Ida Olson Holstad.
In 1891, the Young Peoples Society purchased an organ. Then they had a concert and charged admission to raise money to buy the chandeliers.
An altar was handmade by a furniture craftsman and put into the church.
Pastor Eggen preached his first sermon in Little Cedar congregation on Maundy Thursday in 1881. He lived near the Six Mile Grove Church near Lyle and served the four congregations. He was pastor in this parish for nineteen years but, because of ill health, numerous pastors substituted for him during 1900.
The first census of the congregation was taken in 1883.
The first interment in the new cemetery was Ole Thorstad's first wife.
REV. WM. A. RASMUSSEN 1900-1906
Pastor Wm. A. Rasmussen accepted the call to Little Cedar congregation under the conditions that a parsonage be built.
In 1900, Little Cedar and West LeRoy became a parish and the distance between the two was not so great as when the four congregations were involved. The two churches rented a house for the Rasmussen family while the parsonage was being built in the Village of Adams. The plot, two lots plus five acres, on which the parsonage was built was purchased from Lars Slindee for $450. Total cost of the project was $3483.93 which included the house, barn, outhouses and land. Pastor Rasmussen served these two congregations for five and one-half years.
In 1900, the ladies of the village, organized themselves into a Ladies Aid and had as its main goal to work for a church. A meeting had been held two years before at Sabel's Hall, Adams, (the exact spot on which Wagner's Foods is now located) to make plans for the erection of a building that could be used for the Christian training of the children and for a place of worship But this matter was dropped. Then, in 1905, they planned to buy a hall (no doubt Sabel's Hall) for a place where services could be held, but this, too, failed. The women did not give up and the enthusiasm of the men was also aroused. After nine years of determination, it was decided to build a church. But build it where? Three locations were suggested. The people in the village could see no other location but in town inasmuch as there were no automobiles and most of the village residents owned no horses. Finally it was decided to build a church in the village with the understanding that the building be paid in full when completed. When the last nail was driven in, in 1908, it was debt free. By that time, the congregation had a new pastor.
REV. O. C. MYHRE 1906-1915
Rev. O. C. Myhre was the second pastor to live in the new parsonage. He accepted a call in 1906 and was pastor when the village church was built. The cornerstone was laid September 1, 1907, and the first service was held on March 22,1908. The children of Alfred Schroeder, butter maker at the local creamery, and Ole Rudlong were the first babies baptized.
The new church was dedicated on October 25,1908. A bell was installed in the new church on February 27, 1909 and was rung the following day for the first time. It was presented to the congregation by Lars Ellingson in memory of his parents and dedicated on Sunday afternoon, March 8,1909. Meanwhile, the little white church in the country was still flourishing and preparing for its 50th anniversary as a congregation on November 28, 1909. Extensive remodeling was done before the celebration was held. Its days were numbered, however. In June, 1910, the little frame church burned to the ground. It was believed that a spark from a passing train ignited the fire.
Also during Pastor Myhre's pastorate, the Young People's Society was reactivated at McKinley School on May 4,1906.
The first marriage in the new church in town was on April 22, 1908; that of Oscar Ellefson and Dena J. O. Stoa. The first funeral service in the church was for Martin Wold on September 14, 1908.
REV. C. B. RUNSVOLD 1915-1919
In 1915, Rev. Runsvold was called as pastor and, during his pastorate; a new system of religious instruction was introduced, whereby the congregation had continuous religious school during the whole school year, in connection with the public school, known as Released Time. On October 16, 1916, the congregation authorized the trustees to purchase the country schoolhouse from District No. 7 near the Almon Sorenson farm and move it to lots adjacent to the public school. The purchase price was $181 and was paid by the Ladies Aid; the lots were paid for by the Young People's Society. Scheduled classes were held each day. To assure its continuance, Lars Ellingson, in his Will, set aside a $10,000 trust fund, interest on which was to be used for the Weekday School. A Lutheran Brotherhood was organized also during Pastor Runsvold's pastorate but was not a lasting organization.
REV. O. C. BRENNA 1919-1927
In 1919 realignment again took place and Marshall Congregation, together with Little Cedar made up the parish and called Rev. O.C. Brenna.
REV. ALFRED BREIVIK 1928-1947
Pastor Breivik was called in November, 1927, and was installed in May,1928. During his first year, the three Ladies Aids, the Northeast, West and Village, united and called themselves the Adams Lutheran Ladies Aid of Little Cedar Church. Also, in 1928, twelve Mission Circles were formed from the membership of the Ladies Aid, the first meetings being held in January, 1929. In 1928, a Junior Choir was organized and sang in church occasionally.
In 1929, it was decided to hold a 70th anniversary celebration. Preparatory to this, a new slate roof was put on the church. The Ladies Aid had the church redecorated, and a pipe organ was installed. This was a gift from the Luther League and purchased from St. Olaf Church in Austin after a tornado destroyed most of their church.
In 1934, the congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary; in 1935 a children’s chorus was started, in 1938 a sacristy was added to the church, the chancel was enlarged and improved, as well as the main church being reconditioned. In 1941, the Luther League bought carpeting for the chancellery and center aisle.
During his pastorate, Rev. Breivik led the congregation in Norwegian services, later alternating English and Norwegian every other Sunday, then to Norwegian only once a month, and, finally, to all English services.
REV. LUTHER BERVEN 1948-1950
On May 4, 1947, Luther Berven first came to preach to the congregations at Little Cedar and Marshall Churches. He was then a student at St. Paul Seminary. He was hired temporarily until his ordination on June 6,1948, when he was given a call to be pastor and accepted. During his pastorate in 1948, there were improvements made to the church. The outside brick was pointed, floors were braced, new ceiling installed in the auditorium, floors sanded, woodwork varnished, walls repainted and a new furnace installed. In 1949, the kitchen was remodeled in the basement and a new Wurlitzer organ was installed.
Miss Ida Anderson resigned as organist in 1948 after 40 years of faithful service.
REV. M. L. WITTE 1950-1957
In 1950, Pastor Marvin Witte accepted a call to serve Marshall and Little Cedar congregations. His wife, Ardis, became the church organist. In 1951, the parsonage was extensively remodeled. A Mother's Club was organized. The balcony of the church was reinforced in 1953 and water and sewer facilities were brought into the parochial school. Commemorative plates were also offered for sale that year. In August, 1954, a new copper gold-leaf cross was installed on the church in memory of Martin and Kenneth Severson. The ladies of the church began making baptismal towels in 1952 to be given to each baby who was baptized. In 1955, the Ladies Aid voted to sponsor a missionary and have done so since that time.
REV. TRUMAN MOHN 1957-1962
Upon Rev. Witte's resignation in the spring of 1957, Rev. Truman Mohn was called to serve. He accepted and was installed on October 20, 1957. During this period, interest was high in improving our educational facilities and on June 20, 1962, it was voted to build a new educational unit. Architects were hired, a building pledge system initiated and building and finance committees chosen. The estimated cost was set at $140,000.
This period also brought about a large increase in the voting membership of the church, for in 1959, the women of Little Cedar were granted that privilege. An altar guild was organized in 1959 and was very active for a few years. In 1961, a ramp was built at the back of the church for members and friends who used wheelchairs. The congregation adopted a trust system for cemetery upkeep in 1961.
REV. WAYNE QUIBELL 1963-1976
Following the resignation of Pastor Mohn, Wayne Quibell, then a student at Luther Seminary, was called. He accepted in March,1963, and immediately began serving as interim pastor of the congregation by commuting to Adams during the weekends. Upon completion of classes, he graduated from the seminary in June, 1963, and was ordained on September 22,1963. The move from St. Paul to Adams was, in reality, a return to Adams, for Pastor Quibell had served as weekday Bible school teacher here during the 1961-1962 term.
Plans for the new educational building progressed rapidly and on April 14, 1963, ground-breaking services were held. First classes in the new building were in session on January 20,1964. On April 5, 1964, dedication services were held. With its completion, education facilities advanced from the little one room schoolhouse and the curtained spaces in the church basement to the large well-furnished classrooms which can be subdivided, an office for the pastor, office for the secretary, storage and workroom, a lovely library, a fellowship hall seating 200 and a well-equipped kitchen.
Early in 1968, a decision was made to erect a new parsonage. A building committee was chosen and an architect and contractor hired. The former parsonage was sold for $1050 and moved to the Marvin Winkels farm in rural LeRoy. Dedication of the new parsonage and open house reception were held on November 2, 1969.
In 1972, a picture book of members of Marshall and Little Cedar Churches was published.
A resolution to start a building fund for a new church was passed in January, 1974. At a special meeting of the congregation in September,1975, it was voted to enter into a building program. On Dec. 9, 1975, a gift of $90,000 was willed to the church from the estate of Ida Rudlong. This was a great boost for the building program and, in June, 1976, a plan for the new church was accepted.
The first woman to serve on the Church Council was Frieda Prescott in 1975.
REV. ALLEN GUNDERSON 1976-1999
Rev. Allen Gunderson accepted a call to Little Cedar congregation following the resignation of Pastor Quibell in 1976. On April 27, 1977, ground-breaking services were held for a new church. It would include a church sanctuary, narthex, pastor's office, secretary's office and workroom, six classrooms, choir room and restrooms. It Joined the educational unit on the north. The pastor's office in the educational building was made into a conference room and the secretary's office into an office for the associate pastor.
On Christmas Day, 1977, the last services were held in the old brick church. The first services in the new church were scheduled for January 1,1978, but were cancelled due to a snowstorm. The following Sunday, January 8, the first service was held with holy communion being celebrated and the baptism of Matthew James Osmundson (son of James and Joni Osmundson). The church was filled. On October 8, 1978 the box in the cornerstone of the new church was laid. Dedication was on February 19, 1978.
On January 17, 1978, the old altar and altar railing were donated to the Mower County Historical Society and are now in the small church on the fairgrounds in Austin, Minnesota. On April 8, 1978, an auction was held to sell some of the furnishings and also the church building. Members could donate items to be sold. It was a public auction and the money went to the building fund.
In 1981, Pastor Gunderson taught Bethel Bible Series classes to prospective teachers and in 1982, the entire congregation was given the opportunity to take the series.
1977 found the initiation of the monthly newsletter to the congregation called "The Churchmouse". In January, 1983, "Cedar Chips" was started. This is a newsletter to the young people of our church who are living away from Adams and it is about the people and events happening “back home." Devotional booklets are sent along with it.
The first funeral in the new church was for Lloyd Uglum on January 17,1978, and the first wedding was Debbie Monson (daughter of Ben and Delores Monson) and Jeffrey A. Couture on March 20, 1978.
On February 12, 1980, an organ committee was chosen to look into another organ purchase. After several meetings, the congregation voted to buy a pipe organ. The contract for the hand-built organ was awarded to Hendrickson Organ Co. of St. Peter, Minnesota on October 10, 1982, with delivery in 37 months at a cost of $97,000.
REV. NANCY WIGDAHL 1980-1987
Miss Nancy Wigdahl came to Adams in 1979 as teacher of the release-time weekday school at Adams, Rose Creek and Elkton. In 1980, Nancy was certified for call as a pastor. The parish sent her a letter of call to serve as associate pastor of Little Cedar and Marshall Congregations. She was ordained and installed at services at Little Cedar on August 24, 1980. Rev. Wigdahl continued to teach the release time classes besides a variety of other pastoral duties.
REV. DONNA JOSEPH 1987-1999
Pastor Joseph came to Adams in 1999 as Associate Pastor for Youth. She taught Weekday School and junior confirmation classes as well as a variety of other pastoral duties. She resigned in August 1999 to accept a call in Des Moines, Iowa.
REV. RICHARD KASTNER 2000-2001
Pastor Kastner has been serving Little Cedar and Marshall Lutheran Churches as interim minister since January 1, 2000.
Pastor Wm. Rasmussen accepted a call as pastor in 1900 with the stipulation that a parsonage be built. Five acres of land were purchased for the sum of $450 and a parsonage was constructed.
For two years previously, people in the Village of Adams had talked of renting a building for worship instead of going out into the country for most of the village residents did not own horses. It took many years, but on March 22, 1908, the first service was held in the village church with the parsonage close by. Now, the parsonage was occupied by Pastor O. C. Myhre and his family, who assumed the pastor’s duties in 1906. At the same time, extensive remodeling was done on the church in the country in preparation for its 50th anniversary in November, 1909. The following summer, in June, 1910, the lovely frame church burned to the ground. It was believed that a spark from a passing train ignited it.
C. B. Runsvold was the next pastor from 1915 to 1919 and, during his pastorate; the weekday school was introduced and continues to this time. Pastor O. C. Brenna followed in 1919, Pastor Alfred Brevik in 1928, Pastor Luther Berven in 1948, Pastor M. L. Witte in 1950, followed by Pastor Truman Mohn in 1957, Pastor Wayne Quibell in 1963, Pastor Allen Gunderson in 1976, Associate Pastor Nancy Wigdahl in 1980, and, at the present time, Pastor Gunderson and Pastor Donna Joseph.
Little Cedar congregation dedicated a new educational building in April, 1964 and a new parsonage was built in 1968. Groundbreaking for a new church was held in April, 1977.
The last services in the old brick church were held on Christmas Day, 1977. On January 8, 1978, services were held for the first time in our present church. A snowstorm caused the cancellation of services on the previous Sunday.
On October 29,1989, a new tracker action pipe organ was dedicated. Since that time, three more ranks of pipes have been added bringing the total of pipes to 1002. Also added, was a set of 25 Peterson chimes playable from the organ on a separate keyboard. A bell choir has also been established. The parsonage was sold in 1995 and the pastor purchased his own home. We continue to operate weekday school directed by the assistant pastor. This involves students from many area churches. Each fall we serve approximately 1200 people at our lutefisk dinner and bazaar. Almost the entire congregation participates and the money is used for various purposes.
We pray the church may continue to grow and prosper for the Lord.
Let us take a quick look back to the very beginning of our congregation when a small group of pioneers, whose strong belief in God and the Christian faith, prompted them to gather for prayer and a worship service.
These pioneers had left Norway. They came to Dane County, Wisconsin and, after a short stay there, they came west to Adams, Minnesota by ox team. Here, the first log cabin was erected. It was the home of Helge Erickson Floen. It was 18 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet high. The roof was thatched with hay and sod and the floor was made from poles of red ash. There was, at that time, an abundance of timber, along with fertile soil and good water. These were fine advantages in a new home.
The Township of Adams was settled exclusively by foreign-born Norwegians, Germans and Irish. To the Irishman, William Madden, goes the credit for naming the township Adams, after one of his friends in New York State.
The first deaths in the township were those of Stephan Olson and Stephan Christianson. The two of them had set out on a December morning for Six Mile Grove in Nevada Township by ox team to procure some badly needed food. The people in Six Mile Grove had been in this area one year previously and had gotten out a crop. On their way home, they were overtaken by a severe blizzard, lost their way and froze to death. During the night, the oxen somehow managed to find their way home. Each man left a widow and one child. A daughter was born to Stephan Olson’s widow a few days after his death; she also died and was the first white child born and baptized in Adams Township.
This must have been an incident which triggered the need for church services and Rev. C. L. Clausen held an organizational meeting in the home of Helge Erickson Floen. In June, 1856, Pastor Clausen conducted the first service at the home of the widows of Stephen Olson and Stephan Christianson. The first Lutheran clergyman to settle in the township was the German, Rev. Christian Hildebrand. He came to Adams Township in 1858. He died in December 1864 and was buried on his own homestead (Section 30, Adams Township).
The Little Cedar congregation was first organized on November 26, 1859, at a meeting in the log home of Hans Erickson Floen, (the present James Bergene farm). After much discussion, it was agreed to build the church in section 4 of Adams Township, where the cemetery is now located. It was named after the Little Cedar River which originates in Marshall Township.
The first church, a log structure, was built during the war in 1863. Each member furnished a certain number of logs. The dimensions of the church were 30 feet by 40 feet by 16 feet high. For four years, the pastor was whoever happened to be the circuit rider at the time.
Our congregation was named after the Little Cedar River which flowed near the early church site. One-half acre of land was purchased from Rasmus Vigness as a site for a church and burial ground (the present cemetery).
Shortly following the organization of the congregation, the Civil War erupted in 1861. At every call for men to join the armed forces proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln, the Norwegians were among the first to respond in great numbers. Those leaving from Adams Township were mustered into the 15th Wisconsin Regiment also called the Scandinavian Regiment, and when they marched through Chicago on their way south, they numbered about 1100 men. Pastor Clausen was called as a chaplain and accompanied them through many of their engagements. Then, the soldiers came home in 1865 and, with them, the Danish born Rev. Clausen, and in October 1867, delegates from Rock Creek, Six Mile Grove, Little Cedar and Red Oak Grove, met with him in his parsonage in St. Ansgar, Iowa. He agreed to serve the parish with Little Cedar having 12 services a year and paying him $148 for the year.
PASTOR C. L. CLAUSEN 1859-1871
Before being called on a yearly basis, Pastor Clausen had been active in the congregation. He helped organize it and held a first service at the home of the widows Olson and Christianson just east of Adams. The next worship service was conducted by Pastor Adolph Preus at the home of John Olson Hesjedal in Sec.31 of Clayton Township where Marshall Church is located. Later, most of the services were held in the Eric Knutson Aaberg home and in his grove when weather permitted. This location was north of the village limits on the west side of the road.
A burial plot was dedicated a short distance south and west of the village, along Highway 7 by the bridge and grove of trees on the pastureland of Harvey Sathre's farm. Eleven people were buried there. No markers are left.
Pastor Clausen was a busy man with a lot of miles to travel and the Rev. P. G. Ostby was called to assist him. Then, during the month of April in 1871, a parish was organized consisting of Austin, Red Oak Grove, Blooming Prairie and Little Cedar. The settlement was coming of age. It was now more than twenty years old. Most of the land was in private hands and was cultivated. Rev. Ostby was called as pastor and accepted. He resided in Austin and furnished his own home.
More about Claus Lauritz Clausen can be found on the site about the Wisconsin 15th Regiment.
PASTOR P. G. OSTBY 1871-1877
During Pastor Ostby's pastorate, it was decided to build a new frame church the same site as the log church. The old church was dismantled and sold for $75 and moved to the Village of Adams, where it was reassembled.
A new frame church was built with measurements of 40 feet by 60 feet by 20 feet high with a chancel sacristy 16 feet by 24 feet by 16 feet high. The steeple was 102 feet including the spire. In addition to the building, a one-half acre of land from John Olson Hesjedal was chased making a total of one acre for church and cemetery.
The church building was finished in the Fall of 1876. It was not furnished except for the pulpit. The times were difficult and over $1200 that had been scribed was in arrears and never paid. Women of the church were very eager to assist in helping furnish the new church, so the Ladies Aid Society that had been organized two years earlier (in 1874) helped in any way they could. When it was dedicated, it still needed a bell, an organ and light fixtures.
The first marriage in the new frame church was on Feb.7, 1877; that of Anton Asper and Annie Johnson. The congregation adopted a Constitution and By-Laws in 1876 and was incorporated under the laws of Minnesota in 1879. (In 1947 these were translated from Norwegian to English and printed in book form).
REV. B. B. GJELDAKER 1877-1881
In the latter part of 1877, another parish alignment was made and Six Mile Grove, Mona, Lyle and Little Cedar were joined in a parish and called Rev. B. B. Gjeldaker as pastor at a salary of $700 a year. He lived in Lyle. He served this parish until the latter part of 1881, along with two assistants.
REV. J. MULLER EGGEN 1881-1900
In 1881, the parish called Rev. J. Muller Eggen at a salary of $700, who served from January 1, 1881 until 1900. During his pastorate, a church bell was purchased in 1888 (weight 1100 Ibs.). It was rung for the first time at the funeral of Carl Holstad, son of John and Ida Olson Holstad.
In 1891, the Young Peoples Society purchased an organ. Then they had a concert and charged admission to raise money to buy the chandeliers.
An altar was handmade by a furniture craftsman and put into the church.
Pastor Eggen preached his first sermon in Little Cedar congregation on Maundy Thursday in 1881. He lived near the Six Mile Grove Church near Lyle and served the four congregations. He was pastor in this parish for nineteen years but, because of ill health, numerous pastors substituted for him during 1900.
The first census of the congregation was taken in 1883.
The first interment in the new cemetery was Ole Thorstad's first wife.
REV. WM. A. RASMUSSEN 1900-1906
Pastor Wm. A. Rasmussen accepted the call to Little Cedar congregation under the conditions that a parsonage be built.
In 1900, Little Cedar and West LeRoy became a parish and the distance between the two was not so great as when the four congregations were involved. The two churches rented a house for the Rasmussen family while the parsonage was being built in the Village of Adams. The plot, two lots plus five acres, on which the parsonage was built was purchased from Lars Slindee for $450. Total cost of the project was $3483.93 which included the house, barn, outhouses and land. Pastor Rasmussen served these two congregations for five and one-half years.
In 1900, the ladies of the village, organized themselves into a Ladies Aid and had as its main goal to work for a church. A meeting had been held two years before at Sabel's Hall, Adams, (the exact spot on which Wagner's Foods is now located) to make plans for the erection of a building that could be used for the Christian training of the children and for a place of worship But this matter was dropped. Then, in 1905, they planned to buy a hall (no doubt Sabel's Hall) for a place where services could be held, but this, too, failed. The women did not give up and the enthusiasm of the men was also aroused. After nine years of determination, it was decided to build a church. But build it where? Three locations were suggested. The people in the village could see no other location but in town inasmuch as there were no automobiles and most of the village residents owned no horses. Finally it was decided to build a church in the village with the understanding that the building be paid in full when completed. When the last nail was driven in, in 1908, it was debt free. By that time, the congregation had a new pastor.
REV. O. C. MYHRE 1906-1915
Rev. O. C. Myhre was the second pastor to live in the new parsonage. He accepted a call in 1906 and was pastor when the village church was built. The cornerstone was laid September 1, 1907, and the first service was held on March 22,1908. The children of Alfred Schroeder, butter maker at the local creamery, and Ole Rudlong were the first babies baptized.
The new church was dedicated on October 25,1908. A bell was installed in the new church on February 27, 1909 and was rung the following day for the first time. It was presented to the congregation by Lars Ellingson in memory of his parents and dedicated on Sunday afternoon, March 8,1909. Meanwhile, the little white church in the country was still flourishing and preparing for its 50th anniversary as a congregation on November 28, 1909. Extensive remodeling was done before the celebration was held. Its days were numbered, however. In June, 1910, the little frame church burned to the ground. It was believed that a spark from a passing train ignited the fire.
Also during Pastor Myhre's pastorate, the Young People's Society was reactivated at McKinley School on May 4,1906.
The first marriage in the new church in town was on April 22, 1908; that of Oscar Ellefson and Dena J. O. Stoa. The first funeral service in the church was for Martin Wold on September 14, 1908.
REV. C. B. RUNSVOLD 1915-1919
In 1915, Rev. Runsvold was called as pastor and, during his pastorate; a new system of religious instruction was introduced, whereby the congregation had continuous religious school during the whole school year, in connection with the public school, known as Released Time. On October 16, 1916, the congregation authorized the trustees to purchase the country schoolhouse from District No. 7 near the Almon Sorenson farm and move it to lots adjacent to the public school. The purchase price was $181 and was paid by the Ladies Aid; the lots were paid for by the Young People's Society. Scheduled classes were held each day. To assure its continuance, Lars Ellingson, in his Will, set aside a $10,000 trust fund, interest on which was to be used for the Weekday School. A Lutheran Brotherhood was organized also during Pastor Runsvold's pastorate but was not a lasting organization.
REV. O. C. BRENNA 1919-1927
In 1919 realignment again took place and Marshall Congregation, together with Little Cedar made up the parish and called Rev. O.C. Brenna.
REV. ALFRED BREIVIK 1928-1947
Pastor Breivik was called in November, 1927, and was installed in May,1928. During his first year, the three Ladies Aids, the Northeast, West and Village, united and called themselves the Adams Lutheran Ladies Aid of Little Cedar Church. Also, in 1928, twelve Mission Circles were formed from the membership of the Ladies Aid, the first meetings being held in January, 1929. In 1928, a Junior Choir was organized and sang in church occasionally.
In 1929, it was decided to hold a 70th anniversary celebration. Preparatory to this, a new slate roof was put on the church. The Ladies Aid had the church redecorated, and a pipe organ was installed. This was a gift from the Luther League and purchased from St. Olaf Church in Austin after a tornado destroyed most of their church.
In 1934, the congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary; in 1935 a children’s chorus was started, in 1938 a sacristy was added to the church, the chancel was enlarged and improved, as well as the main church being reconditioned. In 1941, the Luther League bought carpeting for the chancellery and center aisle.
During his pastorate, Rev. Breivik led the congregation in Norwegian services, later alternating English and Norwegian every other Sunday, then to Norwegian only once a month, and, finally, to all English services.
REV. LUTHER BERVEN 1948-1950
On May 4, 1947, Luther Berven first came to preach to the congregations at Little Cedar and Marshall Churches. He was then a student at St. Paul Seminary. He was hired temporarily until his ordination on June 6,1948, when he was given a call to be pastor and accepted. During his pastorate in 1948, there were improvements made to the church. The outside brick was pointed, floors were braced, new ceiling installed in the auditorium, floors sanded, woodwork varnished, walls repainted and a new furnace installed. In 1949, the kitchen was remodeled in the basement and a new Wurlitzer organ was installed.
Miss Ida Anderson resigned as organist in 1948 after 40 years of faithful service.
REV. M. L. WITTE 1950-1957
In 1950, Pastor Marvin Witte accepted a call to serve Marshall and Little Cedar congregations. His wife, Ardis, became the church organist. In 1951, the parsonage was extensively remodeled. A Mother's Club was organized. The balcony of the church was reinforced in 1953 and water and sewer facilities were brought into the parochial school. Commemorative plates were also offered for sale that year. In August, 1954, a new copper gold-leaf cross was installed on the church in memory of Martin and Kenneth Severson. The ladies of the church began making baptismal towels in 1952 to be given to each baby who was baptized. In 1955, the Ladies Aid voted to sponsor a missionary and have done so since that time.
REV. TRUMAN MOHN 1957-1962
Upon Rev. Witte's resignation in the spring of 1957, Rev. Truman Mohn was called to serve. He accepted and was installed on October 20, 1957. During this period, interest was high in improving our educational facilities and on June 20, 1962, it was voted to build a new educational unit. Architects were hired, a building pledge system initiated and building and finance committees chosen. The estimated cost was set at $140,000.
This period also brought about a large increase in the voting membership of the church, for in 1959, the women of Little Cedar were granted that privilege. An altar guild was organized in 1959 and was very active for a few years. In 1961, a ramp was built at the back of the church for members and friends who used wheelchairs. The congregation adopted a trust system for cemetery upkeep in 1961.
REV. WAYNE QUIBELL 1963-1976
Following the resignation of Pastor Mohn, Wayne Quibell, then a student at Luther Seminary, was called. He accepted in March,1963, and immediately began serving as interim pastor of the congregation by commuting to Adams during the weekends. Upon completion of classes, he graduated from the seminary in June, 1963, and was ordained on September 22,1963. The move from St. Paul to Adams was, in reality, a return to Adams, for Pastor Quibell had served as weekday Bible school teacher here during the 1961-1962 term.
Plans for the new educational building progressed rapidly and on April 14, 1963, ground-breaking services were held. First classes in the new building were in session on January 20,1964. On April 5, 1964, dedication services were held. With its completion, education facilities advanced from the little one room schoolhouse and the curtained spaces in the church basement to the large well-furnished classrooms which can be subdivided, an office for the pastor, office for the secretary, storage and workroom, a lovely library, a fellowship hall seating 200 and a well-equipped kitchen.
Early in 1968, a decision was made to erect a new parsonage. A building committee was chosen and an architect and contractor hired. The former parsonage was sold for $1050 and moved to the Marvin Winkels farm in rural LeRoy. Dedication of the new parsonage and open house reception were held on November 2, 1969.
In 1972, a picture book of members of Marshall and Little Cedar Churches was published.
A resolution to start a building fund for a new church was passed in January, 1974. At a special meeting of the congregation in September,1975, it was voted to enter into a building program. On Dec. 9, 1975, a gift of $90,000 was willed to the church from the estate of Ida Rudlong. This was a great boost for the building program and, in June, 1976, a plan for the new church was accepted.
The first woman to serve on the Church Council was Frieda Prescott in 1975.
REV. ALLEN GUNDERSON 1976-1999
Rev. Allen Gunderson accepted a call to Little Cedar congregation following the resignation of Pastor Quibell in 1976. On April 27, 1977, ground-breaking services were held for a new church. It would include a church sanctuary, narthex, pastor's office, secretary's office and workroom, six classrooms, choir room and restrooms. It Joined the educational unit on the north. The pastor's office in the educational building was made into a conference room and the secretary's office into an office for the associate pastor.
On Christmas Day, 1977, the last services were held in the old brick church. The first services in the new church were scheduled for January 1,1978, but were cancelled due to a snowstorm. The following Sunday, January 8, the first service was held with holy communion being celebrated and the baptism of Matthew James Osmundson (son of James and Joni Osmundson). The church was filled. On October 8, 1978 the box in the cornerstone of the new church was laid. Dedication was on February 19, 1978.
On January 17, 1978, the old altar and altar railing were donated to the Mower County Historical Society and are now in the small church on the fairgrounds in Austin, Minnesota. On April 8, 1978, an auction was held to sell some of the furnishings and also the church building. Members could donate items to be sold. It was a public auction and the money went to the building fund.
In 1981, Pastor Gunderson taught Bethel Bible Series classes to prospective teachers and in 1982, the entire congregation was given the opportunity to take the series.
1977 found the initiation of the monthly newsletter to the congregation called "The Churchmouse". In January, 1983, "Cedar Chips" was started. This is a newsletter to the young people of our church who are living away from Adams and it is about the people and events happening “back home." Devotional booklets are sent along with it.
The first funeral in the new church was for Lloyd Uglum on January 17,1978, and the first wedding was Debbie Monson (daughter of Ben and Delores Monson) and Jeffrey A. Couture on March 20, 1978.
On February 12, 1980, an organ committee was chosen to look into another organ purchase. After several meetings, the congregation voted to buy a pipe organ. The contract for the hand-built organ was awarded to Hendrickson Organ Co. of St. Peter, Minnesota on October 10, 1982, with delivery in 37 months at a cost of $97,000.
REV. NANCY WIGDAHL 1980-1987
Miss Nancy Wigdahl came to Adams in 1979 as teacher of the release-time weekday school at Adams, Rose Creek and Elkton. In 1980, Nancy was certified for call as a pastor. The parish sent her a letter of call to serve as associate pastor of Little Cedar and Marshall Congregations. She was ordained and installed at services at Little Cedar on August 24, 1980. Rev. Wigdahl continued to teach the release time classes besides a variety of other pastoral duties.
REV. DONNA JOSEPH 1987-1999
Pastor Joseph came to Adams in 1999 as Associate Pastor for Youth. She taught Weekday School and junior confirmation classes as well as a variety of other pastoral duties. She resigned in August 1999 to accept a call in Des Moines, Iowa.
REV. RICHARD KASTNER 2000-2001
Pastor Kastner has been serving Little Cedar and Marshall Lutheran Churches as interim minister since January 1, 2000.
Pastor Wm. Rasmussen accepted a call as pastor in 1900 with the stipulation that a parsonage be built. Five acres of land were purchased for the sum of $450 and a parsonage was constructed.
For two years previously, people in the Village of Adams had talked of renting a building for worship instead of going out into the country for most of the village residents did not own horses. It took many years, but on March 22, 1908, the first service was held in the village church with the parsonage close by. Now, the parsonage was occupied by Pastor O. C. Myhre and his family, who assumed the pastor’s duties in 1906. At the same time, extensive remodeling was done on the church in the country in preparation for its 50th anniversary in November, 1909. The following summer, in June, 1910, the lovely frame church burned to the ground. It was believed that a spark from a passing train ignited it.
C. B. Runsvold was the next pastor from 1915 to 1919 and, during his pastorate; the weekday school was introduced and continues to this time. Pastor O. C. Brenna followed in 1919, Pastor Alfred Brevik in 1928, Pastor Luther Berven in 1948, Pastor M. L. Witte in 1950, followed by Pastor Truman Mohn in 1957, Pastor Wayne Quibell in 1963, Pastor Allen Gunderson in 1976, Associate Pastor Nancy Wigdahl in 1980, and, at the present time, Pastor Gunderson and Pastor Donna Joseph.
Little Cedar congregation dedicated a new educational building in April, 1964 and a new parsonage was built in 1968. Groundbreaking for a new church was held in April, 1977.
The last services in the old brick church were held on Christmas Day, 1977. On January 8, 1978, services were held for the first time in our present church. A snowstorm caused the cancellation of services on the previous Sunday.
On October 29,1989, a new tracker action pipe organ was dedicated. Since that time, three more ranks of pipes have been added bringing the total of pipes to 1002. Also added, was a set of 25 Peterson chimes playable from the organ on a separate keyboard. A bell choir has also been established. The parsonage was sold in 1995 and the pastor purchased his own home. We continue to operate weekday school directed by the assistant pastor. This involves students from many area churches. Each fall we serve approximately 1200 people at our lutefisk dinner and bazaar. Almost the entire congregation participates and the money is used for various purposes.
We pray the church may continue to grow and prosper for the Lord.