Swedesburg Lutheran finalizing plans for 150th anniversary

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

SWEDESBURG ? Prior to Iowa achieving statehood and long before the first shot was fired during the Civil War, immigrants from Sweden were settling in the eastern part of what would become Iowa.

Eventually, Swedish immigrants located in what formerly were marsh lands in Wayne Township of Henry County.

A common joke around that time was that the marsh land in that area of Henry County ?was only good for ducks and Swedes.?

But over time, the marsh was drained and gave way to a town named Freeport.

Simultaneously, Hakam Olson, pastor of the New Sweden congregation, which was located near Lockridge, visited Freeport. Impressed by what he saw, he journeyed in late 1863 to Biggsville, Ill., to convince Swedes settled in that area to come to Wayne Township in Iowa.

The Swedes began coming from several communities from Illinois and were joined by others immigrating from Sweden to Freeport.

On April 13, 1866, in the home of Alexander Johnson, who lived south and west of Freeport, the church, which later would become the Swedesburg Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation.

Freeport eventually became Swedesburg, and the church from its humble beginning of 60 charter members grew into a church that has withstood the test of time and will mark its 150th anniversary on June 18-19.

To say that the parish thrived may not be that much of an exaggeration. Today, Swedesburg remains an unincorporated community of approximately 85 residents. The church, however, in a time when many churches have seen a decrease in membership, continues to grow and currently has 580 baptized members and membership has grown by seven percent in the past five years.

In addition to the Swedesburg area, the church draws members from Mt. Pleasant, Winfield, Wayland, Olds, Washington, New London, Crawfordsville, Salem, Mt. Union, Trenton and other communities.

The Rev. Mark Youngquist, who first was an interim pastor for several months before becoming the permanent pastor on Feb. 24, 2013, says that he believes the church has withstood the test of time because of the attitude of the Swedes, who comprise the majority of the membership. ?The Swedes, who settled here, had a ?stick to? attitude and worked hard at things,? he said.

Other attributes contributing to the church?s success, Youngquist says, are its friendliness and a family atmosphere. ?I know that every pastor is going to say his congregation is friendly, but people who go to church here are friendly and welcoming. They like to welcome new members, but they aren?t doing it out of survival mode.

?Another thing is that we are not a large mega church where you can feel lost,? he continued. ?It?s family here and there is an openness among the membership to visitors and other people.?

The church?s current building is its third. Initially, the congregation met in the home of Alexander Johnson, south and west of what is now Swedesburg. Then, the congregation moved to local school buildings, having services the third Sunday of each month, led by the Rev. Hakam Olson.

Swedesburg Evangelical?s first building was built in 1868 at the site of the current church with Olson serving as the congregation?s first full-time pastor in 1869.

Within four years, church membership had increased to 200 members. The congregation experienced its first hardship on Jan. 18, 1883, when the church building was destroyed by fire.

Nearly immediately, that ?stick to? attitude surfaced again and plans were drawn for a new church at the same site. The building was completed within the year (1883).

The white wood-frame church became known as ?The Big White Church.? The new church featured a 110-foot high steeple and a large bell, which produced a tone that could be heard for eight miles. There was seating capacity of The Big White Church for a whopping 500 parishioners.

In 1904, the church was remodeled and in 1915, a new pipe organ installed. Disaster struck again on June 11, 1927, when the church was hit by lightning and completely destroyed.

Three months later a bid was accepted to construct a new church on the same site. Members decided to build a brick church, one that could better withstand a fire. The cornerstone was laid on Nov. 29, 1927, and the current building completed in July 1928. The Late-Gothic Revival architectural church building was placed on the National Historic Register in 1999.

Since its construction, the church has undergone many remodeling and renovation projects, the last of which was a $200,000 project still in progress but slated for completion before the 150th anniversary. The project includes a complete remodeling of the church basement with new carpeting installed, walls removed, a kitchen added and a new roof.

Some of the latest renovations also included work at the church-owned Parish Hall, located just south of the church building.

The program for the 150th anniversary is still being finalized and will be announced at a later date. Youngquist said the celebration would be the culmination of the nearly four years of work and the talents of many.

?We?ve had some carryover (on committees) from the 125th anniversary, and it is nice to have that carryover,? Youngquist said. ?It is also fun to see the next generation stepping up. There have been countless hours put in by many people.?

?Faith of our Fathers? is a familiar hymn and certainly applicable to the pioneering spirit of the church, Younquist said. ?The thing that has held us together is faith. Faith came over from Sweden and it?s always been here.?

Another strong element of the church is music. ?From the very beginning, music has been important here,? Youngquist noted.

Names have been added to the membership roster but some of the surnames, such as Olson, Johnson, Anderson, Unkrich, Lindeen, Bergstrom and Peterson have served as a reminder of the church?s first years.

During its 150 years, around 25 pastors have served the church. While pastors have come and gone, the spirit of the church has remained, Youngquist said.

?The congregation has held onto some of its heritage without it being a ball and chain around them. They can gleam the best things from the past as they move into the future?We?re in a good place.?