New church building to be dedicated with day full of special activities

HARTINGTON— Rev. A.M. Peterson has arranged an interesting all day program for dedication services of Trinity Lutheran Church’s beautiful new $16,000 building.

Final ceremonies for the completion of the beautiful new Trinity Lutheran Church building will be held Sunday, when Hartington residents will rejoice with the Trinity Lutheran congregation in the dedication of the new structure.

The service marked the realization of a long cherished vision and the consumption of a building program which has been going on for many months. The old church building, formerly occupied by the congregation in the east part of the city, has stood there for about 42 years and not only had it been outgrown, but it was also rapidly falling into decay.

The church has had a number of pastors in its history and prior to 1917, there existed a division in the church for several years, when there were two pastors and two congregations worshipping in the same building. This schism was finally healed, however, and in 1917, Trinity Lutheran Church was organized and the people became a united body.

In 1918, Rev. Jersing Thompson was called to the pastorate and under his leadership the church made rapid strides forward.

In 1924, the present pastor, Rev. A.M. Peterson, succeeded him.

Rev. Peterson, pastor under whom the building program has been carried out, has planned an interesting all day program and the women, who have contributed about $2,000 to the building fund, will serve dinner and supper in the basement. To show appreciation of the work of the Trinity Lutheran Church, no morning service will be held in the Congregational church, whose members will attend the dedication, according to the Congregational pastor, Rev. G.W. Churchill. Paragon Lutheran church will not hold services either, as that congregation will attend the ceremonies in the new church.

Dr. J.A.O. Stub, Minneapolis pastor and president of the American Lutheran Conference, will give the dedication address, talking on the “importance of church work.”

Assisting Dr. Stub will be Rev. R.M. Peterson, Rev. O.C. Horang, and Rev. Jersing Thompson, the first pastor of the present congregation. At 3 p.m., Sunday afternoon, Dr. Stub will talk on the “Ideal church.” And greetings will be brought by Rev. L.A. Roseland, Rev. Jersing Thompson, and Rev. O.C. Harang. There will also be a solo, duet and special numbers by the choir. At 8 p.m., services will be held with Rev. Thompson talking on, “the new temple.”

Members of the building committee for the past two years are: Andrew Sorensen, chairman; H. A. Schager, secretary; G.O. Mengshol, treasurer; Martin Nelson, Stephen Seim, Julius Grindvold, N.J. Olsen and Rev. A.M. Peterson.