Rock Creek Lutheran Church - 135 Years

Published about June 1998

Area church to celebrate 135th MEMBERS OF THE 135th Anniversary Celebration committee at Rock Creek Lutheran Church are left to right, standing: Lois Maakestad, Joan Klemesrud, Bob Klemesrud, Sr., Norman Sponheim, Laverne Olsen, Merrill Johnson, Murial Johnson, Lulynn Mellmann. Front, left to right, Kathleen Docken, Delores Olson, and Mildred Sponheim. Committee members not present for the picture are: Ike and Kathy Johnson, Jane and Dave Rowe, Brian Mellman, Keith Olson and Galen Docken. There will be quite a celebration in rural Meroa. Rock Creek Luthean Church next month, at the end of June. A catered dinner will begin the festivities on Saturday, June 27. An old-fashioned picnic will follow on Sunday, June 28, with guests bringing their favorite potluck dishes to share, followed by lots of cake, pie and homemade ice cream for dessert. The two-day event will be held to celebrate Rock Creek Lutheran Church's 135 anniversary. Tucked away in the fertile Rock Creek valley, adjacent to the tiny town of Meroa, the setting is much the same as when the early settlers discovered the tranquil area in 1853. That year in June, six men from the Rev. Clausen party traveled farther south from their original settlement in St. Ansgar and founded the Rock Creek settlement, then known as District #6 of St. Ansgar Congregation. Levor Olsen from Aadalen, Norway was the first Lutheran in the Rock Creek settlement who visited the place in the fall of 1852. He went back to Wisconsin for the winter that year, and returned with his young bride and her parents the next spring. Arriving about the same time as Helge Johnson, also a native of Aadalen, Norway, and his two sons, Ole H. and John H. Johnson from Green County, Wisconsin, who also settled in Rock Creek. The Norwegian Lutheran congregation was organized with services conducted by Rev. C.L. Clausen. Levor Olson's home hosted the first worship service and services continued to be held in area homes. A Norwegian religious school was held in the log cabin near the creek known as White Oak Grove. By 1863, the congregation officially organized in a home just south of the church site and Rev. Clausen served as minister as part of the St. Ansgar parish. Three years ROCK CREEK LUTHERAN Church, located in the beautiful Rock Creek valley near Meroa, was one of the first Lutheran churches in Mitchell County, established in 1863. The congregation will be celebrating their 135th anniversary this June. later, construction was underway for a new church building on the O. Haugerud farm. The church would seat 400 and was built by carpenter and architect, H.J. Sorenson of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Many more Norwegian farmers were attracted to this rich valley, and the congregation grew. The parishes in the arrangement were known as Six Mile Grove, St. Ansgar Lutheran, and Rock Creek Lutheran. Rev. J. Olsen was installed as pastor in 1873. In 1875, the little church was completed with a 98 foot steeple, sacristy, windows, altar, pulpit and font. A white, picket fence surrounded the yard, and the church bell called the hour of worship, tolled for funerals, rang joyously for weddings, and rang every Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. The church building was dedicated on December 12, 1875. Sunday school was organized in 1879 and by 1883, the first constitution of the congregation was adopted. Ladies Aid was organized that same year, and was and continues to play a big part in the success of the church's many activities. By 1880, there were 140 families in the congregation. By 1981, the senior choir was organized. As the congregation grew, a few of the members broke away and organized a congregation in Osage. At the annual meeting in 1895, came a writing from Osage requesting that a new parish arrangement be proposed for Osage and that a resident "kapellan" with his residence to be in Osage. Pastor C.A. Melby accepted that call and began his duties there in January of 1898. In 1900, another division divided two partner parishes, St. Ansgar and Deer Creek, and Rock Creek and Osage. The pioneer days were passing, and more and more social functions were sponsored by the church. The area congregation was now talked about in five routes and expressions used described how others viewed where they lived. "Up on the prairie" meant that people lived north and west of the church and "down by the creek" meant they were from south and east of the church. Rock Creek progress was once again evident with the purchase of a pipe organ in 1902 by funds raised by the choir and the Young Ladies Society. The organ cost $702 and installation was extra, costing $109. This organ lasted for 50 years and did much to enhance the worship and inspire the choir. Another young ladies fund raiser was the installation of a furnace for $476. Other improvements soon included aniron fence surrounding the cemetery, hitching posts, and a stable for church goers' horses. Colored windows and beautiful art-glass stained windows were installed in the sanctuary. In 1911, a major renovation occured and the church's entire structure was raised and a new foundation and 9 foot high basement was built underneath the building. Much of this work was done with live horsepower. The new basement housed a large dining room and a kitchen. Many other improvements were made and completed in time for the rural congreation's 50th Anniversary Jubilee held on September 11-14, 1913. At this golden anniversary, the English language was used for one of the services. Previously to this, much of the services were held in the Norwegian language. Times were changing and Rock Creeker's were becoming "Americanized." New hymnals were purchased in 1918 for the first time in the English language. Hymnals containing both languages were often used. Rev. A.J.Urnes was pastor and preached his last sermon in 1920 and retired. At that time, he recommended the parish connection with the Osage Lutheran be severed and that they hire their own pastor. (Next week, part two, the next 85 years - a time of evident transition, growth and significant changes when the first families who were NOT of Norwegian ancestry became members of the Rock Creek Lutheran Church.)

Submitted to IaGenWeb by Larry Shoger, Jan. 2009

Webization by K. Kittleson