The History of Estherville Lutheran Church

The congregation covered a large area and was divided into three districts in 1873; Estherville District; Bruhjeld District (later Immanuel); and West Prairie District (dissolved by 1887). Wallingford Lutheran, Immanuel Lutheran south of Gruver, Palestine Lutheran (dissolved in 1988, its church building is now located at the fairgrounds in Estherville), Union State Line Lutheran at Petersburg, Minnesota and Estherville Lutheran all came from these beginnings.

When crops were destroyed by grasshoppers in 1873, 1874 and 1876 the congregation appealed to the Norwegian Synod for help in paying the pastor’s salary. On May 13, 1877, they observed a day of penitence and prayer, to “implore God that He may for His mercy’s sake deliver us from the plague which has been over us and which we have, on account of our sins so well deserved.” Not much damage was done by grasshoppers that year. The three districts became independent congregations in 1879. The Estherville congregation built a white frame structure on South Tenth Street in 1888 and dedicated it in 189l. The Ladies Aid, organized in 1887, presented the bell in 1894 on which is cast the message “Aere vaere Gud det Hoie”, which translates “Glory to God in the Highest”. The young people initiated building a basement to the church in 1914. In 1919 Estherville and Union State Line congregations jointly built a parsonage on East Howard Street. Minutes of the annual meetings were first recorded in English in 1930. The name of the congregation changed from Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregational Church to Estherville Norwegian Lutheran Church in 1920 and to Estherville
Lutheran Church in 1952, the year that women were first allowed to vote.

Two lots with a dwelling at North Eighth Street and Second Avenue North were purchased in 1932 for a new church to take care of a growing congregation. The depression years delayed building plans, but in 1939 ground was broken and the basement dug. The cornerstone was laid in 1940 and the church was rushed to completion after the old church was destroyed by fire in January 1941. The bell was saved and placed in the tower of the new building. Services were held first in the basement and later in the sanctuary in 1941, but it was 1944 before most of the work was done and dedication services could be held. Union State Line and Estherville sold their parsonage in 1944. Estherville had a fulltime pastor and bought a residence at 114 North Eighth Street as a parsonage. In 1960 the Lee property north of the church was purchased for future expansion. The parsonage was sold and moved with a new parsonage built and dedicated in 1962. In 1965 the education and church offices unit started construction and was dedicated on March 13, 1966. Several lots were purchased in 1963 by members of the congregation and given to the church for a parking lot for the remaining indebtedness.

Parish workers were employed beginning in 1949 to do the secretarial work, instruct confirmation classes and work with youth groups. These workers included Mary Jane Swiggum (1949-52), Lois Otterholt (1953-57), Joanne Hanson (1958-60), Alma Haaland (1960-62), Barb Zell (1962-66), Kay Doyle (1966-2012), Becky Varcoe (2012-2018), Tracy Olson (2018-2022), Tina Jensen (2022-present).

Beginning in December 1952 the growing congregation led to two services every Sunday morning, with pastoral help using student interns from the seminary. The interns included: Edward Swenson (1953-54), James Olson (1954-55), and Robert Evenson (1955-57). Many members transferred to Redeemer Lutheran, which began as a home mission church in Estherville in 1955. Radio broadcasting of services started in 1956. Since 1958 pastoral help has been from visitation (1958-2005) and assistant and associate (1970-98) pastors.