Church celebrates 125 years

The 125th anniversary celebration at Our Savior's Lutheran Church last Sunday was a chance for parishioners to, as Pastor Luke Lekander said, "look back" and "move forward."

"Moving forward requires us to change. But I don't want to change simply for the sake of change," Lekander wrote in his weekly message after the lunch and service Sept. 29. "The changes we make must be theologically rooted and always for the purpose of sharing and living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. ... The time has come to reform.

The whole church is always reforming. Now, we at Our Savior's must take a deliberate, intentional, and actionable approach to reform God's church here in Cloquet. This means that every committee and team, every staff member, and every individual member of this church must enter a season of reformation. We must embrace new possibilities."

The Sunday service saw a packed house for the service and lots of talk and laughter in the dining hall afterwards. There was pecial music on the vintage pipe organ and congregational music groups. Five former pastors were in attendance and assisted in communion distribution.

Lekander dedicated a large painting by artist and pastor Paul Oman, which is now permanently mounted in the sanctuary.

The Sept. 29 activities at the church were the last events in what became a yearlong celebration. The rich history of the church and its many ministries were on display throughout the church building with bulletin boards, posters, table decorations and other archival treasures. Youth of the church interviewed congregation members and compiled a video shown continuously Sunday in a room full of pictorial memories.

The church was established in 1899 by Norwegian immigrants who held initial services in homes. Through the years, the congregation grew and was housed in a number of buildings in Cloquet, including Carlton Avenue beginning in 1923 and, since 1969, the current building on Doddridge Avenue.