Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-05-27

THE Norwegian Lutheran church
of THIS city. VIII I've dedicated next
sunday May ~. and mauy prominent
rl .r'Nuru viii br present t" assist
Pastor l'rl'Ir in carrying OU, the
program.
TI" building is one Of the hand
>uur>t IN the state and is const ructed
Of Dell Rapids Jasper: j. H0N-" feet,
with fuIi Basement fitted up for
sabbath school and other church
work. The auditorium and balcony
i, finished in hardwood and will seat
Thousand people.
The necessity for this building be
.'anr apparent when thetWO churches
united. lhr lnOin was Necessary TO
the ~ur"rsS Of the Lutheran cause.
uniting nearly eight hundred members
and their families who had WOrSllipped
as separate congregations. The
'u"I>lor} OF The church Will be found
interesting, showing rs it does. the
christian spirit that was ever at work
for the cause Of Christ. eliminating
in the erection of a beautiful struc-
turr worth completed $4,000.
uI~rUnN or THE CHURCH.
In the fall Of l>u~, Rev. T.. Christen-
urganI/ed the Canton Evangelical
Lutheran congregation in a pioneers
IOg house. the home of Thomas ii.
Lundrr. about five miles northeast
If Canton, with eight voting mem
Ders. At this time the charge Of the
pastor extended from the Rock county
Minnesota, to MOnpna county. Iowa:
on 10th sides of the Big Sioux river
ami up Lir Mi>SpurIa riNertO \ ankton.
The following year Rev. +. Olson re-
lieved Rev. Christensen Of a part or
the work and later on further divisions
we're made. until $3.50. when Rev.
Olson resigned hi, charge at that
time consisting Of Ont congregation
in Lyon county. Iowa. and three in
Lincoln county,. \ dozen or more
pastors are now in charLe If the field
originally attended ~ by Rev.
Christensen.
Rev. Christensen and his cOngrega-
tions belonged to the Synod for the
Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran
church of Amerira-generally called
the Norwegian Synod.
When this Synod in the sos split
on account Of the controversy over
the doctrine OF predeStinatiOn, the
Canton congregation and its pastor
Joined issue with the SO-ra)led "Anti-
MissOurianS and took part in the
organization Of the | nite1 Norwegian
Lutheran Church Of America in 1900.
when thrceuf the different Norwegian
Lutheran ORGANIZATIONS united,
namely: The "Anti-MiSSoUrian Bro
therhood, the conference" and the
"Au5ustana Synod"
In the beginning of the 7O'S the
AuguStana Synod had also organized
congregations in Canton and vicinity,
pastor. Asthe population grew these
congregations also grew to such an
extent that they had to be divided
same as its sister congregations I'M
til in the spring Of 1895, Rev. HOfstad'S
charge consisted OF the Bethlehem
congregation of Canton and vicinity.
AS both of the local Lutheran on
gregatiOnS since 1890 belonged to the
same church organization there was
no good reasons why they should not
also unite.
la order to facilitate this, both
pastors. Rev. O. f. HOfStad of the
Bethlehem congregation and Rev. p.
II. Tetlie Of the Canton congregation
resigned in 1901
In 1902, on the seventeenth day of
March, the union was formally effect
ed, and in the fall of the same year
the two church buildings we're placed
side by side and the intervening walls
removed so they could be utilized as