The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-19

1eleErHlinE Nie cHtn HHnlfEA-
ssry Of the organization Of the
congregation Of First Lutheran
church. Sixth and I St. two spe-
cial services viii Be held Sunday.
preceded BY = banquet Saturday
evening. The Rev. Stanley Sand
berg Of Seattle. regional director
OF Home Missions IN the Pacific
northwest for the Augustana
Synod. will be guest speaker at
II q. m. Sunday.
The Rev. DR.. A. P. Westerberg
Of Moscow, Ida, viii deliver the
address at the festival anniver-
sary service at p. m. His sub
ject viii be. The Workmanship
of God"
Greetings will be received from
the Rev. Carl johnson on behalf
of the Tacoma Ministerial Fellow
ship. from the Rev. P. B. Hoff
on behalf of the Tacoma Luther
an Pastors association. from re-
personalities of the Columbia
conference and the Tacoma Dis
trict of the conference. Greet
ings from former pastors will al
30 be heard. Those TO be heard
from are DR.. p. A. Mattson of
Hopkins. Mimi, the Rev. c. Z.
Frisk Of Alterena, Calf, the Rev.
and Mrs. z. c. Bloomquist of
Chicago. ILL.,. and the Rev. Ernest
G. Svenson Of Akron, Iowa Spe-
cial music will be given by the
Miriam choristers, under the di-
rection of Mr.. Kari E. Weiss, with
Mrs. Weiss at the organ. Mr.. Carl
svedberg will play a group of
piano numbers.
A reception will be held in the
church parlors' after the service.
MEMBERS FIFTY YEARS
Members of the congregation
who have been members for at
least so years are Mr.. and Mrs,
John Hedberg. Mr.. and Mrs. c,
J. Ahnquist, Mrs. Blenda John
son, Mrs. Gustaf Lindberg, Mrs.
c. NJ. Swanson, Mrs. Christian
Olson, Mr.. and Mrs. B. Anderson,
Mr.. John Kellson, Mrs. J. P. Oh
son and Mrs. Olof Bloom.
First Evangelical Luthera n
church was organized go years
ago October II. 1882, in the home
Of Mrs. August johnson in New
Tacoma, Washington Territory.
The Rev. Peter Carlson, travel
ing missionary preacher of the
Lutheran Augustana Synod had
visited Tacoma in July of 1882,
meeting with a small group of
Swedes and Norwegians. In the
fall of the year he returned, at
which time he organized the con-
gregation. The original member
ship was composed of 10 per.
sons, eleven of them of Swedish
descent and five Of Norwegian.
Several years later the Norwe-
gians withdrew and organized the
First Norwegian Lutheran church,
now the Messiah Lutheran.
IN THE BEGINNING
The congregation secured a
gift of several lots on South Ia
coma avenue and 18th St, where
frame church, IS wide, 40
long and 16' from floor to CELL
ing, was built. The contract for
this building called for an ex-
penditure of s6s5.
First permanent pastor was the
Rev. DR.. A. G. Anderson, who
came to Tacoma In 1885. He pre-
sided at a meeting of the congre-
cation in the fall of that year.
BY the fall of IS the congre-
cation was looking for a new To-
cation, and that same year three
lots on the corner of So. sth and
I ST. were purchased for $4,000.
At this time the membership was
So adults and 10 children.
Plans to build a new church
were made at the annual meeting
in 1889. The cost was not TO
exceed $500. The sanctuary was
To seat not less than 500. The
contract was let and building APP
GRAFTON begun, and the church
was ready for dedication in 1889.
For so small a group it was a
real undertaking. The church
building and site had cost about
s15,000 on which there was an
Indebtedness of $1,000. About this
time DR.. Anderson resigned to
accept a call in Spokane.
EARLY PASTORS
The Rev. P. A. Mattson was
the second pastor. serving the
congregation from 1895 10 1899.
Before he left the congregation
numbered 327. including 173