Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Pastors Phil and Susan Berge
Photo: Installation photo of Pastors Phil and Susan Berge, taken at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Two Harbors, 1991. Photo: Audrey Carlson
1991 Pastor James Swanson was our interim Pastor. A Committee formed to look into a new organ, made up of Carol Carlson, Jane Heimbach, and Lyle Northey. They presented their recommendation of a pipe organ to the congregation. A campaign to raise funds for the organ began, with Lyle Northey as chairman. The campaign involved fishcake suppers, calendars, note paper, Christmas cards, and rummage sales every summer in a tent at Emily's, all run by Trish Northey and Carol Carlson. A contract with Bethlehem for pastoral services was created, the first written one in our history together. The negotiating committee from Knife River was Richard Ojard, Paul von Goertz, and Audrey Carlson. Paul and Audrey served on the Call
Committee for a new pastor. Knife River didn't have a vote, but they attended every meeting and participated in interviews. They whole-heartedly agreed on Pastor Phil and Pastor Susan Berge as our new pastors. On Oct. 1st, the new Pastors started. They were installed at Bethlehem on November 10th. A congregational supper welcoming them and their son, Andrew, to Knife River was held here earlier.
1992 A picture Directory of Church members put together, with Sue Hubbartt and Audrey Carlson as the organizers.
1995 On January 22, there was a Dedication Service at the 8:30 AM Worship service for the new pipe organ($34,000). The message and presentation of the organ came from Mr. Dan Jaeckel, the crafter and builder of the organ. It was accepted by Lyle Northey and Richard Ojard, President of the Congregation. A special Organ concert was held with musicians, followed by gourmet coffee and cheese cake served after, organized by Carol Carlson. In February, an Endowment Fund Committee was formed, with Jane and Dick Heimbach, Stephen Carlson, Nancy Ojard, and Mary von Goertz. 2 young people were given help to go to New Orleans for a youth rally and 15 to attend Camp Vermillion since then.
1996 Long Range Planning Retreat at Bethlehem on April 12 and 13, with John Safstrom, Marge and Norton Johnson and other interested members of our congregation was held.
(Additional comments by Marv Holt: On the morning of the annual meeting, Sandy and I joined the church so that at the annual meeting later in the day I was eligible to be elected treasurer. You’ve heard the expression about being railroaded. I didn’t realize the special significance of that expression in this church until several years later. When the church was lifted up back in the forties to build a lower level, they needed a steel beam to support the sanctuary floor. Usually a contractor would use a steel “I-Beam”, but not in this church. The main support steel beam is a length of railroad track!)
1997
1998 The Celebration of Music becomes an Annual Event. Serena Michaelson becomes our Youth
Director.
1999 Serena has Monday Night Madness for youth and Power Surge on Thursday nights for youth.
(Additional comments by Marv Holt: The Miracle of the Bells
In 1997 Trish Northey suggested that we should have a handbell choir.
We had no bells, no director, no knowledge of handbells and no music. However, in a very short time we found Sam Black, ironically Sam had moved to Two Harbors from Oklahoma City to escape the heat and tornadoes! Sam found a church in Duluth with handbells they were not using and arranged to lease them for us. So, for the next year and a half we had a handbell choir.
However, late in 1998 the Duluth church requested the return of their bells so they could start their own handbell choir. So, at the Christmas service Sam announced that we would no longer have handbell music. Unknown to us at the time, we had a visitor that day who loved handbell music. Following the service she asked Pastor Susan if it would be alright if she conducted a fund raising activity to raise money to buy new handbells. We said OK, not knowing what to expect.
In the middle of February when I stopped at the post office to pick up the church mail, there was a bundle of 17 letters in identical envelopes with return addresses from Colorado, California, Texas, Washington DC, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Inside these envelopes were checks for the purchase of new handbells. Several letters included a short note such as “Aunt Jane never asks for anything for herself, so if this is something she supports, we are happy to be a part of it.” Over the next few days and weeks, letters kept coming. We found out that Jane Grubb – “Aunt Jane” had sent out 65 letters to her family, friends, and the President of the US, the Governor of Minnesota and Ross Perot.
By the middle of March, Sam had located a couple in Chattanooga, Tennessee who had a set of handbells for sale. They had purchased a new set of bells for their church only to find out that their church did not want them. When Sam asked them how much they wanted for their handbells, they asked Sam if the handbells would be used in our worship services. When Sam said yes, they said they would sell us the bells for $4,500 – that’s about half of what they were worth. I
n the middle of April the Tennessee couple requested a check for $3,000 and they would ship the handbells to us. I stopped at the post office the next day and picked up a few more letters and found that we had received exactly $3,000 up to that point. When I got to the bank, there was a $5 charge for a cashier’s check and there was a $5.60 charge for the priority mail to send the check. When I left the bank I discovered I still had the post office box key, so I stopped back at the post office and sure enough, there was one more letter with a check for $15 to cover the cost of the cashier’s check and the mailing! By the time the bells arrived in May, we had received the full $4,500 with a little left over to buy more handbell music.)
Palm Sunday 1994, Pastor Phil. With a growing congregation, the church is in need of renovation. Photo: Audrey Carlson
2000
2001
Photo: Church addition groundbreaking (l to r, Marv Holt, Sandy Holt, Steve Carlson, Audrey Carlson. Photo: Audrey Carlson
2002
Church building construction . Source Susan Hubbartt
2002
Church building construction completed . Photo: Susan Hubbartt
2003
2004
2005
2006
Memorial Garden landscaping and mosaic project begins. Source: Susan Hubbartt
2007
2008
Memorial Garden complete with Laura Stone Mosaics. Artist Laura Stone in forefront. Photo: Jim Allert
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020