From Elmore to Apache Junction

The Elmore Story

It was a bittersweet day for the congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday, November 4, 2018.  Located in Elmore, Minnesota,  it was the day the congregation held a celebration for its 125th anniversary.It was also the day they held the closing service for their church and congregation

Trinity Lutheran Church in Elmore celebrated their 125th Anniversary at their church service on Sunday, Nov. 4, but then the congregation also had their closing service that day as the church is now closed forever.

Their congregation began in 1893 with their first ordained pastor, the Reverend Hugo Meissner, beginning his service in 1904. There have been four different church buildings over the course of the congregation's existence. Their final structure was built in 1961, just to the west of the structure it replace.

Trinity is certainly not alone as other churches in the area have closed in recent years or have struggled to remain open. "You can certainly tie the declining attendance in our congregation to the decline in the population of      the city of Elmore," noted Royce Valvick, the chairman of the congregation.

Elmore's population peaked in 1960 with a population of 1,078. By 2010 the population had declined to 663, a decrease of over 38 percent. "The loss of Elmore Concrete and the Cargill Elevator in Elmore had a negative affect on the job market and ultimately the population of the town," explained Valvick.

The change in the population corresponded to the change in church attendance. Attendance in the 1960s and early 1970s hovered around 300. Many times extra chairs would have to be placed in the side isles to accommodate all of the worshipers. By 1994 the weekly attendance had dropped to an average of 86. Three years later it fell to 65. It wasn't just the loss of population that had an effect on attendance.

"There is a lack of interest in organized religion by many of the younger generations," commented Valvick.

One more contributing factor to the situation was the decrease in the number of farms and thus the number of people living in the country. All of these things led Trinity to form a dual parish with St. John's Lutheran Church of rural Elmore in 1991.

By 2009 the average weekly attendance was just over 31 and it continued to decrease each year. Finally, this past May, the decision was made to close the church.  "It really is a 4-6 month process," explained Valvick. "There are a lot of regulations and rules to follow when you are breaking up a corporation."

All of the church records, confirmation pictures and other historical documents will be sent to the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis, Missouri.

If this were the final end of the story it would be a sad ending indeed. But there is more to the story, an epilogue as it were, and it contains a message of hope, of giving, and a desire to help others. The church building itself has been sold but items from inside of the church have been donated to various non-profit organizations. The bell, which was cast in 1891 at Cincinnati Ohio, and signaled the start of each service, has been donated to King of Glory Lutheran Church in Blaine.

-- From the Faribault County Register

The Apache Junction Connection

Several members or friends of Trinity, Elmore have been coming to Arizona and attending Mountain View Lutheran Church in Apache Junction. They wanted to bring a remembrance of Trinity with them as a reminder of the many years and ways they had been blessed by the congregation.  With the consent of the congregation they brought the crucifix that had adorned the steeple and the sign in front of the church (see the photo above). 

The Elmore group gathered around the cross on March 4, 2019 for the photo below. 

The cross was formally presented to MVLC and dedicated to God's glory on Sunday, March 17, 2019. 

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? …Hope in God” (Psalm 42:5).

I haven’t valued hope as I ought, and suspect that many of you haven’t either. America, after all, has so many resources that we usually calculate some human way forward out of our problems. Being hopeless first sunk into my mind in the early 1990’s when I was in Caracas, Venezuela and was taken to a barrio. Orphaned children, no home, fed themselves on garbage dumps. Little children condemned to hopeless lives.

This past Sunday I worshipped and preached in Dukem, Ethiopia. No Gothic cathedral, no American mega-church with screens and slick presentations, just a rough and unfinished building. Some of the walls were corrugated metal. The altar and pulpit were like ours at home, though much, much simpler. In place of pews there were resin chairs, the kind we use to relax outdoors in summer. With the marketing mentality of the American church, you wonder who would come to such a humble place. Who? Over 2000 people! Most were young or middle age, and many little children. I can’t describe how troubled I was by my comfortable practices of faith in America.

After the service, over 2-hours-long, people were milling around, including little children fascinated by the visitors. I sat down on the step of the chancel and motioned them to come and sit by me. They did. You can see the photo on my Facebook page. Getting back to my lead, some of these children – I can’t quantify how many – would have little or no earthly hope were it not for this congregation. Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa and one of the poorest. The congregation in Dukem and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus is committed to holistic ministry, body, soul and spirit. They have schools from pre-school to graduate programs and sponsor programs to teach people life skills and ways out of poverty. For many of these little children the church of Jesus is their only earthly hope. “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 104:5). Is our American church so pewed-in to Sunday mornings that we’re not going out to bring hope to the least, the last, and the lost?

From The Meyer Minute, 3/12/2019
Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, President, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Your Sorrow will Turn to Joy

Have you ever been sorrowful? The loss of a loved one or the rejection we can feel in this life or God saying no to what we want to do can fill our heart with sorrow and pain but God is in control. His ways are not our ways and he is the one who is victor over death and the grave. He has also promised to work all things together for our good.

Jesus knew that his time on earth was short. He knew that he was going to die and this would be very painful to his friends but he also wanted them to know that their sorrow would turn to joy on that Easter morning.  Through his death he paid for our sins and through his resurrection he has given us forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life with him in heaven. Now we can be assured that nothing in all creation will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is risen and we too shall rise.

John 16:17-20   Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"  They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."  Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'?  I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Pastor Mark Friedrich, Senior Pastor
Mountain View Lutheran Church

Churches Have Lost 14 to 38 Year Olds

Submitted by Dale Laurin

The future of the Christian church is in serious jeopardy because of the loss of youth and young adults in our country. The tragedy is made worse because churches are not responding with adequate measures to counter this trend. It could be that simply a misunderstanding of these young people is causing this.  The Barna Group, a Christian data collection and polling company, has identified this misunderstanding as a potential cause for the exodus of young people from our churches.  The problem is widespread and has, in my opinion, not been addressed and talked about enough in the church over the years.  It is also my belief that this trend is not going to be resolved and rectified by the current leaders of our churches. Instead I believe that it is the young people and youth who will be the ones to bring the Gospel to their own generation.  But how will they do this, how will they encourage one another to know the Lord, and how can we equip them to do this work?

These younger generations live on the Internet and on their cell phones now days. What does this mean for us as the church universal?  How can we go to them where they already are?  How can we as the church have a greater and more interactive presence on the Internet?  My hope, along with all of us at Faith In Action Arizona, is that our new online church would serve as a tool and resource to attract the lost, the marginalized, and those who have walked away from the church. At this time we have five young adults, who are faithfully committed to the mission of Faith In Action Arizona. As members, they have been approaching existing church pastors to introduce their younger members to the online Faith In Action discipleship program. These five are serving in accordance with Matthew 28:18, the Great Commission.

They have a huge job ahead of them, and they need our help. There are 44 million in the us between the ages of 14 and 34.  Data suggests that a third of that demographic does not go to church.  I think the percentage is much higher than that.  Other statistics concerning this generation show the concerning rise of depression and suicide.  So many live without the hope and peace of Christ, which I believe could change this disturbing trend. My own son committed suicide when he was 23 years old. There is a lot about his situation that I do not know, but I do know that he did not know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. This is why I am so passionate about these lost.

You probably have relatives, maybe even children or grand children that do not go to church. One program that we are working on and developing at Faith In Action Arizona is grandparent mentoring.  This program will make it possible to have an online dinner table with your family.  You can have birthday parties, pizza, or meet up for any other reason through our relationship with a company called Zoom.  Through these online portals and rooms, we hope to promote stronger relationship with those you love that may be far away, and even provide mentorship in how to encourage them in their walk with the Lord.  After a few meetings they might get curious about some of the other resources we have at FaithInActionAZ.org.  Our hope is that in time they will connect with us, and will become members of our online church and then in time, as their faith matures, they would connect with a physical church as well.

In addition to providing mentoring to parents and grandparents with an online platform for family relationship, we are hoping that our streaming capabilities will also help out other churches that have lost a pastor or needs other additional resources.  We hope to have online Bible studies and other resources available.  Two churches in Washington State have already inquired about this and with over 300 Lutheran churches in the Pacific Southwest District, there are many potential users of this tool. St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Mesa has already subscribed to using our online platform for outreach. They have increased their attendance by about 30 and expect this outreach tool to bring in additional attendance.

As a Missouri Synod Lutheran church and also a mission church to MVLC, FaithInActionAZ.Org is growing but needs financial support every step of the way.  Every donation will assure that programs, like our Grandparent Mentoring Program can grow and continue to thrive. If interested in supporting our efforts, you may send checks to…

Pacific Southwest District 
1540 Concordia Drive 
East Irvine, CA 92612-3203 
(Add instruction on bottom of check “For Faith In Action Lutheran Church”.)

Men Gather for Prayer, Food and Fellowship

Thursday mornings have become a weekly routine for 20-30 men connected to Mountain View Lutheran Church.  The breakfast gatherings at the Mirage Restaurant in Apache Junction begin at 7:00 am with conversation over a cup of coffee.  Many have "their chairs" at the long table where one waitress keeps cups filled and takes orders.  (She knows if you are new and gives you a menu.  Others have their breakfast choice memorized.)

Pastor Mark announces the prayer list for the week and calls attention to special needs before leading the group in prayer.  The devotional leader for the day shares a message from God's Word and a brief commentary.  Following that, the waitress returns to the room with the orders.  Somehow she keeps everyone straight, moving down the line with everything from pancakes as large as hubcaps to egg sandwiches, omelettes, and more.

One of the group members has prepared greeting cards for selected recipients recovering from illness, hospital stays or loss of loved ones.  These are circulated and signed before returning to the sender for mailing.   The waitress returned to present checks and receive payment.  

As the 8:00 hour approaches, Pastor Tim leads the group in singing a hymn.  On this day it is a chorus appropriate for the coming Lenten season.  On this day, I was a newcomer and didn't quite catch what happened following the hymn that signaled everyone to head for the door.  Someone at the far end of the table hollered out a statement and everyone responded by tapping the table in some sort of cadence.  When I return I will listen more closely for sit at the far end of the table.

I wonder if women have the same sort of morning routine.

Submitted by

Dan Seim

Albert's Airplanes

At an early age Albert Gigstad knew he wanted to do something connected with flying.  His uncle left the farms of Kansas for flying school.  His brother, 15 years older than Al, piloted a B-24 bomber in World War II.  So in 1952 he joined the Air Force and went through the testing program for flight school.  He passed all of the tests with "flying colors" and knew his dream of flying was about to come true.

The Korean War was winding down by the time he finished his flight school training.  He was named one of six outstanding pilots in a graduating class of 120 and trained to fly a B-26 bomber in preparation for action in Korea.  The Korean conflict ended in 1953 and Al was ordered to report to an airbase in France.  He called Katie back in Kansas and told her the news.  "Do you want to go to France with me?" he inquired.  It was a marriage proposal of sorts, and she accepted.

The Air Force was switching over to new jet bombers and Al trained on the B-51 bomber in San Antonio, Texas.  Following the training, he and his co-pilot flew a B-51 back to France, a three day trip with the refueling stops in the U.S. and Iceland.  He was greeted at the airbase in France by Katie and the photo bears some resemblance to one taken in Times Square on V-J Day at the end of WWII.

Al elected to leave the military after three years and seek a civilian job where he could use his pilot training.  Eventually, that led him to a position with TWA where he flew Boeing 707 and 727 commercial aircraft until he retired after 14 years of service in 1987.

Al's homebase is still Nortonville, Kansas near the family farm where he grew up.  He is a member of St Matthew Lutheran Church where he held just about every office possible over the years.  He and Katie began coming to Arizona the year before the Mountain View Lutheran Church sanctuary building was built.  Katie was a "tireless church worker" and both were involved in a home Bible study group at Gold Canyon RV Park where they lived when wintering in Arizona.  Katie went to heaven in 2000 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Still going strong after 90 years, Al has decided to sell his park model home and leave Arizona.  "I kept returning for 37 years because this is where my friends are," he recently stated.  Al has been a faithful member of the home Bible study hosted by Norm & Linda Schmidt.  (See 1/16/2019 blog:  Gathering Around the Word)

You will be missed Al.  Fly well!

Meet Thelma Breen

Thelma Breen grew up on a farm in NW Minnesota until she was 13 and her family moved to Minneapolis at age 15.  She was baptized at 3 weeks old and confirmed in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and remained a Lutheran most of her life.  She has been singing since she was 6 yrs old in church and school choirs.  She was a featured soloist for many of those years. Music and Bible study have always been a very important part of her life.  She was brought up with a love of hymns, country Gospel music and light opera.  She learned to read music in school and taking a year of piano lessons. She never had formal voice training, but received informal training tips from accompanists who were vocal coaches.  When husband Jim retired from the Minneapolis  Police Department they retired to Bella Vista, Arkansas in 1990.  She was trained as a worship leader in praise music and started a praise service in their smaller church for a number of years.

When they started coming to Arizona for 6 months and joined Mountain View Lutheran Church  in 2000, she joined the choir.   She directed the choir for 2 months when the choir director returned to his home in Illinois for the holidays. In 2003, Pastor Mitteis asked her to lead the sing along which became a great joy for her over the years.  When Pastor Mark became Pastor at MVLC, Thelma was asked to start a Praise service.  She assembled all the music, chose the service music, led  the music as worship leader and later did the same for the Country Gospel and the music for the Polka Praise services. Thelma served as the Music Director, with other duties and also as Stewardship Chair for two years, writing those programs.  She has led the Beth Moore Bible studies for the past 5 years.  She feels God has always prepared her and given her all the abilities she has had in her varied ministry duties in several Lutheran churches throughout her life.  With a sad heart she resigned her Music Director duties in April 2018 due to Jim's declining health.  She and Jim will be returning to their home in Bentonville, Arkansas and await God's plan for the new "season of life" ahead.