New Scandinavia Lutheran
Last Friday, the day before the huge snowstorm, our neighborhood lost a beloved landmark. Many lost their home church, the one from which generations had been baptized, confirmed, married, and buried. Beginning mid morning of December 10, and continuing all day, water tanker trucks went past our house, sirens blaring (and my dog howling along with every single one).
How I loved this steeple, with its cross glowing in the night sky. So many times as I drove past the church at night, I thought how precious is our freedom of worship. The glowing cross was a constant testimony to God's grace.
The steeple
Late Sunday afternoon
New Scandinavia in autumn
Every time I returned from Rice Lake, this would be my first glimpse of the church, along with that nice feeling of being almost home. We are sad that the congregation of New Scandinavia Lutheran has lost their beloved country church. It will be missed greatly by many of us.
We pray for God's blessing on His people at New Scandinavia as they go through this difficult time, dealing with the circumstances of the fire and making plans for the future.
For any who may be interested, our local television news has a video clip of this story on their website.
That is a sad loss. It's amazing to me how quickly fire can destroy so much. My thoughts and prayers are with the congregation.
ReplyDeleteHow sad! And during the holiday season, no less. You are right these churches are a real landmark, and much more.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking....
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy - to lose such a lovely building but more importantly to lose the home of such a longstanding and faithful congregation. I hope they find a place to continue worshipping together while they decide what to do.
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad! What a beautiful place. I hope that the community will come together to helpbring back this church. I know that memories can not be replaced, however the process of coming together to rebuild is something that can be so special. Very sad!
ReplyDeleteMama Hen
How terribly sad to lose such a beautiful building. I hope that the spirit of its congregation will raise another church to honor it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad day for the congregation. I hope they find peace with their nearby temporary fellowship while they wait for guidance into what to do next. It's upsetting in the extreme to lose such a magnificent looking building in a fine setting, which I would be sorry to lose if it was in my neighbourhood. However in the long term, I'm sure that God is interested in how the real church comes through it. It may be a bit raw at the moment and I've thought 3 or 4 times about saying it here, but I've just read the second half of 1 corinthians 3 that talks about who the real church are.
ReplyDeleteIt seems from the video clip that "the church" has already grown stronger and have the resolve to overcome this setback. My thoughts and prayers are with them all to gain comfort and direction at this terrible time.
Oh, this is so sad. I will ask for prayers from our congregation on Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteOh, how heartbreaking! Such a sad, sad loss. But thankfully, despite how beautiful and charming the building may have been, the heart of the church lies in its congregants ....
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to see such a loss, such a sad site within these pictures. I hope they all pull together weekly to continue as a church family as they normally would.
ReplyDeleteI linked you from my last post as I included your acrostic for Christmas.
Blessings to you and your family this week, Lisa