First Lutheran Church in Kenyon Celebrates 125 Years

First Lutheran Church of Kenyon held their kickoff service for their 125th year Sunday with lots of music, communion and a sermon by the bishop.

When I entered the balcony, the Bell Choir was playing beautiful music and then Pastor Luke Mathsen and Southeast Minnesota Synod ECLA Bishop Steve Delzer entered the sanctuary with the processional hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty."

After a couple of readings and a children's message, the Senior Choir sang "Worship the Lord in Holiness."

Delzer's sermon followed the gospel reading and he commended First Lutheran for 125 years of service not only to Kenyon but the world through its donations to various projects. Delzer concluded by saying he was confident the church would provide service for many years to come.

After communion, a reception was held in the Fellowship Hall where Helen Aase did a masterful job highlighting the first 40 years of First Lutheran.

Delzer said Aase read 125 years of annual reports to get her historical tidbits to use throughout the year and said that is not an easy task.

Aase told us the church began meeting in a bowling alley/tavern and when deciding to build a church, "the men asked the women for money."

The first pastor was very strict and did not allow owners of taverns to attend the church.  However Aase said he told people at a public event he was wrong to make that rule.

A few of the parishioners shared memories expressed by their parents. They also had memories of their own to share about events at the church.

Delzer presented the church with a plaque commemorating the historic event.

There was a display of artifacts from church history, which will be up in the basement for a while.

Congratulations to First Lutheran of Kenyon for 125 years of sharing the good news.

To put this in perspective, I did some checking and the church was started before the Minnesota Capitol was built (1905).

In 1891, Itasca State Park was established, the Minnesota Library Association and the St. Olaf College Band was started.

Hormel and Co. introduced Spam.

In 1891, Carnegie Hall was opened in New York CIty and the guest conductor was Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Thomas Edison had patents for the motion picture camera and "transmission of signal electricty." (Radio)

The first basketball game was played in Massechusetts.

John T. Smith patents corkboard.

Cy Young was pitching in Major League Baseball.

The first world weightlifting championship was held.

The 52nd U.S. Congress was the first to appropriate $1 billion and created the Courts of Appeal.

Our U.S. president was Benjamin Harrison.