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On the left is the sign for Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, which will be holding its last service on Sunday, Oct. 26. On the right is the sign for Iglesia De Dios Manantial de Agua Viva, which plans to purchase the property. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
And another church plans to purchase the property in November
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Pipestone will hold its final service on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
The Missouri Synod church held its first service a little over 70 years ago on July 22, 1955 at the Pipestone Armory after splitting from St. Paul Lutheran Church. At the time, there were 72 families and 173 communicant members. The church property was purchased during the winter of 1955 to 1956 and the groundbreaking was held on July 28, 1957.
Gary Hailey, head elder and acting chairman at Our Saviour’s Lutheran, said the church was remodeled in the early 1990s. The fellowship hall was expanded, a new kitchen was built, handicapped bathrooms were added and a new roof was built to give the entire building a pitched roof. Hailey said the roof had been flat over the fellowship hall and the Sunday school rooms, which caused issues.
In 2014, Our Saviour’s Lutheran became part of a dual parish with Trinity Lutheran Church in Jasper. The two churches shared Pastor Jon Olson.
In 2017, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Trosky was added to form the Three Strands Lutheran Parish, in reference to Ecclesiastes 4:12, which says, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Pastor Robert Moeller served all three churches.
Hailey said Moeller left about a year ago. Since then, the three churches have been served by vacancy pastors including Pastor Gary Klatt from Luverne, Pastor Christopher Amen from St. Paul Lutheran Church and, currently, Pastor David Petrich from St. James Lutheran in Holland.
The congregations of Our Saviour’s and St. John’s in Trosky have been holding services together, meeting the first two weeks of the month in Trosky and the second two weeks of the month in Pipestone. Hailey said about 30 people attend the services.
At its peak, in the 1980s, he said, Our Saviour’s had around 200 people attending Sunday services. He and his wife, Carmen, were youth counselors at that time.
“We had a huge youth group,” he said.
Hailey said the churches are now closing for the same reason they joined together — the congregations were shrinking. He said it’s also hard to find a pastor willing to serve a tri-parish.
Once Our Saviour’s closes, Hailey plans to attend a church his daughter attends in Luverne. It will be a change for Hailey, who has been a part of Our Saviour’s Lutheran since he was in eighth grade. He’s now 63. His children were baptized and confirmed at Our Saviour’s and his daughter was married there, but ultimately, he said it’s just a building and the church is not a building, but the people.
Hailey said the final service on Oct. 26 will include a visit from the district president and a ceremony retiring the cross at the front of the church and the items on the altar. The church that plans to purchase the property will provide a meal after the service.
The organ, altar and banners from the church will be going to a church in Minneapolis and the hymnals will go to a church in Flandreau. Iglesia De Dios Manantial de Agua Viva [Church of God Spring of Living Water], which has been holding services at Our Saviour’s Lutheran, is expected to take possession of the church property in November.
“I’m thankful that it’s being sold and it’s going to be used as a church,” Hailey said.
St. John’s Lutheran’s last service is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2 and the church is for sale. Hailey said Trinity Lutheran in Jasper is being used by the congregation from a church from Hardwick, which is remodeling and unable to use their church during the process.