Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/420

 352 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY Soon, however, a number of families in the southern part of the settlement were dissatisfied with the location, and some other things relating to the building of a church, and withdrew them- selves from the congregation. They even organized themselves into a new congregation and talked of building a church by themselves. The congregation paid no attention to this new movement, but went to work and built a small church on the beautiful hill where it had been decided upon. But in view of so many families having withdrawn themselves, the dimensions were cut down to 40x26, with a small sacristy. In June, 1862, it was so far finished that the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Synod of North America could hold its annual meeting there — an occasion of historical note. The movement of the seceders fell to the ground, and by and by most of them returned to the old congregation. "We were now in the times of the great Civil War, and the minds of the people were occupied with the all-absorbing theme. It was not a time favorable to the growth of spirituality and the peaceful development of the kingdom of God; the times were too exciting for that. Nevertheless, the grace of mercy in caring for the sick and wounded, and the people, was during that time awakened in the congregation as never before. Not a few of its members went to the war, and many never returned. In num- bers and material wealth the congregation continued to grow during the war. At its close it had .'HI communicants. On this account the church soon became too small for the congre- gation. At the annual meeting- of 1865 it was proposed to move the church building from the top of the hill to the east side of the lot, put a stone basement under it, and to make prepara- tions for erecting a larger church. This proposition was adopted and the church was removed during the summer. In the fol- lowing fall and winter the basement was occupied by the Con- gregational school and by the Orphan Home, then in its incip- ieney. In regard to the erection of a new church, there were many deliberations from December, 1865, to January 2, 1867. It was then resolved by the congregation that I should take the whole matter in my own hands — solicit subscriptions and direct the work from beginning to end. During the winter and spring I had some $8,000 subscribed towards the new buildings, and during the summer Messrs. J. Paulson and J. Wisley made 350,000 bricks. My health failing again, I had to ask permission for one year, from November, 1867, to recruit ; and leaving the pas- toral work to my assistant, and the erection of the church to its trustees and a building committee, I went to Sweden on the beginning of 1868. The foundation to the new church was laid in the summer of 1868. and the church was put up in 1869.