Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/495

 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUK'J V tSl mi Sunday evenings the hall was round to be too small, and manj had to stand during the entire service. In March, 1900, arrange- ments were made to use the hall of the A. 0. U. V. The hall being large and comfortably furnished, the attendance at serv- ices continued very satisfactorily. In May, 1900, at a meeting called by Reverend Boulton, who had conducted the services from October 15, 1899, the First English Evangelical Lutheran church, of Cannon Falls, was organized with nine charter members, as signers of the articles of organization. The total membership was twenty-five communicants. The congregation elected the fol- lowing named persons as its firsl officers: Secretary. P. S. Aslak- son : treasurer. B. R. Johnson; deacons. S. J. Edlund, O. L. Ben- son. A. J. Ullevig; trustees. S. J. Baeklund, X. A. Winslow, A. E. Gilbertson. The congregation was received into the Synod of the Northwest at the synodical meeting in Goodhue, June. 1900. On the first Sunday in Advent. December 2. 1900. Rev. Merrill E. Boulton was installed as pastor by the Rev. G. H. Trabert, D. D., of Minneapolis. Rev. M. E. Boulton served as pastor of the congregation until May, 1903, when he resigned, to accept the pastorate of the Firsl English Evangelical Lutheran church, of Mishawaka, Ind. In June, 1908, Rev. R. A. Helms accepted the call, and served as pastor until 1906, when he tendered his resig- nation. During the pastorate of Reverend Helms a lot was pur- chased, and a new church erected thereon at a cost of $2,500. It was dedicated in May. 1905. Rev. Willis Beck assumed the pas- torate in December, 1906. and is its present pastor, serving it from Zumbrota. The present communicant membership is 100. It has an energetic ladies' aid society of thirty members, a Luther league, and a Sunday school of ninety members, of which P. S. Aslakson is superintendent. First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Zumbrota. On October 5, 190."). Rev. R. A. Helms, who had been requested by J. A. Langslorf, Herman Kalass and others to hold English Lutheran services at Zumbrota, came here and conducted a meet- ing in Anderson Hall. The attendance at this time was forty persons. At the next meeting," two weeks later, the attendance was eighty-three. Services were then held every two weeks, until November 27, 1905, when the church was regularly organized as the First English Lutheran Church of the Redeemer by the Rev. R. A. Helms, assisted by Rev. J. A. Reichert. of Red Wing. The original signers of the constitution were Herman Kalass. Mrs. Herman Kalass. Julia Frederieh, Harnett Abend, Mrs. Anton Johnson, Anton Johnson, Fred Lohmann, Lizzie Lohmann. August King, Elinor Klug, J. II. Langsdorf. Augusta Langsdorf, William Langsdorf, H. E. Weiss. B. A. Kolbe and Anna Kolbe. Reverend Helms resigned as pastor in the early part of 1906.