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Contents:
Two Churches Celebrate 150th Anniversaries
The two oldest still-active churches of the Baptist General Conference began within eight days of each other. Clear Lake Village Church in Iowa began on August 10, 1853, and Houston Baptist Church in Minnesota began on August 18, 1853. Both celebrated their 150th anniversaries during 2003. The two churches had close connections with F. O. Nilsson, who is often considered the founder of the Baptist General Conference. Village Creek Church of Iowa Now known as Center Baptist Church of Lansing, Iowa, this is the oldest church in continuous existence in the Baptist General Conference. The early Swedes came to America more than 100 years ago, primarily to gain religious freedom, and secondarily for economic reasons. The state church of Sweden (Lutheran) was at that time so intolerant and fearful of other faiths that F. O. Nilsson (who believed in baptism by immersion) was banned from Sweden in 1850, although he was born there in 1809. After living for two years in Denmark, Nilsson and his wife gathered 21 Swedish Baptists and set sail for America on June 24, 1853. Reaching New York, the party continued westward with Nilsson as guide. Some stopped with Swedes in Rock Island, Ill., where they learned that a valley in Iowa that was like "little Switzerland" was home to some Swedes. And so they went to "Village Creek." On August 10, 1853, evangelist G. Palmquist baptized 12 believers and organized the Swedish Baptist Church of Village Creek. The little church met in homes of members until 1857, when a log house was purchased. In 1911, the present structure was built. Thirty pastors have served the church in its 150 years, and some are buried in the adjoining cemetery. The first group meetings of what came to be the Baptist General Conference were held in this church.
A typical frontier church, it grew strong with frequent revivals. New converts were baptized in nearby Village Creek, even in winter when holes had to be dug through the ice to make baptism possible. F. O. Nilsson, who had gone on with the rest of his group to Minnesota, often visited Village Creek. He once walked 10 miles from the nearest town to where the church was meeting. At the prayer meeting where everyone customarily kneeled, Nilsson stayed on his knees as long as possible and then arose and said, "Brethren, let us intersperse our prayers with song and testimony. This long posture on aching knees takes the spirit of worship out of us." The Village Creek church was one of the first to start a Sunday school to reach children for Christ. In this church Erika Bergman was converted. She became one of the first foreign missionaries of the Swedish Baptists, going to India in 1891. Although now a small country church, with average attendance of 35 to 45 in winter and 65 to 85 in summer, the 150th anniversary celebration on August 8-10 drew almost 200 people, many with historic roots in the church. A professional video was made for the occasion and is now available at the History Center. Through the video and the rest of the celebration, more than $1,000 was raised for the church's missionary program. Keynote speaker was Dr. Virgil Olson, former professor of church history at Bethel, and executive secretary of the board of foreign missions of the BGC whose theme was "Christ as the Cornerstone." Houston Baptist Church of Minnesota
While some of the 21 Baptists who came from Sweden with F. O. Nilsson stayed in Iowa, six families went on with him to Minnesota. They got as far as La Crosse, Wis., by boat and then walked the last 23 miles. There was a large Indian village where the village of Houston now stands, but two miles to the east was a valley (later known as Swede Hollow) where they were able to pitch their tents. In the evening of the first day, August 18, 1853, they gathered together to praise God for bringing them there. This is considered the beginning of the Houston Baptist Church. The first winter was tragic. The settlers had purchased oxen in Iowa and had begun to cut and haul logs to build homes, but ill health attacked some of them and winter came too soon to complete their homes. They did complete an "immigrant house" into which four families crowded. One family lived in a tent for a time, and the other family had a small cabin. F. O. Nilsson was not living there but visited in November 1853. The people were so poverty stricken and ill-housed that he feared they would not survive. He wrote one of his friends in New York, and a church there raised $70 to help the struggling group. In the spring they began work again, but in July cholera struck. Five people died—one child and four young mothers. They were buried in a small plot just west of the immigrant house. Their graves can still be seen in a little cemetery that has been restored. The small group of believers met regularly in homes, and two of the men took turns leading the worship. Visiting preachers led when they were in the area. F. O. Nilsson came in the spring of 1854 and stayed two months. A history of the Swedish Baptists states, "The Swedish Baptists of Minnesota, now and for many years the strongest state group in America, count F. O. Nilsson as their chief pioneer and founder of churches." Nilsson encouraged the small struggling churches in Minnesota to form an association. In 1858 a few churches met in Scandia, Minn., to form the Minnesota Scandinavian Baptist Conference. The little group of believers in Swede Bottom near Houston did not have a permanent resident pastor for the first 20 years. Missionaries and itinerant preachers came periodically to encourage them. Baptisms were held in the Root River near the church. Nilsson traveled throughout the Midwest planting churches and often visited Houston. He settled there toward the end of his life and at his death in 1871 was buried in the cemetery at Swede Bottom. His brother, Bernt Nilsson, settled there, and some of his descendants are still a part of the church.
The small group of believers finally built a one-room church in 1865. This building was destroyed by a tornado in 1881 but was rebuilt the next year. Sunday school was held in the corners of the one room. During the early years of the 1900s there was much discussion about whether the congregation should move to nearby Houston. On Thanksgiving Day, 1929, the church voted to move from the country location in Swede Bottom to the village. They pledged $15,000 toward a new building, and it was completed in the fall of 1930. At the 150th anniversary celebration, visitors were invited to visit the Swede Bottom cemetery where F. O. Nilsson is buried. Anniversary participants visited F. O. Nilsson's grave, where they sang Faith of our Fathers and Children of the Heavenly Father. The group also visited the earliest cemetery where the cholera victims were buried, as well as some of the early settlers. About 150 people joined the celebration, with Jerry Sheveland, president of the Baptist General Conference, speaking at the banquet. The Rev. John Anderson, of Central Baptist Church, St. Paul, was master of ceremonies. Anderson grew up in Houston, and several of his relatives attended the celebration. Houston has remained a small town with a population of about 1,000. The Baptist church, with a current membership of 35 and an average attendance of 60 to 65, carries on a full schedule of church activities. Write about Your Own Life through Open Course at Bethel Do you want to leave your own "Trailmarkers" for your family and friends? Dan Taylor, writer and professor at Bethel College, will teach a special four-week course on Monday nights, which is open to the public, to help adults write about their lives and thus leave a legacy. Taylor will introduce the basic skills and strategies of writing about your life with an emphasis on life stories as carriers of values and meaning. Participants will practice writing and, if they desire, receive peer feedback. This is not a college credit course. Classes will meet 7-9 p.m. on Monday nights, February 23, March 1, 8, and 15. Cost is $125. If interested, contact Dan Taylor at 651-638-6357 or e-mail him at d-taylor@bethel.edu. Wanted: Humorous Stories about Early Leaders If you know some interesting and/or humorous stories about early Baptist General Conference leaders, pastors, or events, the Baptist Conference Archives would like to include them in the historical materials. For example, Esther Sabel (born 1893) originally went to college to become a foreign missionary. When she applied to the mission board after graduating with honors (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Chicago, she was turned down because of poor health. Eventually she became a teacher at Bethel Missionary Training School, Bethel Academy, Bethel College, and Bethel Seminary. Over the years she taught Greek, Bible, hermeneutics, and Christian education. Her total tenure was 34 years. After her retirement in 1958, she lived to be 101 years old. So much for her poor health! Archives Welcome Family Histories with Conference Connections Many people are recognizing the importance of researching their family histories and putting their findings in writing for their children and grandchildren. If your ancestors had connections with the Baptist General Conference, the history center would be happy to receive and catalog a copy. It will then be permanently available to relatives and others to research for family connections and for local customs and history. Be sure to indicate exact connections with the Baptist General Conference. The material should be printed and bound (can be done at Kinko's or other copy shops) so that it can be cataloged and stored. For further information or instructions, e-mail archivist Diana Magnuson (d-magnuson@bethel.edu) or write to her at Bethel College, 3900 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112. |
