St. John to celebrate 80 years in the Valley

PALMER —This Sunday, Nov. 1, St. John Lutheran Church at 440 East Elmwood in Palmer will celebrate 80 years of congregational ministry.

St. John was begun in 1935 as the Matanuska Colony was getting started. The Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation set aside land for churches. On that city block Palmer United Protestant (Presbyterian), St. John Lutheran Church, and St. Michael Roman Catholic Church established their worship centers and their ministry.

Current St. John member, Arlene (Benson) Fox, wrote, “In May of 1935 200 Colonists arrived in Palmer from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. My parents were with the Minnesota group. In 1936 the ARRC (Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation) set aside land for three churches, the Lutheran Church, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. These churches were to be built of log or log siding. St. John chose to side theirs with log siding from a mill in Eklutna. St. John Lutheran Church was chartered [as a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod] on July 25, 1937. That same month I was baptized and in June of 1938 my parents were confirmed.”

Actually, St. John records show that Johan Johnson was the first person baptized in 1935. Johan was living in the Pioneer Home in 2010 and still attending regular Sunday worship when he passed away the Wednesday before that year’s Colony Day’s parade. Johan’s father, Johan Johnson – one of the original Colonists, helped to build the original church. That church is now sitting on the fairgrounds at the Alaska State Fair.

Over the years St. John has been served by 13 full time pastors. Pastor Rudolph Frehling was the founding pastor and served from 1935 to 1937. The first 8 pastors remained an average of about 2.5 years each. However, each of the last five pastors, beginning with Pastor Roland Fritz in 1958, have all served at least 8 years. I have been serving as senior pastor since 1991.

In an article written in 2003, I noted, “St. John has been the recipient of so many blessings over the years of others helping them, the question is, how will we reach out to help others by sharing the Gospel of Jesus?”

There is only one worship service on November 1 to allow all to worship together. Festivities start with a hymn sing at 10:30 a.m., followed by worship at 11 a.m. Hunter Richards, a son of St. John and a 2015 seminary graduate will be preaching. All are invited.

Jonathan Rockey is pastor at St. John Lutheran Church.