Wine & worship

PALMER — Gerry Keeling remembers worshiping in the original St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer.

Built in 1936 and dedicated in 1937, it was one of three churches — along with St. Michael Catholic Church and the United Protestant Church — to make up the a block of worship buildings called Holy Corner.

The daughter of Colonists Oscar and Saima Kindgren, Keeling is curator of the Colony House Museum and holds much nostalgia for the former church building.

“I have great affection for that building, I have to say,” she said. “In my ears, I can still hear the sounds of the building when you stepped inside it. It was kind-of hollow … like walking on a dry snowdrift with that hollow sound.”

That’s why Keeling was a little taken aback to learn the building, which is part of the collection of historic structures at the Alaska State Fairgrounds, became a wine bar for this year’s state fair.

“I certainly don’t fault the fair,” she said, adding she doesn’t have a problem with the former church being used to serve alcohol. “That part doesn’t get to me, because didn’t Jesus drink wine? It’s just that, to me, it’s still St. John Church. My heart has just never let go of that. I’m just one who isn’t quick to change.”

The old St. John Lutheran Church building was moved to the fairgrounds in 1975 when the church built a new building, said Pastor Jonathan Rockey.

Keeling’s sentiment isn’t one he’s heard much from the St. John congregation, he said.

“I haven’t heard anybody say anything to me at all about that,” he said. “There’s a real attachment to the history here. We have a lot of people connected to the Colony who are part of our church.”

The building along the Red Trail at the fair houses a wine bar and art exhibit put on by the Valley Arts Alliance in cooperation with The Grape Tap. This is the fourth year VAA has been at the fair, but the first in the church building, said Carmen Summerfield, VAA president.

A presence at the fair is good publicity for the group, Summerfield said, but there was never any intention of doing anything offensive to St. John Lutheran or its congregation.

“Well, it’s a building that was used in the past as a church, but at this present time it is not,” she said. “I think it’s neat we still have the former church here. I’ve seen in the United States and in other places around the world where people use (former) churches for other uses, like for arts and for breweries.”

Nan Potts is another VAA member who said she “definitely understands their concern, but it’s a building on the fairgrounds. It has very interesting historical value and is a beautiful venue.”

What strikes Keeling is seeing a large “Wine Bar” sign on the old log building with the church’s original cross above it. That wine is served there isn’t a problem, Pastor Rockey said.

“Lutherans are not teetotalers, so that’s not a big thing for us,” he said. “When we donated that building, we had hoped it would be used for appropriate purposes. It preserved the building, and that was pretty important. We’re not people who believe you shouldn’t drink, just we believe getting drunk is wrong.”

Keeling said she’ll continue to remember her childhood and the role St. John Lutheran Church played in the growth of the Palmer area.

“I realize my feelings for the building are my own personal heartsong,” she said. “It’s more than nostalgia. I recognize there’s maybe both happiness and sadness in the use of this building this year, but I don’t fault anybody at all.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.