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Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
(ELCA)
Fairfield, Connecticut
A BRIEF HISTORY
Second Edition - 2012
Compiled and Edited by Vic Berecz
This publication may not be used for
any commercial purpose.
© Copyright 2012
Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
Fairfield, Connecticut.
All Rights Reserved.
Thanks are extended to all who helped in making this updated book possible, especially for the help of Pastor
Mark Christoffersen. Also, thanks and acknowledgements are due to the grandson of our first Pastor Andreas
V. Andersen, and the great-great-granddaughter of charter member Jørgen Johannsen Brown for additional
information about the early history of the congregation; and to former members of the Saint Mark’s and Saint
Paul’s congregations of Bridgeport, who provided historical material about their former congregations.
This edition available only in digital PDF-file format.
i
Table of Contents
Page
Forward - A Message from Our Pastor
iii
Preface - An Overview of OSLC History
iv
1.
The Danish Era Church 1890-1924
1
2.
Danish-English Transition 1925-1946
6
3.
Post-War Decline of Bridgeport 1946-1962
9
4.
Getting a New Start in Fairfield 1963-1971
11
5.
An Evolving Community 1971-2000
14
6.
Our Saviour’s in the 21st Century 2000-2010
19
7.
An Anniversary Celebration in 2012
23
8.
Our Pastors ; Brief Biographies
24
9.
Congregational Family History Resources
29
10.
Two Other Congregations of Note
31
11.
The Danish Lutheran Tradition in the U.S.
34
ii
A Message from Our Pastor
[This introduction was prepared for the 2008 edition.]
Dear members and friends,
Over one hundred years have passed since Danish Lutheran
immigrants first formed Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Since
their beginning group effort, significant changes have taken
place within our congregation.
What are some of those
changes? Three different buildings have been used as our
permanent houses of worship, two in Bridgeport and the latest
one in Fairfield. At first everyone who became a member of the
church was of Danish descent and came from a Lutheran
upbringing. Now only a few members can claim a Danish
ancestry, while it still holds true that the majority of members
have grown up as Lutherans. And the last five ministers have not come from a DanishAmerican Lutheran heritage; however, their combined years of ministry cover almost half the
church’s history.
Dramatic changes have also occurred within our world during that same time. We have
moved from the first powered flight by Gustave Albin Whitehead that happened right here in
Fairfield to the first man on the moon. We no longer keep beautifully hand-written records
and drawings in leather-bound books but digitize texts, photos, sound tracks and even videos
so they can be stored on a pocketknife-size computer flash drive. And where once churches
were among the biggest buildings in the city and were the centers of community as our
second building on the city square, Washington Park, once was, now shopping malls and
sports fields dominate the landscape and life.
Many scholars and social commentators think that with the start of the 21st century that
we are going through the greatest cultural transformation since the Reformation that began
with Martin Luther and the printing press so long ago. The challenges the church faces today
are in some ways the same as business faces today. Almost 491 years from the day Luther
posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, in the October 29, 2008
edition of The New York Times, there were articles reporting the decline of the printing press
for newspapers, magazines and books. And one article quoted Clay Shirky, the author of
Here Comes Everybody, as saying, “The older customers like the older products, and the new
customers like the new.” And the Church is at same crossroads. The older members like the
older ways of doing things, and the newer like the new ways we do things within our world.
With faith in God and hope for our future, Mark Christoffersen, pastor
iii
A Summary of OSLC History
Our congregation was formally organized as Our
Savior’s Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Bridgeport in 1894. We used a variety of facilities
over our first decade, but in 1904 we dedicated our
first real church building at 32 Beach Street. We were
an ethnic congregation in an ethnic world of
immigrants.
Several more years of youthful
exuberance ran out of steam in 1913, and our
congregation experienced a decade of severe decline
during and after World War I.
Recognition by some remaining members that the
basic problem was appropriate housing for the Pastor,
led to the sale of the Beach Street church and
purchase of a large house at 512 East Washington
Avenue in Bridgeport. This building provided facilities for our congregation on the first
level, with a parsonage above. At “512” our congregation once-more thrived, and began in
the 1930s the long transition process to English-language services.
At the end of Bridgeport’s World War II
manufacturing boom, the city around us went into
severe decline. Many of our younger parishioners,
who had relocated to the suburbs of Stratford,
Trumbull, and Fairfield, no longer wanted to make
the trip into the dilapidated east-side of Bridgeport.
A decision was made to relocate the congregation to
Fairfield, and in September 1961 services began at
Riverfield School. Our new building at 160 Hill Farm
Road was dedicated on November 29, 1965.
Now in Fairfield for nearly a half century, the
Danish-American
families
who
built
our
congregation are all gone, though a few of their
descendants remain. Our Saviour’s has truly evolved
into a community church in the best sense of that
term.
As did our predecessors, our congregation
reaches out to the world and our local communities
with the Good News of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. We receive strength for this mission through
worship, music, Christian education, service,
benevolent giving, witness, mutual support and our
commitment to grow in faith and participation.
“As God gives to us,
so we give to others.”
iv
1. The Danish Era Church 1890-1924
Following Denmark’s defeat in the 2nd Schleswig War of
1864-67, Danish emigration to the U.S. increased, with many
of the immigrants settling on the fertile farmlands of
Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska. In 1872 an organization of
mid-western Danish Lutheran churches was formed and in
1874 took the name Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (DELCA). One of the four founding pastors of this
synod was Rasmus Andersen (1848-1930), seen here, whose
first church was in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
An 1894 schism divided the DELCA into two groups
sometimes referred to as happy Danes and sad Danes. The
actual cause of the schism was theological differences
resulting from the teachings of Nikolai Grundtvig (17831872) and his movement away from a view of the Church as
having its foundation in literal interpretation of the Bible.
According to Danish Synod historian Enok Mortensen, in his Stories from Our Church,
“This Danish poet, preacher, historian, and patriot [Grundtvig] believed that ‘every Dane
should be an enlightened, useful citizen’ … that man’s entire earthly life was a God-given
gift with a value in itself.” contrasting with the pietistic attitude that life is merely preparation
for eternity. The Grundtvigians kept the DELCA name, but only 36 pastors and 40
congregations remained. The anti-Grundtvigians soon formed the United Danish Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
By the 1870’s, Danes with industrial skills began to settle in the Northeast. Perth
Amboy, New Jersey (home of a major Dane-owned terracotta factory) was among the largest
of these Danish centers. While not untouched by the schism, most area Danes adhered to
Grundtvig’s theology and several of the emerging congregations became a part of the
DELCA. This was due largely to Pastor Rasmus Andersen, who came from Wisconsin to
Perth Amboy in 1878. In 1883, he formed Our Savior’s in Brooklyn, originally as a Danish
seaman’s mission. Andersen served there until his retirement in 1924. During the 1880’s
and early 1890’s, he frequently visited other Danish communities of New York and
Connecticut. Among these were the growing Danish communities in Hartford and
Bridgeport.
From these efforts, five Danish Lutheran congregations were formed in Connecticut,
three of which survived for significant periods. The first was Our Savior’s of Hartford
organized in 1883. Our Savior’s Hartford was part of a 1967 congregational merger and is
now located in Newington.
The Hartford pastor, Karl Peter Brückner, performed the first recorded Danish Lutheran
baptisms in Bridgeport, and was responsible for the organization of Our Savior’s of
Bridgeport in 1894. This Bridgeport congregation, as you will see, moved to Fairfield in
1961, and thrives to this day.
The Bridgeport and Hartford pastors soon began the St. Peter’s congregation in Byram
(the western section of Greenwich was then also known as East Portchester or New
Lebanon). St. Peter’s existed until its “merger” into Our Saviour’s Fairfield in 1963 – more
1
on that later. The two other Danish Lutheran congregations were short-lived: Trinity of New
Haven (1897-1918) and St. Johannes of Derby/Ansonia (1900-1903).
Pastor Brückner took charge of the Hartford congregation at his ordination in 1891. He
immediately began visiting the Bridgeport community of Danes, and by 1892 was baptizing
their infants. In the summer of 1894 he brought to Bridgeport a visiting Danish student and
pastoral candidate named Andreas Vilhelm Andersen. Here are the words from the 1944 50th
Anniversary booklet regarding the 1894 beginnings of our congregation:
They [Brückner and Andersen] came to Bridgeport on September 13th to a
meeting called by a small group in a store on East Main Street. It was decided to
have a service the following Sunday, after which sixteen or seventeen signed a list
pledging their willingness to start a congregation. A meeting was called for
September 27th with about thirty present and Our Saviour's Danish Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Bridgeport was organized with the following elected officers:
President, Niels Jensen; Vice President, Hans Jensen; Secretary, Jep Petersen;
Treasurer, Lauritz Kyed; Trustees, Jacob P. Hermansen, Jorgen Scott and
Christian Jessen. Some had been out with lists securing names, and our record
books show that there were sixty-five adults’ and forty-three children’s names
listed as of September 27th. Many more were added soon after. A constitution
was drawn up and accepted the same night. The next month it was arranged to
have services Sunday afternoons or evenings in the German Baptist Church, at the
corner of Kossuth and Burrough Streets, now a Jewish synagogue. A choir was
started in October or November and at the same time a Sunday School and
Ladies’ Aid were organized.
Andersen was born in 1871 in
Sweden to a Danish sea-captain and
his Swedish wife. He was orphaned
as a youth, and was raised by his
aunt in Flensberg … a Danish city
which had been ceded to Germany in
1867.
While German was the
language of the schools, he also
learned Danish, English, and French
from private tutors. In 1894, Pastor
Andersen immediately took on the
new
Bridgeport
congregation,
though he wasn’t officially ordained
until the next year due to the ongoing schism and questions about his
Danish loyalties … don’t forget he
was half Swedish and legally a
German citizen. Here is an 1895
photo of Pastors Andersen (at left)
and Brückner.
2
During the next formative years, Our Savior’s services were held at St. Paul’s German
Lutheran Church and later the parish house of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Beach Street.
Later a Beach Street store was purchased and remodeled into a small church. During this
period Rev. Anderson also formed St. Peter’s congregation in East Portchester, and
conducted services there twice a month.
In 1895, Pastor Andersen met and later married Mary Wippert of East Hampton, a
member of Brückner’s congregation. They were married on June 30, 1898 at Bridgeport’s
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church by Brückner, with Rev. Rasmus Andersen of Brooklyn and Rev.
James Witke of St. Paul’s participating. According to a contemporary newspaper article,
over 300 guests attended the evening wedding where “the bride was attended by 12 little
flower girls clad in spotless white who strewed flowers in the way of the bridal party.”
Andersen, his wife, and his blind aunt who lived with them were beloved by the congregation
according to letters between congregants and relatives in Denmark.
In August 1903, just a few months after the death of their first child, Pastor Anderson left
Bridgeport to re-establish a failed New York Danish congregation in the Bronx. From there
he continued to serve the Byram congregation until his 1911 departure for Trinity in Chicago
which he served for over 30 years. He died in 1947, not long after receiving the Pro Dania
medal from King Christian X for his work with Danish refugees and his war relief efforts
during the Nazi occupation of Denmark.
Rev. A.J. Tarpgaard, who had served congregations in Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota,
accepted a call to Bridgeport and on his installation in December 1903 immediately began a
fund-raising campaign to build a proper church. Within months, construction began at 32
Beach Street. The church was built by Levard Pedersen of Hartford, who relocated his
construction business to Bridgeport, and became a pillar of our congregation. . A 1904 photo
taken prior to the dedication of the Beach Street church is shown below.
3
December 18, 1904 was a great day for the Our Savior’s congregation. Its first real
church building was dedicated in a service conducted by Pastor Tarpgaard, with the
assistance of Rev. Rasmus Nielsen of Hartford and Our Savior’s former pastor, A.V.
Andersen. Rev. Tarpgaard served until 1911 when he accepted a call to Minnesota. Later,
he returned to serve in New York, and assisted Our Savior’s during the pastoral vacancy of
the early 1920s and in 1930-31
On May 25, 1911, Rev. Henrik Plambeck began his service at Our Savior’s. While a
young pastor in Flaxton, ND he conceived the idea of planting a Danish community further
to the west. That resulted in the town of Dagmar, Montana where free land was offered to
any Dane that would settle there. Moving to an urban parish from what was still the frontier
must have been a real
shocker
to
Planbeck.
Though he found a wife
within our congregation – he
and Christiana Christiansen
were married in the Beach
Street church by Pastor
Rasmus
Andersen
of
Brooklyn on October 4, 1912
-- he served only until July
of 1913.
His departure
initiated
a
decade-long
decline in the congregation,
primarily caused by the lack
of adequate housing for a
pastor, but exacerbated by
wartime concerns.
Pictured above is a mission meeting of the Eastern District (Osten Kregsmode) pastors of
the DELCA held in Perth Amboy in September 1911. In the photo are: [Top L-R] Pastors
A.T. Dorf, Andreas Vilhelm Andersen, Rasmus Andersen and [Bottom L-R] Knud Gjorup,
J.A.M. Roldholm, Ole Jacobsen, Henrik Plambeck.
Following Planbeck’s departure, congregational needs of Our Savior’s were satisfied for
a time by neighboring Pastors Svend Marckmann, A.C. Kildegaard, Sr., Svend Jorgensen,
and Christian Pedersen. Rev. Peder Jensen was called and served only a few months in
1914-15.
It is notable that in the post-schism history of the DELCA, the synod reached its peak in
1915, with 96 congregations and 21,000 baptized members. It then went into a slow decline,
especially during the Great Depression years, with some recovery from the 1940s onward.
Locally, it became clear that the reason for not being able to keep a Pastor in Bridgeport
was the lack of adequate housing. This situation was made worse by the general conditions
in the city during the period. During World War I, Bridgeport reached its maximum
population ever – over 250,000. A huge number of these families were supported by men
working long hours in the defense industries. Thousands were employed by Remington
Arms which had the contract to supply virtually all the rifles and ammunition for the Czarist
Russian army. Others were more directly involved in the war.
4
According to the 1919 report of the National Lutheran Commission for Soldiers’ and
Sailors’ Welfare, seventeen members of Our Savior’s, Bridgeport served in the American
military; three of whom died in service – Carl Hansen, Emil Jessen, and Raymond Tingaard.
[Rev. A.C. Kildegaard, Sr. of Trinity Lutheran in the Bronx served on the Board of this
Commission, and helped at Our Savior’s as he was able during the war years and after.]
Through the build-up to the war, and during America’s participation in it, prices
skyrocketed and housing in Bridgeport was scarce. But, funds to pay the Pastor didn’t
increase. Congregational activities were less frequent and services were held on Sunday
evenings when a neighboring pastor was able to visit. Rev. Kildegaard, Sr. noted many years
later that “It was a pleasure to again and again see the old church filled to capacity at those
Sunday evening services during the first World War.” At the end of the war the defense
industry – and Bridgeport with it – went into a major recession. It’s no surprise that in this
environment Our Savior’s downhill slide continued.
In the years from 1915 through 1923, only 18 communion services were held. There was
no confirmation instruction between 1915 and 1924. In the summer of 1916, Ejnar Winther,
a theology student, assisted the congregation. In 1917-18, Rev. Peter Stockholm was called
and served in Bridgeport only about a year. Later, when he went to serve a large
congregation in Iowa, he noted by comparison how nice is was to have a parsonage and a
regular salary.
In 1918, Winther -- having completed his studies -- was called, ordained and served. But,
he too did not last much more than a year. Below is a photo of the congregation, probably
from the time of Winther’s ordination. Winther is at the center, with Rev. Pedersen of Troy,
NY beside him. The man standing third from the left is Rasmus Brown, who with his wife
were leaders of the congregation during this difficult period and did much to keep Our
Savior’s in existence. He was the son of Jørgen Johannsen Brun who was a charter member
of Our Savior’s in 1894.
Following the 1919 departure of Rev. Winther, and until 1924, the Our Savior’s
Bridgeport congregation was – for all practical purposes -- dormant. An occasional evening
service was conducted, usually by former Pastor Andreas Tarpgaard who was now serving at
Trinity in the Bronx. But, virtually no baptisms, marriages, or funerals were recorded at Our
Savior’s during this period.
5
2. Danish to English Transition 1924-1946
The remnants of Our Savior’s
congregations recognized that major
changes were required if they were
to ever again have a viable
congregation. Therefore, when the
opportunity presented itself in 1921,
they sold the Beach Street church
and began looking for a facility that
would meet their needs for both
church services and a parsonage.
In 1922, they purchased a large
Italianate-style house at 512 East Washington
Avenue, which was remodeled to serve as a church
on the first floor with a parsonage above. This
work was done by the same Levard Pedersen who
built the Beach Street church. But, it was 1924
before a pastoral call was accepted and Our
Savior’s was again on-track with a church,
parsonage, and pastor of its own. Photos of the
exterior and interior of “512” are shown here.
When Pastor Erich N. Nielsen accepted a call to
Our Savior’s in 1924, this was still a very Danish
congregation. But, many of the founders had
already passed away and a new generation brought
up in American schools, and for whom English was
their primary language, were becoming key
members of the congregation.
Rev. Nielsen’s first confirmation class of 1925
was an interesting mix. It ranged in age
from 12 to 24 : remember there had been
no confirmation instruction for a decade.
Roy Sorensen, one of the older members
of this class was an active member of our
congregation until his death in 1979.
Pastor Nielsen is shown here with the
class.
When Pastor Nielsen left Our
Savior’s in 1930, the congregation was
again dependent on the help of our
neighbors, this time Rev. Valdemar
Jensen of Hartford and Rev. Tarpgaard,
who had since returned to New York.
6
Rev. Sven A. Baden accepted a call and began service at Our
Savior’s in July of 1932. He served the congregation for nearly a
decade, during which time many improvements were made to the
facilities at “512”.
Pastor Baden also rejuvenated the adult choir and established a
boy’s choir, and put new life into the youth group with Danish folk
dances. About 1936, he went to Denmark to be married, and the
wedding photo below showing he and his wife Karen is one of those
glorious European pictures that we all cherish from our own family
histories. The woman shown third from the left in the top row is
Esther Nielsen the daughter of Viggo and Doris Nielsen of Our
Savior’s. She was a bridesmaid, and served for many years as our
organist.
Pastor Baden – despite his Danish birth – saw the handwriting on the wall and began the
transition in the congregation to English-language services. When, in 1941, Rev. Baden left
to accept a call to St. Stephen’s in Perth Amboy, many felt it would be the end of Our
Savior’s. But, the Lord led us to a young man in seminary whose future seemed so bright
that the congregation elected to await his graduation … Axel Kildegaard, Jr. During the
wait, a retired UDELC pastor named Viggo Mengers served the congregation ably.
In July 1942, the son of a man much admired by founding members of the congregation,
came to serve during the difficult World War II years. Rev. Kildegaard, Jr. brought youth
and enthusiasm to the congregation and planned and hosted the Golden Anniversary of the
congregation in 1944. That celebration was commemorated by a wonderful booklet that is
available in the ELCA Archival Bookshelf (http://archive.elca.org/archives/bookshelf.html).
[Note: this booklet is the first place Our Saviour’s was spelled with the “u” … but, that
spelling did not stick until the congregation moved to Fairfield almost two decades later.]
7
That booklet, among other important information, lists the names of the 31 members of Our
Savior’s then serving in the American armed forces in the midst of World War II. These
included two women, Alice Carlsen and Elizabeth V. Nielsen.
During Axel Kildegaard’s years at Our Savior’s, substantial funds were raised both
within the congregation and from the local Danish heritage societies to remodel both the
exterior and interior of the church/parsonage building. In 1945, Sunday morning Danishlanguage services were eliminated, and a once-a-month evening Danish service was
instituted. Due to poor attendance, even these evening Danish services were soon
abandoned. Pastor Kildegaard also resumed responsibility for the St. Peter’s congregation in
Byram, conducting Sunday afternoon services there twice a month … one in English and one
in German.
Pastor Kildegaard resigned in 1948 to return to Grandview Seminary in Des Moines,
Iowa to teach. Later he was appointed Dean there.
Shown in the 1944 photo below are (standing) Rev. Valdemar S. Jensen of Hartford,
OSLC Church Council President Valdemar Kristensen, Rev. Axel C. Kildegaard, Jr. and
(seated) Rev. A.J. Tarpgaard and Rev. A.C. Kildegaard, Sr. who was then the District
President of the DELCA.
8
3. Post-War Decline of Bridgeport 1946-1962
The Bridgeport area during World War II was again a major center of the defense
industry, now with aircraft as well as munitions. But, with the end of the war thousands of
jobs were lost overnight, plus a large number of military personnel were discharged and also
became job seekers. In addition to the huge loss of manufacturing jobs, two other factors
seriously impacted the situation at Our Savior’s.
Throughout the nation, there was a rush to the suburbs after the war. Automobile
ownership became ubiquitous, and home ownership became the primary goal of the younger
generation – especially the veterans. From a Bridgeport perspective, Fairfield, Stratford, and
Trumbull, which before the war were small rural towns, became the places to live. The bulk
of Our Savior’s membership by 1950 lived in these three towns.
During the early 1950s, the east side of Bridgeport rapidly transformed from a multiethnic working-class neighborhood to the poverty-stricken home of thousands of Puerto
Rican immigrants. Though the handwriting was on the wall, efforts were made to maintain
the status quo … but they were in vain. The focal point of those efforts became Pastor Viggo
M. Hansen.
In 1948, Axel Kildegaard, Jr. decided to
return to academia. During an interim period of
about a year, a retired pastor and renowned
hymnist – Jens Aaberg – served the
congregation. Then in late 1949 Pastor Viggo
M. Hansen came to Our Savior’s after a long
and distinguished career as a DELCA pastor.
He related well to the older members of the
congregation and fostered their hopes of
maintaining the old Danish traditions. Pastor
Hansen is shown here with the 1954
Confirmation Class.
Successful fund-raising led to further
renovations of the facility – both to the interior
and the installation of a new roof. In 1952, on the 30th anniversary of the purchase of “512”
the mortgage was burned with great ceremony. And, at the beginning of 1954, the word
“Danish” was dropped from the name of the congregation to mirror the name change that
took place in the synod at the same time. But old traditions were also maintained, such as the
semi-annual “parish pence” collection – essentially going around with a can to collect coins
to pay the pastor’s heating bill … no $3-plus per gallon fuel oil then! At left is a 1955
newspaper photo of the Parish Pence Collection.
Viggo Hansen held things together by keeping the older
members coming for the sake of upholding tradition, and
their younger family members coming to keep the family
peace. Our Savior’s even had an orchestra during Pastor
Hansen’s tenure. According to Hans Hansen, a member from
1932 until his recent death, it consisted of two violins, a
cello, a banjo, a trumpet, an accordion, and a piano.
9
The wartime and post-war years were also the period when women began to take more
active leadership roles in the congregation, initially due to the large number of male members
serving in the armed forces. The long and distinguished service in numerous positions of
Esther Nielsen Betts, Vera Hansen, and Thora Ernsky must be noted here. In subsequent
decades, women have almost continuously been a significant part of Our Saviour’s lay
leadership.
But, when Pastor Hansen retired in 1959, at age 69, it became obvious that major changes
were needed. Hans Hansen wrote in a letter a few years ago that, “As time went on, the old
folks passed on. The neighborhood deteriorated to the point the young folks wouldn’t come,
so it was decided to move to Fairfield.” A new young pastor named A. Everett Nielsen, who
was straight out of Grandview Seminary, came aboard to replace Pastor Hansen. He was
immediately caught up in the rush to move the congregation to Fairfield. Beginning in
September 1961, the congregation met at Riverfield School on Mill Plain Road in Fairfield.
Dr. Albert Schilke, prior to his call to Our Saviour’s, was responsible for mission
development in New York and New England. He had definite thoughts about Fairfield as a
mission field and its development. Some may disagree with his personal assessment of
things; nevertheless, a 1963 letter that Schilke wrote to his superior at synod gives us insight
into the workings of the congregation at that time. Here are some of his thoughts.
Apparently in the late 1950s a Lutheran “self-study” looked at mission fields in the
Bridgeport area. Fairfield was the key town that was without a Lutheran church. The result
was the allocation of Fairfield to the ULCA (a principal component of the 1962 merger that
formed the LCA) as a mission field. Pastor Schilke, at the time, anticipated that struggling
First English Lutheran Church in Bridgeport would make the move. But, instead, a small
group of Our Savior’s leadership decided to take advantage of the situation. They announced
a move to Fairfield, put their Bridgeport facility up for sale (it was eventually sold to a
Spanish-speaking Protestant congregation), and with the proceeds purchased in Fairfield a
parsonage for Rev. Nielsen on Melody Lane and an 11-acre lot on Burr Street near the
Merritt Parkway for an eventual church building. And, they jumped-the-gun on the
announced merger of several Lutheran groups by leaving the Danish synod and joining the
ULCA just a few months before the merger took place. In doing so they felt they could
claim exclusive rights to the mission field in Fairfield, in keeping with the self-study.
In his letter, Pastor Schilke pooh-poohed the land as “four acres of shale and seven acres
of swamp” and expressed his wish that First English and Our Savior’s could have joined
together to form the mission congregation in Fairfield – that would have allowed Our
Savior’s to “be out from under the Danish identity.”
For a year, as part of the LCA, Our Saviour’s struggled to get a foothold in Fairfield,
continuing to meet at Riverfield School. At the end of 1962, Pastor Nielsen left to further his
education. It was probably a smart move to remove himself from a no-win situation. In later
years he ably served congregations in California. As a mission congregation, Our Saviour’s
was largely under synod control.
As
recommended by synod, the congregation’s call
went out to the Mission Superintendent, Rev. Dr.
Albert P. Schilke. The only evidence that Our
Saviour’s ever intended to build on Burr Street
was the sign seen here.
10
4. Getting a New Start in Fairfield 1963-1971
And so at the beginning of 1963, a congregation proud of its Danish heritage and its
almost seven-decade history in Bridgeport, found itself as a mission congregation of the LCA
in a new town and with a new, strong-willed pastor of distinctly German heritage.
Dr. Albert P. Schilke was a brilliant man who came out of an “old-school mold.” He
received his B.A. degree from Wagner College in 1927 and was a 1930 graduate of the
Philadelphia Seminary. He received a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Hartwick
Seminary in 1938. In 1959, Hartwick College conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity
degree on him.
He came to Our Saviour’s in February 1963 and was formally installed in April of that
year with hundreds looking on at Salem Lutheran Church in Bridgeport. Having earlier
suffered a heart attack, he was probably assigned to Our Saviour’s as a transition toward
retirement. But, Dr. Schilke – that’s the way everyone addressed him, there was no Pastor
Albert here, was not retiring (in either sense of the word) and certainly wouldn’t be slowed
down. As all who knew him remember so vividly, Pastor Schilke was a man who got his
way, which he firmly believed was also God’s Way. I remember Council meetings that went
on well past midnight, he would not adjourn until everyone gave in on issues that he
considered important.
The stories of him are legend, each of us who were members at that time have their own
tales to tell. I will relate one such story here … one that should be familiar to the entire
congregation of that time. Dr. Schilke believed that the Pastor must always also be the
President of the Church Council. At each congregational meeting he placed two chairs at the
head table – one for the Pastor, one for the Council President. He sat in the Council
President’s chair and presided. With each piece of business that was brought up, he moved
to the Pastor’s chair and was the first (and usually the only) person to discuss the motion. He
told everyone – as their Pastor -- how they must vote, and then moved back to the President’s
chair to oversee the vote! This was his normal way of doing business.
Dr. Schilke’s synod job for years had been developing and building mission
congregations. He knew what was needed and how to get things done. His first step was to
rally the old Danish members in support of the new congregation. Then he needed to gain
local visibility to attract new members from our new community. But, during that first year
he considered that parcel of land on Burr Street to be a “mill-stone” around his neck. He
oversaw the purchase of a lot at
the corner of Hill Farm and Duck
Farm Roads that he considered to
be a much more viable location.
Finally the Burr Street property
was sold (though at a substantial
loss) and with a loan in place
from synod, by the middle of
1964 we were ready to build. In
July the ceremonial groundbreaking took place on the Hill
Farm Road land.
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During this difficult period, there was
another diversion – our relationship to St.
Peter’s Lutheran Church in Byram, which is
pictured here at the time of its construction
in 1907. This Danish congregation came to
the LCA with the 1962 merger. It had
never had its own pastor … the pastor of
Our Saviour’s ministered to their minimal
needs for the previous 20 years. By 1964,
Dr. Schilke considered it more “a Danish
heritage society” than an congregation.
They agreed to sell their building to the
Danish Brotherhood, give the proceeds to
Our Saviour’s, and merge with us.
Dr. Schilke was somewhat chagrined
having to go through the formal merger
process
including
application
for
readmission to the Synod to simply take
over St. Peter’s minimal assets: $5000 from
the sale of the about-to-be-condemned building and “two active members, the third being
bedridden and hoping for Danish ministrations.” Our Saviour’s also inherited the St. Peter’s
communion service, congregational registers and their bell – more on this later.
In the spring of 1965, construction of what Dr. Schilke called “the chapel” or “first-unit”
of Our Saviour’s in Fairfield progressed rapidly. The corner stone was laid in September,
and on November 28 the building was dedicated. These events are shown in the photos
below.
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A few pieces of the new building harkened back to the
Danish roots of our congregation in Bridgeport. Viggo
Nielsen was an accomplished artisan wood-carver and a
long-time leader and member of Our Saviour’s.
He
remodeled and refinished the altar from “512” for use in the
new Fairfield sanctuary. Two of his other objects, the
baptismal font and the lectern in the parish hall, were brought
from Bridgeport and continue in use today. He also carved
the Fish and Anchor emblem for the front of our Fairfield
building, seen here and at the front of this history. The fish is
an acrostic symbol for Christ since the word for “fish” in Greek is “ΙΧΘΥΣ” – the letters
representing “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, [our] Savior” in Greek. The anchor obviously
represents the Cross.
So, we were off-and-running in Fairfield
under Dr. Schilke’s guidance. The older Danes,
who provided the lay leadership of the
congregation for decades, were now fewer in
number. They were quite satisfied to see
younger Fairfielders, largely well-educated
corporate business people, step into leadership
roles at Our Saviour’s. But, it was Dr. Schilke’s
old-school approach that set the direction … he
was just what was needed for the transition to
Fairfield.
After celebrating the 70th anniversary of the
congregation and the 40th anniversary of his
ordination, Dr. Schilke died of a sudden heart
attack on January 30, 1971. Rev. Eugene A.
Brodeen, President of the New England Synod
was the preacher for the funeral service. Rev.
Harold Wimmer, Southern Connecticut District
Dean was the liturgist; and Rev. Herbert
Hrdlicka, pastor of First English in Bridgeport was the lector. This editor was among the
congregational leaders that served as pallbearers.
The congregation had grown rapidly under Dr. Schilke’s leadership. But, after his death
it was clear to everyone that this congregation would change rapidly and move toward
stronger lay leadership.
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5. An Evolving Community 1971-2000
Dr. Schilke’s sudden death threw the old/young congregation into turmoil. As in every
congregation, there are many with very personal ties and dedication to the Pastor. Some of
the new Fairfielders who were brought into the fold by Pastor Schilke drifted away after his
loss. Also the old Danes continued to die off or move away to retirement homes. There was
a rapid loss of membership, and an even more rapid loss of revenue … in the face of, what
was at that time, a very large mortgage commitment.
Rev. Jim White, an executive with the Bridgeport Council of Churches, was assigned as
interim pastor. He was well-known to the congregation, having often attended services here,
though he was a member of St. Mark’s in Bridgeport at the time. But, during the interim
period and for at least a decade thereafter, very strong lay leadership from the Council was a
major factor in the success of our congregation. That course was very ably set by Al
Borgman, who became Council President after Pastor Schilke’s death.
Early on, the Council made two decisions that Dr. Schilke likely would never have
condoned. We decided that lay leadership of the congregation must be maintained, and
established a precedent that future pastors would not serve as Council President. Secondly,
to alleviate the critical cash flow problem, all Council members were asked to remit their full
pledge for the month on the first Sunday of every month. Pastor Schilke had been adamant
that no one should ever let the collection plate pass in front of them without putting
something in it … now the Church Council was doing just that!
Rev. Richard E. Lindgren, a young but experienced Pastor, was called by Our Saviour’s
in 1971. Years later he noted that he was perplexed at the time about why, during his
interviews, the point was made so strongly that he would not be Council President. But, he
noted jokingly that at least he was given the title of Vice-President of the Altar Guild. As an
aside, an Altar Guild project of that era was the fabrication of
the set of Christmons still in use. They are shown here as
pictured in a Christmas 1974 newspaper article.
With an easy-going disposition and a young family, Pastor
Lindgren was an ideal person to get Our Saviour’s moving
again toward being a real part of its new community. During
his first years, lay leadership was particularly strong with
Borgman, this editor, and Dale Thomas serving as Council
Presidents.
A significant aspect of the Lindgren pastorate was the
planning, construction and dedication of a major addition to
our facility, including a significant upgrade to the Sanctuary
itself. The dedication of these facilities took place on June 6,
1976. During this period John Skaug was President of the
Church Council.
Changes were made in the altar area to beautify the sanctuary and to make access for
Communion more convenient. But the major change to the sanctuary was the installation of
pews. To the great relief of many aching backsides, those cold, hard metal folding chairs
were replaced by the cushioned pews we have now enjoyed for more than three decades.
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Updates were also made to the Sacristy, Lounge, Nursery, Kitchen, and Secretary’s
Office. The major addition was The Rev. Albert P. Schilke Fellowship Hall. This addition
gave us a much-enlarged area for Sunday School classes as well as the dedicated facilities
needed for efficient operation of the congregation. The Building Committee was chaired by
Al Borgman with Joan Berecz, Bob Erskine, Nils Trahnstrom, June Wetzel, and Pastor
Lindgren also serving.
The late 1970s and early 1980s was a period of very strong youth activities at Our
Saviour’s. This was a period of large confirmation classes. Many teenagers participated in
Sunday School activities, both in classes and a teachers for younger children. There were
regular Sunday evening youth group activities, and for several years the Our Saviour’s boys
were a power-to-be-reckoned-with in the Fairfield Rec Department’s Church Basketball
League.
In 1977, Pastor Lindgren left us to lead a congregation in Woburn, MA. Again Rev. Jim
White served as interim pastor. In March of 1979, Pastor Bill Carter came to us from
Brooklyn, CT. He served Our Saviour’s only six years before going on to St. Matthew’s, a
very large congregation in Avon, CT which he still serves.
During Pastor Bill’s tenure, the small ranch-style parsonage on Melody Lane was sold,
and the newer, larger parsonage on Davis Road was purchased and continues to be our
Pastor’s residence. The bell that we had inherited from St. Peter’s in Byram was stored in
the yard on Melody Lane. At the time of the sale, it was moved to the lawn at church, behind
the kitchen, where it languished for about five years. Nils Trahnstrom noted in his little piece
titled The Miracle of the Bell, “Boy was that annoying, every time a Property Committee
member had to get out the Weed Whacker and trim around the bell there was a solemn vow to
finally dispose of this useless piece of
hardware.” In June of 1985, the historic West
Denmark Lutheran Church in Luck, Wisconsin
burned to the ground. While rebuilding in the
style of rural Danish churches, the parishioners
heard of the St. Peter’s bell which is inscribed in
Danish with the words “Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace and good will to all
mankind.” They asked for the bell and sent two
parishioners with a pickup truck to retrieve it. It
now hangs in the bell tower of that beautiful
church (pictured here).
Pastor Carter is remembered as a particularly conscientious and caring man, especially
for his service to our elderly Danish members. Permit me to convey a personal recollection
of Bill Carter. When my grandmother (who he had never met) died in New York, I asked if
he would handle the funeral. He dropped everything and conducted very moving services at
both the funeral home and graveside. He described my grandmother as “the last bridge
between our family’s past in central Europe and its future in America.” This insight was
very important to me … likewise, many other families in our congregation appreciated his
dedicated service to the “last bridges” between Denmark and America that were then part of
Our Saviour’s family.
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In the 1970s, a retired Lutheran pastor from Long Island settled in our area and joined
Our Saviour’s. Pastor Herb Gibney was always pleased to fill in when our pastor was on
vacation. In January 1984, when Pastor Carter left us, he was initially called upon to serve as
interim pastor. He served until September when synod appointed Henry Morris, an
accomplished musician and new Yale Divinity School graduate, as interim pastor –
supposedly for three months. In November, Pastor Henry was ordained and installed as our
new Pastor and went on to serve 16 years, the longest pastorate in Our Saviour’s history.
The great successes of the Morris years were community involvement, facilities
expansion, and music. Also, during his tenure our congregation celebrated the 25th
anniversary of our Fairfield building in 1990 and the congregation’s 100th anniversary in
1994. Shown here is a 1990 photo of
Pastors Carter, Spollett, Morris, and
Lindgren just before the Silver
Anniversary celebration .
Henry Morris is a man with
passionate concerns for the underdog
and boundless energy in pursuing
justice. When he saw that an affluent
town like Fairfield had homeless
people living on the streets and in the
woods, and families without enough
to eat, he joined with other clergy,
particularly Pastors Rush and Spollett
of First Church Congregational (UCC), and lay leaders to do something about it. In 1986,
Pastor Henry was among the founders of Fairfield’s Operation Hope which provides
homeless shelters, food pantries, and other services for those unable to provide for
themselves. He was not only an organizer of Operation Hope, but for many years served on
its Board. His community leadership led Fairfield’s First Selectman, Jaqueline Durrell, to
officially proclaim November 18, 1990 as Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church Day in honor of
our 25th anniversary serving the community. Pastor Henry was an ardent supporter of public
education, especially the high school music programs. Henry Morris is the only Pastor in
memory (of any denomination) to be invited by the students of a public high school to be
their Commencement speaker; he was accorded this honor by Fairfield High School in 1991.
Pastor Henry also raised the level of our congregation’s music program to new heights.
Not only was he an accomplished organist and pianist with a fine voice, but he brought many
talented musicians to us. He brought Bill Speed to Our Saviour’s as Organist and Music
Director. Pastor Henry, Bill Speed, and other lay leaders of the congregation created the
“Church Night” program which offered First Communion instruction, pre-confirmation
classes, and Confirmation classes for those in grades 3 through 8. Included in the program
was an organized Youth Choir. Music lessons were also a big part of the program. Bill also
instituted the use of seasonal cantatas, varying from classical to contemporary, and jazz
settings. Many remember with fondness the piano and organ duets he and Pastor Henry
would play from time to time.
Following Bill’s tenure, we were fortunate to bring Dr. Terese Gemme to Our Saviour’s
as its Music Director. She was the head of the Music Department at Southern Connecticut
State University and often brought her best students to perform at Our Saviour’s. She
16
initiated the Artist in Residence program with Gary Capozziello, a violinist who provided
numerous extraordinary concerts at Our Saviour’s while he held that distinction.
The culmination of Dr. Gemme’s musical contributions came later … in November 2004
when, with the SCSU Choir and a large orchestra with Henry Morris at the piano, she
conducted the New England premiere of Russell Wilson’s new Oratorio Prelude to Glory at
Our Saviour’s. It was an outstanding musical event, and Pastor Henry Morris was a major
part of it even though his service at Our Saviour’s had ended four years earlier.
In 1994, Our Saviour’s celebrated its centennial with
a special service on November 16, and a rededication of
the cornerstone. Rev. Robert Isaksen, ELCA Bishop of
New England presided. Shown here are Bishop Isaksen
giving the benediction, Pastor Morris and Church
Council President Ron Heske replacing the cornerstone
after adding 1994 artifacts, and the Pastor with Lillian
Ernsky looking over a display of photos and artifacts of
the Danish immigrant community in Bridgeport at the
reception that followed the service. Mrs. Ernsky, dressed
in typical clothing of a 19th century Danish woman,
prepared the exhibit.
Centennial preparations also led to the kickoff of a new facility improvement program. In the early 1990’s, a Facilities Planning Task
Force was created to examine our building and grounds, focusing on potential uses to
advance our mission. The task force, using a guide created by the ELCA, surveyed the
congregation and visited other church facilities. After long and prayerful study, they came to
the conclusion that our present worship area, educational space, and kitchen facilities were
inadequate for our future programs. They also agreed that our “curb appeal” left much to be
desired.
At the next Annual Meeting, the congregation voted to create a Building Committee.
Architectural firms were interviewed, and we chose a Westport firm with one of its
principals, William Valus, serving as the primary architect. Together we created a Master
Plan for development of our facilities including a new educational wing, kitchen, sacristy
area, and new worship space. The construction manager, Tomlinson & Hawley of Trumbull,
was chosen to coordinate and oversee the construction of the new space.
17
We broke ground in 1994 for phase 1A of the Master Plan, building most of the
education wing … our most pressing need … and preparing the infrastructure (utilities,
drainage, etc.) for the rest of the project. Part of the farmland adjacent to our property was
purchased and an upper parking lot was built. Some children missed watching the springtime
strawberry pickers during long sermons, but the additional parking was needed and
expansion of the existing lot was not viable due to inland wetlands restrictions.
The new facility was dedicated in 1997 after the congregation painted the interior in a
wonderfully frenzied two weeks. This major undertaking was capably led by Bill Nash and
gave us an excellent Sunday School venue and brought our facilities to their current state.
During the late 1990s there was again renewed emphasis on our youth programs. The
youth group now named By Faith Alone began regular participation in both regional and
national youth gatherings. More recently, BFA has also instituted a program of fund raising
which permits them to participate in faith-based programming and benevolence giving.
Also, our congregation has supported and encouraged five members to dedicate
themselves to becoming Lutheran pastors. They were: Birgit (Rita) Iverson, now deceased,
who was ordained after retiring from a teaching career and served as a hospital chaplain; Liz
Mayforth, who grew up in our congregation, was ordained and who continues serving as a
U.S. Army chaplain after completing a tour-of-duty in Iraq; Arden Strasser who is now
serving as a Lutheran missionary in Zambia, whose mission is partially supported by our
congregation; Joan Sorenson, who was ordained after a career with the Greater Bridgeport
Council of Churches, who served as pastor of Grace Lutheran in Stratford, Connecticut; and
finally, Jon Haug who is now serving a congregation in Michigan.
After sixteen years of service, Henry Morris resigned as our Pastor in 2000 for reasons of
health. After such a long pastorate, the synod recognized that Our Saviour’s would and
should have an extended interim period to be certain of our direction and priorities prior to
calling a new pastor. Our Saviour’s has often been blessed with having Lutheran pastors
among our membership. In 2000, this was again the case. Therefore, Rev. John Kidd –
Executive Director of the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches – and Rev. Dr. Robert
(Rip) Hoffmann who was on staff at the ELCA offices in New York filled in until synod
could appoint longer-term interim pastors.
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6. Our Saviour’s In the 21st Century
During much of the almost two years we were without a called pastor, Rev. Roy Lloyd –
an executive with the American Bible Society – and Rev. Julie Haspel-Schoenfeld of New
England Synod Interim Ministries served us admirably. During this period a significant
focus was on our congregational heritage. In a way, this history is a product of those efforts.
A focal point of that effort was the Timeline collage of facts and photos that went the length
of the sanctuary wall, with its motto “God’s covenant with us reaches from our past to our
future hopes and dreams.” It was a way that our interim pastors encouraged us to examine
where we had been, so we could better plan where we wanted to go. During the last few
months before calling a new pastor, synod sent Rev. William Howard to serve as our Interim
Pastor. The 40-foot-long historical collage is shown below.
During this interim period, the tragic events of September 11, 2001 unfolded with their
profound effects on the lives of all Americans … and, hitting too close to home for so many
of our neighbors. This brought to many in our congregation a renewed thanksgiving for
God’s gifts, and a rededication to sharing those gifts with those in need as a priority for Our
Saviour’s in the 21st century.
In July 2002, Our Saviour’s called our current pastor, Mark E. Christoffersen. He was an
experienced pastor who had roots in the Midwest, had developed important mission
congregations in the South, and was now very open to a move to New England, where his
wife had deep roots … they had been married in Woburn, Massachusetts by Pastor Lindgren.
Under Pastor Mark’s direction, and with our continued
strong lay leadership, our congregation has established as its
Stewardship theme: With Hearts, and Hands, and Voices
– Now Thank We All Our God! Hearts represent our
family and youth ministries; Hands our social ministries;
and Voices our worship and music ministries. We’ll look at
Our Saviour’s first decade of Pastor Mark’s tenure from
these perspectives.
HEARTS. Let’s focus initially on youth ministry.
First, of course, is Sunday School which brings the Word to
all our youth … toddlers to teens … in ways they all can
enjoy and understand. A key tradition, especially important
to the younger children of our congregation is the Christmas
pageant. Seen here is Andrew Wysocki singing a stanza
from We Three Kings … more recently Andrew was the first
teen in some time to preach at Our Saviour’s.
19
Another aspect of the ministry to
younger children, providing fun and
learning, is our annual Vacation Bible
School, serving kids from our congregation
and our neighborhood. Shown here is an
activity from the 2012 VBS themed Reach
for the Sky! VBS, like Sunday School, is
organized by the Learning Ministry which
for over a decade has been under the capable
leadership of Lee Fallett.
Pastor Mark has revitalized the
Confirmation instruction program at Our Saviour’s. It is much more than just Confirmation
Class. During the 2010-11 school year, the confirmation ministry involved 14 teens! One
new aspect of the program is a confirmation camp, held at Camp Calumet in New
Hampshire. So while we still have the traditional annual Confirmation ceremony, we also
have very memorable and enjoyable
faith-building experiences. Shown here
is the OSLC class with confirmands from
other New England congregations at the
2012 Confirmation Camp..
The heart of Our Saviour’s teen
youth program is BFA … By Faith
Alone. This youth group works together,
plays together, and prays together. For
more than a decade they’ve had excellent
adult leadership, particularly from Karen
and Lisa Makar, and Steve Baker. BFA,
through fun social events, fosters
friendships among the congregation’s youth, and builds their sense of belonging and of
service. In addition, BFA members participate in our social and music ministries as we will
see below … and they are also active in many other school and community outreaches.
BFA participates in both regional and national gatherings and uses fund-raisers – from
baking cookies to washing cars – to help fund that participation. They annually take part in
the New England Synod youth gathering at Hammonasett Beach State Park. In 2009 and
again in 2012, they participated in the ELCA
national youth gatherings in New Orleans … where
more than 37,000 Lutheran youth came together for
a week of worship, study, service and learning.
The service activities have included replanting
marsh grasses, restoring Holt Cemetery through
weeding, planting and fixing gravestones, hosting
community fairs to promote health and literacy, and
painting and fixing up homes and schools, some
damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The 2012 BFA
participants are seen here after a day of painting in
a New Orleans high school.
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HANDS. Our Saviour’s social ministry has a local focus and a national reach. We
continue as a sponsor and major supporter of Fairfield’s Operation Hope. We provide school
supplies, Christmas gifts, Easter baskets, and special needs items to Bridgeport children
through our Covenant to Care social worker. We are regular supporters of the Community
Suppers program at Golden Hill Methodist Church in Bridgeport (upper left); sponsor an
urban day camp at our mission partner church, Resurrection in New Haven (upper right); and
regularly participate in workdays with Bridgeport’s Habitat for Humanity (lower left).
Pastor Mark has also initiated several mission trips to Appalachia … done in conjunction
with St. Michael’s Lutheran Church of New Canaan and some Virginia churches … to repair
homes of impoverished residents (lower right) and to Mississippi to assist with Hurricane
Katrina recovery.
Finally, during 2010 a task force chaired by Pastor Mark, which included clergy and lay
people from Lutheran Social Services of New England (LSS) and eight area ELCA and
LCMS congregations developed and established the Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) program.
N2N matches volunteers from local churches with elderly and disabled people in the area
who need help with transportation, home maintenance and repair, grocery shopping, yard
work, financial and legal issues, and other projects, or who simply seek companionship for
an hour or two. The program got underway in the spring of 2011. Pastor Mark and OSLC
members Dave Brown and Joe Nagy … who are considered “the driving forces” behind N2N
… are shown below with Judy Slason (Program Manager of LSS In-Home Care) and Jeanette
Harris (N2N Program Coordinator).
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2011 Kick-off of Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program
VOICES. In 2004, Dr. Gemme left Our Saviour’s to serve a congregation closer to her
New Haven home. We were fortunate to find Dr. Alice Caldwell as our new Music Director.
She has not only continued many of her predecessors’ innovations, but has renewed a strong
emphasis on youth participation in the music program. Part of that effort is awarding Music
Internships to young area musicians. This program combines concert performances with
grants to help support their music education.
In 2005-07 violinist George Philips (right) was our
first music intern. Following his graduation from the
Eastman School of Music, he taught violin for a year in
India. He is now pursuing graduate studies. In the fall of
2008, Mathew Laponte and Kate Victor, who are both Our
Saviour’s members and were beginning their college
careers, were awarded internships. Subsequently, Katie
Jenks was made an intern – the first vocalist to be so
honored. These three (below) continue as important parts of our music program.
It is difficult to
put recent events,
such as Pastor
Mark’s tenure with
us, into historical
perspective.
Our
time together is a
work in progress.
And, clearly Our
Saviour’s is making a great deal of
progress under his
tutelage … plus he
keeps us smiling!
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7. An Anniversary Celebration in 2012
2012 represents an important anniversary in the life of our congregation, and especially in
the life of our pastor Mark Christoffersen. It is the 30th anniversary of his ordination and the
10th anniversary of his service as called servant of God at Our Saviour’s, Fairfield. On
August 12 … following the Sunday service … Pastor Mark was honored with a surprise
catered luncheon in Schilke Hall. Below are a few photos relating to that event.
Pastor Mark and Sue
Pastor Mark at his OSLC
at his 1982 ordination.
installation in September 2002.
Good Food … Good Friends!
It was a surprise!
For many years to come.
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8. Our Pastors ; Brief Biographies
Rasmus ANDERSEN (1848-1930)
Tenure: Visiting Pastor 1880s-c1891
He was born in Vedelshave on the island of Fyn in Denmark and was sent to the U.S. as a
missionary. He was ordained in 1872 in Waupaca, WI, and is one of the four pastors who
founded the DELCA synod. Pastor Andersen was for a time the only Danish Lutheran pastor
in the northeast, and for decades was considered the dean of the pastors in our area. He
served at St. Stephen’s in Perth Amboy, NJ 1878-1883 and then founded Our Savior’s in Brooklyn, NY
originally as a Danish Seaman’s Mission. He retired from his Brooklyn parish in 1924. According to
Mortensen, “For nearly fifty years much of his time was spent meeting boats and assisting emigrants to feel at
home in the new land, preferably among their own people and near a Lutheran Church.” During these years, he
was a frequent visitor to the Danish immigrant communities of New York and Connecticut (including
Bridgeport), striving to keep the people close to their Folkkirche.
Karl Peter BRÜCKNER (1866-1941)
Tenure: Visiting Pastor 1891-1894
He was ordained in 1891, and served as pastor of Our Savior’s in Hartford from 1891 until
1900. He took over from Rasmus Andersen the task of visiting the Danish communities in
Connecticut. Brückner performed the first recorded Danish Lutheran baptisms in Bridgeport
in 1892. When the Danish pastoral candidate A.V. Andersen came to Connecticut in 1894, he
introduced him to the Bridgeport Danish community and assisted in the establishment of Our
Savior’s, Bridgeport. From 1900-1908 he served in Portland, ME after which he returned to Denmark, where
he later served as the pastor of the Castle Church at Augustenborg.
Andreas Vilhelm ANDERSEN (1871-1947)
Tenure: Pastoral Candidate then Called Pastor 1894-1903
He was born in Westeraas, Sweden and educated in Flensberg, Germany. Shortly after his
arrival from Denmark as a pastoral candidate, he was introduced to the Danes of Bridgeport by
Pastor Brückner of Hartford. Together they established Our Savior’s Bridgeport, and
Andersen became its first pastor. Initially, he identified himself as a pastoral candidate (Cand
Theol) until he was ordained in 1895. He also founded St. Peter’s in East Portchester (Byram) during his tenure
at Our Savior’s. In 1903, he left Our Savior’s to re-establish Trinity Lutheran in the Bronx, NY but also
continued to serve as pastor at Byram. From the early 1900s, he signed his name AW rather than AV. Later he
served Danish Lutheran congregations in Chicago and Tacoma, WA.
Andreas Jensen TARPGAARD (1864-1950)
Tenure: Called Pastor 1903-1911
Visiting Pastor 1923 and 1930-1931
He was ordained in 1895 and established a short-lived Danish mission congregation at the
corner of Putnam and Scovill Streets in Cleveland, Ohio in the late 1890s. He then served
congregations in Minnesota and Illinois before coming to Bridgeport. He left Bridgeport to
serve a congregation in Minneapolis, MN and later returned to serve in New York, from where he helped as
needed in Bridgeport. He officiated at the only communion service of 1923, and again assisted during the 193031 pastoral vacancy.
Henrik Knudsen Plambeck (1873-1948)
He was born in Egebjerg, Denmark and was ordained in 1903. He served congregations in
Iowa, North Dakota and Michigan before coming to Bridgeport. Following his short tenure
here, he served in Marinette, WI and later in Minnesota, Portland, ME and Iowa.
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Axel Christian Kildegaard, Sr. (1880-1947)
He was born in Denmark, Kansas, was ordained in 1905 and served at the Danish Lutheran
Church in Grayling, MI until 1908. He succeeded A.V. Andersen and served many years as
the pastor of Trinity Lutheran in the Bronx. He assisted in Bridgeport as he was able during
most of the difficult period of 1913-22. He was also the DELCA board member on the World
War I National Lutheran Commission for Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Welfare.
Peder Jensen (1851-1921)
Tenure: Called Pastor 1914
He was born in Denmark, where he began his career as a teacher. He came to the U.S. in 1880
and was ordained in 1883. He served numerous parishes, primarily in the Great Plains. He
came to Bridgeport shortly after his wife died, but stayed for only a few months in 1914. He
ended his career at rural parishes in the mid-West.
Svend G.S. Marckmann (1881-1968)
He was ordained in 1910 and served at Our Savior’s in Hartford from 1912 until 1917, during which time he
assisted in Bridgeport.
Svend Aage Jorgensen (1883-1964)
He was ordained in 1911 and was serving at Our Savior’s in Hartford when he assisted in Bridgeport.
Peter Christian Stockholm (1876-1968)
As a teenager in 1893, he went with his family from Chicago to Clark County, WI in a
migration of Danes led by Rev. A.S. Nielsen (one of the 4 founders of the DELCA). He was
ordained in 1913. He served in Juhl, MI both before and after his short 15-month tenure in
Bridgeport. In 1922 he moved on to Fredsville Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa – the
first large congregation he served -- where he was pleased that there “were regular services, a
real salary, and the parsonage was a palace” … compared to what he was used to in wartime Bridgeport. He
served there until 1933 – their longest serving pastor ever. Later he served several congregations in the
Midwest, ending his career in Portland, ME.
Christian Nissan Pedersen (1851-1927)
Tenure: Visiting Pastor 1918
He was born in Denmark, and began his career as a teacher. He came to the U.S. in 1883 and
was ordained in 1888 in West Denmark, WI. Later he served numerous big city parishes. From
1913-1916, he was the last pastor of the Danish congregation in New Haven. While there he
assisted Our Savior’s Bridgeport during the pastoral vacancy between Stockholm and Winther.
Ejnar Winther (1887-1925)
Tenure: Student 1916; Called Pastor 1918-1919.
As a theology student at Grandview Seminary, he assisted in Bridgeport in the summer of
1916. Upon the departure of Rev. Stockholm, he was called and on completion of his studies
was ordained and served at Our Savior’s. After leaving OSLC, he returned to teach at
Grandview but soon returned to Denmark.
25
Erick Nikolaj Nielsen (1878-1955)
He was ordained in 1915 and served congregations in the Midwest before coming to
Bridgeport. He was the first pastor to serve Our Savior’s after the purchase and renovation of
the combined church and parsonage at 512 East Washington Avenue. Because of the long
dormancy of the congregation, his first confirmation class of 1925 included people from their
early teens to their mid-20s. He put Our Savior’s services and activities back on a regular footing. From 1930
until his death he was pastor of Bethania Church in Solvang, CA.
Valdemar Sejr Jensen (1876-1974)
He was ordained in 1903 and was serving as Pastor of Our Savior’s in Hartford when he
assisted Our Savior’s in Bridgeport during the vacancy between Pastors Nielsen and Baden.
Svend Aage Baden (1902-1975)
Born in Denmark, Our Savior’s was his first congregation after completing his pastoral studies
at Grandview Seminary in Iowa. He was ordained in 1932 at Our Savior’s and after settling in
he returned to Denmark to marry. His decade-long pastorate was the longest tenure at Our
Savior’s to that time and our congregation made significant strides both in membership and
service under his leadership. In 1941 he left to go to St. Stephen’s in Perth Amboy where he served until 1945,
at which time he was expelled from the ministry by the DELCA He died in St. Petersburg, FL in 1975.
Viggo Mengers (1874- c1950)
He was the only Our Savior’s Danish-era pastor who was not on the roster of the DELCA. He was born in
Frederica, Denmark, graduated from the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1899, and was ordained by
the United DELC. He taught at the Lutheran Seminary in Blair, Nebraska and later served as Pastor of Siloam
Church in Chicago from 1907-09 and then moved on to Washington State. In the 1920s, he served at Our
Savior’s in Lincoln, NE where he facilitated the transition from Danish to English. He was retired and living in
New York City when he served Our Savior’s in Bridgeport as interim Pastor, while the congregation was
awaiting the seminary graduation of Rev. Kildegaard, Jr.
Axel Christian Kildegaard, Jr. (1917-2003)
He served Our Saviour’s as a student minister in the summer of 1941 during the pastoral
vacancy and agreed to accept a call on completion of his studies the following year. He was
ordained at Our Savior’s and served here until 1948, including the 50th anniversary celebration
of the congregation. He left in 1948 to join the faculty of Grandview Seminary in Des Moines,
IA where he later served as Dean.
Jens Christian Aaberg (1877-1970)
Tenure: Interim Pastor 1948-1949
He was ordained in 1908 and served several congregations in the Midwest. The last two
decades of his active ministry were served in Minneapolis, MN. Aaberg was a well-known
composer and translator of hymns from Danish to English. He was a member of the intersynodical hymnal committee and a strong proponent of the DELCA’s mission efforts in India.
He served Our Savior’s as interim pastor from December 1948 until November 1949 while living in retirement
in New York.
26
Viggo Marinus Hansen (1890-1977)
He was ordained in 1916 and served in Portland, ME until 1921. He served at Racine, WI
1921-37, St. Stephen’s in Chicago from 1937-41 and came to Our Savior’s from Immanuel in
Marinette, WI where he served from 1941-49. He was installed here on December 4, 1949.
He retired in 1959 to Solvang, CA. He was much beloved by the older Danish members of the
Our Savior’s congregation.
Alton Everett Nielsen (1935-2011)
He came to Our Saviour’s immediately after graduating from Grandview Seminary. He was
pastor during the initial transition of the congregation from Bridgeport to Fairfield, and was the
first Our Saviour’s pastor to live in the Melody Lane parsonage. He left to continue his
education, and later served churches in California and on the staff of the Pacifica Synod, where
he was honored in 2010 on the 50th anniversary of his ordination.
Dr. Albert Paul Schilke (1906-1971)
He was ordained in 1930 and served several congregations in New York state. Later, he was
employed by synod in New York, with responsibility for mission development in New York
and New England. In the 1950s he was the mission developer and first pastor of Good
Shepherd in Norwalk. When Our Saviour’s made the decision to move from the Danish Synod
to the LCA prior to the merger, Dr. Schilke was assigned the task of making the move from Bridgeport to
Fairfield a success. He was installed as pastor on February 21, 1963 and served until his death from a heart
attack on January 30, 1971. His frugality and old-style administrative approaches were just what were needed
for the challenges of the time.
James J. White, Jr.
Tenure: Interim Pastor 1971 and 1977-78
While serving as Executive Director of the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches, he assisted
OSLC as Interim Pastor during two vacancies in the 1970s. He is retired and living in North
Carolina.
Richard Einar Lindgren (1935-2011)
He came to us from Good Shepherd in Kingston, RI and was installed at OSLC on October 1,
1971. He brought a much-needed easy-going attitude and a young family that fit well into Our
Saviour’s new community. It was during his tenure that the first major addition was made to
the facility. He resigned on September 15, 1978 to become pastor of Redeemer Lutheran
Church in Woburn, MA.
William Stephen Carter
He came to us from St. John’s in Brooklyn, CT and was installed as pastor of OSLC on March
25, 1979. He is remembered as a particularly caring and conscientious man. It was during his
tenure that the Davis Road parsonage was purchased. He resigned on January 22, 1984 to
assume the pastorate at St. Matthew’s in Avon, CT where he still serves.
27
Dr. Herbert N. Gibney (1920-1998)
Tenure: Interim Pastor 1984
He was a 1943 graduate of the Philadelphia Seminary and served as a pastor for many years on
Long Island. He retired to Connecticut and was a member of OSLC. He served us as Interim
Pastor during the 1984 vacancy.
Henry Ewell Morris
He came to us directly from Yale Divinity School, and was installed as our pastor on November
4, 1984. During his long tenure he established our important traditions of deep community
involvement and great music. Also, the classroom wing was added to our facility while he was
pastor. He resigned on November 19, 2000 for health reasons. He now serves with New
England Synod Interim Ministries.
Interim Period 2000-2002
During this period we were served initially by two OSLC member-pastors John S. Kidd who was Executive
Director of the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches and is now Senior Pastor of Augustana Lutheran
Church in Washington, DC, and Dr. Robert A. (Rip) Hoffman who was then Stewardship Specialist for the
ELCA and is now retired and living in Connecticut. During most of 2001 and early 2002, we were served by
interim pastors Roy T. Lloyd, a Director of the American Bible Society and Julia N. Haspel-Schoenfeld of
New England Synod Interim Ministries. Later in 2002, we were served briefly by William F. Howard of New
England Synod Interim Ministries.
Mark E. Christoffersen
Tenure: Called Pastor 2002-present
Pastor Mark was graduated from Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary with a M.Div.
degree and was ordained in 1982. His first congregation was in Dundee, MN. In 1985, he was
called by the Southeastern Synod to develop a congregation in Hall County, Georgia. Christ
Lutheran in Oakwood, GA was organized in 1987, and Pastor Mark served there for a decade.
In August 1997, he was called to develop and organize a congregation in the Deep Creek borough of
Chesapeake, VA. In July of 2002, he was called by Our Saviour’s. He is presently chair of the New England
Synod Mission Strategy Team. Regarding Our Saviour’s his “plan and prayer is to help our congregation to
adapt better to the changes taking place in our culture and community and to continue to grow in its mission.”
Note: this section was based upon local sources, the 1952 book Stories From Our Church
by Enok Mortensen, and Mortensen’s 1962 A Biographical Directory of Pastors who served
the Danish Church, which was updated and revised in 1992 by Johanne and Thorvald Hansen.
Some photos of early pastors were reproduced from a collage containing photos of all the
DELCA pastors of 1905 provided by the grandson of Rev. A.V. Andersen.
28
9. Congregational Family History Resources
Our Saviour’s Parish Registers
Volume 1 – 1892-1944
This book is titled “Kirkebog for Ver Frelsers Menighed Bridgeport, Connecticut.” It lists the initial
church officers elected on 27 Sep 1894 and includes a list of baptized members maintained through 1919.
There is a log of communicants for 1895-1913 and for 1924-1942. For the years 1915-1922 the number of
communicants for every communion service is listed, but there were only 16 communion services during those
eight years.
The registers of sacraments and rites performed contains:
Baptisms for the period 14 Jan 1892 through 01 Oct 1944, though there were only a handful of baptisms in the
1914-1923 period.
Confirmations for the years 1896-1944, but there were no confirmation classes for 1912, 1914, 1916-1924, and
1931-1932.
Marriages for the period 13 Oct 1894 through 26 Dec 1944, including the 04 Oct 1912 marriage of the pastor,
Henrik Knudsen Plambeck, age 38, to Christiana Marie Christensen, age 25, performed by Pastor Rasmus
Andersen of Brooklyn, NY. Again, only a handful of marriages are found from 1914 to 1924.
Funerals for the period 06 Apr 1895 through 14 Dec 1944; there were few funerals listed for 1914-21 and none
in 1922-1923.
Volume 2 – 1944-1967
This book contains a copy of the congregational constitution adopted in 1940; information about Pastors
from Hansen to Schilke; congregational officers for 1962-1968; a roll of confirmed members prepared by Dr.
Schilke as of 01 Jan 1963 (with a note that there was no such pre-existing record) and then kept up-to-date to
1967; and a communion record for 1962-1967.
The register of sacraments and rites performed contains:
Baptisms for the period 16 Jan 1944 through 04 Nov 1967.
Confirmations for the years 1945 through 1966.
Marriages for the period 02 Jul 1945 through 05 Nov 1966, the only marriage in the new Fairfield “chapel”
listed is the wedding of Woodrow Charles Skelding, age 28, and Katherine Ann Christensen, age 21, which
took place on 01 Oct 1966.
Burials for the period 15 Feb 1945 through 15 Jan 1968.
Volume 3 – 1968-1990
This book lists information about Pastors from Schilke to Morris; Church Council members 1968-1985; a
roll of confirmed members prepared by Dr. Schilke as of 01 Jan 1968 and then kept up-to-date through 1990.
There is also a roll of child members for the same period.
Baptisms for the period 23 Jan 1968 to 02 Dec 1990.
Confirmations for the years 1968 through 1990.
Marriages for the period 21 Jun 1969 through 29 Dec 1990.
Funerals for the period 09 Dec 1968 through 10 Nov 1990 plus a single funeral (William Heuser) that took
place in 1997.
Volume 4 – 1991-2000
This book lists information about Pastor Morris; Church Council members from 1991-1996; a roll of
confirmed members accepted 1991-2000; records of communing/contributing members for 1991-1993; and
congregational reports for 1988 and 1991.
Baptisms for 30 Mar 1991 through 28 Mar 2000 plus four baptisms performed by Rev. Lloyd in 2001.
Confirmations for the years 1991-2000.
Marriages performed 1991-2000.
Burials for 1991-2000.
29
Saint Peter’s Parish Registers
Volume 1 – 1894-1910
This book contains the original records for Saint Peter’s in Byram for 1894-1910, which were fully
transcribed into Volume 2 below. It also contains the communion records for 1895-1910. There are also a few
later notations, probably entered into this book by mistake by visiting pastors.
The register of sacraments and rites performed contains:
Baptisms – 133 total baptisms for the period 1894-1909, all of which were transcribed into Volume 2; also 3
baptisms for 1940-42 which are not in Volume 2.
Confirmations for the years 1897, 1900, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, and 1913 which were transcribed, and
a confirmation class of 4 persons from 1941 which was not transcribed.
Marriages, 18 in all for the period 1896-1910; all transcribed.
Deaths, 34 in all for 1894-1910 all transcribed, plus a few deaths in 1933, 1938, and 1951 that were not
transcribed.
Volume 2 – 1894-1962
This book was put into use in 1910 and begins with a transcription of all the earlier records from Volume 1
which was prepared by Rev. A.W. Andersen, and then continues from there. The rationale for transcribing is
unclear – perhaps because the old book had pre-printed dates beginning with “18__” or because it was desired
to separate the sexes as was done in this book.
Male Baptisms 1894-1920 plus a few in the 1926-1935 period and one each in 1938, 1953, 1957, and 1960.
Female Baptisms 1894-1920 plus a few in 1942, 1944, 1947, 1953, 1955, 1958, and 1959.
Male Confirmations for the years 1897, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1909, 1914, and 1917. Excepting 1909, there
were only one or two boys confirmed each year.
Female Confirmations for the years 1900, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1914. Except for 1905 and
1914, there were only one or two girls confirmed each year.
Marriages 1896-1928, 34 weddings in total. Plus one each in 1955 and 1957.
Male Deaths 1894-1956.
Female Deaths 1894-1962.
Note: all rites and sacraments performed after 1938 were done by the pastor of Bridgeport’s Our Saviour’s
Lutheran Church.
Personal Records of Pastors
Rev. Erik Nikolaj Nielsen
Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, and Burials performed in Bridgeport, CT 1924-30; these are
personal records which duplicate those found in Volume 1 of Our Saviour’s registers.
Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages, and Burials performed at Bethania Lutheran Church, Solvang, CA
1931-1955; most of these personal records cover the period 1931-1940.
Rev. Viggo Marinus Hansen
Baptisms 1916-1918 performed in Portland, ME (probably at St. Ansgar’s Church, but this is not mentioned
in the notes) – the only two pages used in this book list a total of 40 baptisms. Only names of the baptized,
birth dates, and baptismal dates are given.
Notes Regarding Parish Registers
Those interested in performing family history research using the resources listed above may do so, by
appointment only, at the office of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Fairfield, CT. At present there are no
available computer-based resources or provision for the office staff performing research on behalf of anyone
other than members of the congregation. OSLC records after 2000 were made directly to computer files where
the registers are presently maintained. Parish records of St. Mark’s and St. Paul’s Lutheran Churches of
Bridgeport are housed in the archives of the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. Contact them regarding possible access.
30
10. Two Other Congregations of Note
In 2009 and 2010, two Bridgeport Lutheran congregations with long and proud histories
of service to their communities closed due to declining membership and resources. These
were St. Paul’s in the north end and St. Mark’s in Black Rock. As a result of these closings,
many of their remaining members chose to associate themselves with Our Saviour’s. For
that reason, a brief historical overview of these two congregations is provided here.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in March of 1893 by
German immigrants, many of whom had come to Bridgeport to work in its factories. Rev.
James Witke was the first pastor and he conducted services in the parish hall of St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church on Beach Street. A church edifice was built at 66 Harriet Street and was
dedicated on August 12, 1894. At that time congregational membership was 30 men and 41
women; 70 children attended the Sunday School. In June of 1898, this church (interior
shown in the photo below) was the venue for the marriage of Andreas V. Andersen … the
first pastor of Our Savior’s Danish Lutheran Church … and Mary Wippert. In 1904 a tower
bell and pipe organ were added to the St. Paul’s facility.
In 1908 a parsonage was purchased and in 1911 a
separate Sunday School building was constructed.
Worship and Sunday School were conducted in
German from 1893 until 1923, when the Rev.
Frederick Klein introduced the use of English.
Pastor Conrad Reisch served St. Paul’s from 1927
until 1955, having the longest tenure and the greatest
influence of the fifteen pastors who served the
congregation. Under his leadership, the church was
remodeled in 1929, stained glass windows imported
from Germany were added in 1936, and adjacent
property was purchased.
It became clear after World War II that St. Paul’s
had outgrown its home on Harriet Street. In 1948 a
large site was purchased on Noble Avenue as well as a
nearby parsonage. Initially a parish hall were built on
the new site, which served as a worship and meeting place until the new church building was
completed. The final service at the Harriet Street church was an Easter Vigil on March 25,
1951. The dedication of the new church building took place on February 28, 1954.
A key feature of the new edifice was twelve stained glass windows. The Franz Mayer
Studio of Munich designed and built the two windows specifically commissioned for this
building: the Rose Window above the altar and the Façade Window depicting the Ascension
of Our Lord. Additionally, the ten stained glass windows built in 1936 for the Harriet Street
building were moved to Noble Avenue. An early view of the new church building is shown
on the next page.
The congregation had hoped to move the pipe organ from Harriet Street to the new
church, but this proved to be impractical. Therefore, an electronic organ was used until
31
1981, when a lovingly restored
pipe organ was dedicated.
This organ was originally built
for a Springfield, Ohio
Lutheran Church in 1876 by
the Boston firm of Hook and
Hastings.
The organ was
donated to St. Paul’s by its
private owners, and it was
cleaned and refinished by
parishioners
under
the
direction of the Andover
Organ
Company,
which
rebuilt
portions
of the
mechanism to give the organ a fresh, bright sound for its new venue. The organ was
dedicated on September 20, 1981 at a recital with guest organist Robert H. Pletsch.
The continued growth of the 1960’s resulted in 12 classrooms and an auditorium being
added to the parish hall in 1963. But, by the 1980’s many stable manufacturing jobs had left
Bridgeport, and the descendents of longtime members had moved out of the city. St. Paul’s
chose to remain and established the Child Development Center in the parish hall to provide
quality early childhood education to its Bridgeport community. The CDC continues to thrive
today, renowned as one of the city’s finest preschools. Nevertheless, the congregation
continued to shrink despite expanded efforts to engage with the surrounding Hispanic and
Afro-American community. The final worship service of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Bridgeport was held on Pentecost, May 23, 2010.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
The first work of the Lutheran Church in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport began
with the organization of a Sunday School in 1907. This program was lead by members of
Salem Lutheran Church of Bridgeport. In 1911 land was purchased on Princeton Street, and
in 1912 a small chapel was constructed to house the Sunday School. This adjunct to Salem’s
ministry thrived for decades.
In 1947, under the guidance of Rev. C.O. Granlund of Salem, Albert Wollert began
conducting Sunday worship services at the Princeton Street chapel. Wollert, who in his
youth had been a member of the Black Rock Sunday School, was at the time a student at
Upsala College. The success of those services, followed by a survey of the area and the
prayerful support and cooperation of the “mother congregation” … Salem Lutheran … the
Board of American Missions of the Augustana Lutheran Church authorized and agreed to
support the formation of Saint Mark’s congregation. [Augustana was an ethnically Swedish
synod, that became a part of the Lutheran Church in America in a 1962 merger.]
On August 1, 1948 the recently ordained Rev. Charles V. Bergstrom preached St. Mark’s
first sermon. Initially worship services were conducted at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
At the end of that first year, there were 136 names on the membership rolls. In 1949, Salem
gifted the Princeton Street property to St. Mark’s and the parsonage on Midland Street was
purchased. In 1950, a portion of the Bartram estate just to the south of St. Ann’s Roman
32
Catholic Church was purchased. Here a church building was dedicated on December 2, 1951
which served the congregation through the remaining 60 years of its history.
The congregation became totally self-sustaining in 1953 and its membership grew rapidly
to 465 baptized member in 1958. Through the 1950s, most confirmation classes numbered in
the teens. In 1957, the remainder of the Bartram estate was purchased. The Bartram house
became the Church House where Sunday School and other activities were conducted,
including an extremely active Senior Citizens program. Also in 1957, an Allen Organ was
dedicated at the annual festive Christmas program of the Choir.
In the late 1960s and the 1970s, St. Mark’s experienced a rapidly aging congregation
amidst a rapidly changing neighborhood. As Rev. John Spittal noted in 1973, “We are free
from debt. Free from worrying about a place to meet and worship and free to put into service
the resources which have been given to us over the past 25 years.” Thus began the
transformation … “not without a few internal upsets” according to Pastor John Ferra in 1978
… from a largely Swedish ethnic congregation into “a community and urban church with far
wider … responsibilities.” These changes set the stage for the last thirty years of St. Mark’s
service to the Black Rock community.
During this period St. Mark’s facilities continued to be an important part of the Black
Rock community infrastructure and the congregation took a leadership role in community
events. Examples are offering use of the church to other congregations in need, conducting
the community Easter Sunrise service at St. Mary’s by the Sea, and participating in the Black
Rock Day parade. But, despite these efforts, and the efforts of the last pastor, Beth Anderson,
to “meet and greet” at neighborhood and community events, there was no progress in
attracting new members from the community. The Sunday School dwindled to only five
children and typical Sunday service attendance was only about 25 mostly elderly members.
The result was a decision for St. Mark’s to close its doors due to the aging membership
and rapidly changing neighborhood. On June 20, 2009, Pastor Anderson with the
congregation, former members, and community leaders in attendance, held a closing service
with celebration of the Holy Eucharist and an eloquent banquet on the church grounds.
33
11. The Danish Lutheran Tradition in the U.S.
The development of Danish Lutheran groups in the United States follows an evolutionary pattern
that goes from broad inclusiveness through a series of break-ups and then ultimately a series of
mergers that led to the current situation where all earlier Danish Lutheran groups are now a part of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The first of these “synods” was the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of
North America which was formed in 1860. By 1870, the Norwegians and Danes separated from the
Swedes to form the Norwegian-Danish Conference. This Conference immediately established a
seminary in Marshall, Wisconsin.
In 1860, there were only about 10,000 Danes in the U.S. But, as a result of the disastrous defeat
of Denmark in the 2nd Schleswig War of 1864-7, Danish emigration expanded greatly. By the census
of 1870, there were over 30,000 Danes in the U.S. In 1869, a Commission was formed in Denmark to
help minister to the needs of Danish Lutherans in North America.
Four Danish pastors fortuitously coming together was critical to the next step. Niels Thomsen
was a Danish missionary to India and was ordained there in 1868. But due to ill health he returned to
Denmark, and in 1870 came to America. By 1871, he was pastor to a Danish congregation in
Indianapolis. Adam Dan was a Danish missionary in the Sudan, due to ill health he went to the Holy
Land where he received a call to a Danish congregation in Racine, Wisconsin. He accepted the call
and was ordained there in 1871. The Commission sent three missionaries to the U.S. … two of them
remained here. One of these was A.S. Nielsen who was ordained in 1871 and served the Danish
congregations in Cedar Falls and Fredsville, Iowa. The other was Rasmus Andersen. After a brief
period in Chicago, he attended the seminary in Marshall. In 1872 he was ordained in Waupaca,
Wisconsin by Pastor Nielsen with two other pastors present … Niels Thomsen and Adam Dan.
Three months later, in September 1872, these four Pastors organized the Church Mission Society
(Kirkelig Missionsforening). In 1874, it was decided to change the name of the Society to the Danish
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shown below is a photo of pioneer DELCA pastors taken
about 1880.
In 1884, a second group evolved from the Conference in Nebraska. It was called the
Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church Association and was commonly referred to as the Blair
Church after its headquarters in Blair, Nebraska.
34
In the first two decades of the DELCA, dissension gradually emerged over the teachings
of Nikolai Grundtvig. This resulted in a schism in 1894 where the adherents of Grundtvig
(sometimes called the happy Danes) retained the DELCA name, and the anti-Grundtvigians
(the sad Danes) – who preached a much more literal interpretation of the Bible – formed the
Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (the North Church). In 1896, the
Blair Church and the North Church merged to form the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran
Church. Throughout subsequent history the UDELC was much larger than the DELCA. Our
congregation, then Our Savior’s in Bridgeport, was a part of the DELCA until 1961.
In 1946, the UDELC dropped the word “Danish” from its name and became the United
Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1960, it was part of the major merger that formed the
American Lutheran Church (ALC). In 1954, the DELCA also dropped “Danish” and
renamed itself the American Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1962, it was a part of the
major merger that formed the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). The descendants of the
Danish churches of the 19th century found themselves again all in the same fold as a result of
the 1988 merger of the ALC and LCA to form our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).
And so, we have seen the congregations founded in the Danish Lutheran tradition in the
U.S. come full-circle, beginning in a single fold, and returning to a single fold today.
The photo below pictures the entire 64-member pastoral roster of the DELCA in 1905.
35
Note: the above section was summarized from the website of the ELCA
(www.ELCA.org) and from the 1952 book Stories From Our Church by
Enok Mortensen. Below, is the chart from that website which summarizes the
predecessors of the ELCA.
36

Here - Our Saviour`s Lutheran Church

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