1959 was a conventional, conservative time - the Cold War raging and the US conducted the first successful intercontinental ballistic missile test in February at Cape Canaveral. Russian influences were a full-blown paranoia nationwide turning citizens against each other and against their clearest values as Americans; It was a segregated, racist time, when black lives truly did not matter. US Flag sales were up as two additional states were added to the 48.

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In that time, and in this place, a little band of mostly 20 and 30-something Lutherans did this practical thing, this prophetic, radical, sacred, faithful thing: they built a liberal church, and on Sunday mornings, in the elementary school gymnasium, they sang, Holy, Holy, Holy  out of a red hymnal as our first pastor, Pastor Holy, came down the aisle. They began to imagine a spiritual home where others could only see an orchard. It would eventually become the launching place from which generations of people would “practice” our faith.

Those who joined in the 1960’s stabilized this start up congregation during a turbulent time of change in our land. So many changes were happening. You worshipped with the Red Service Book and Hymnal led by Pastors Holy, Fransen and Knudsvig. During that time our favorite hymn was, I Love to Tell the Story and we built storytelling into our DNA.

People during these decades were the ones who said this is a house still under construction - building the existing sanctuary and making it larger than needed with room around the communion table for more. Members read the Little Ole column each month in the newsletter. The favorite song of the day was Beautiful Savior, which was sung out of green hymnals. And Pastor Baardseth greeted us each sermon with “Grace and peace!”

During these years we were still a house under construction as space was added for a pre-school, youth room, meeting rooms and offices- equipped with computers of all things! The hymnal turned color again, this time to blue and we sang, I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry the most, especially the line, “not too old, no longer young.”

This is a time not unlike the 1960’s with lots of cultural changes. But God’s word is alive. Our task is to lead by feeding famished, fearful people courage, food, Word and community. Yes the hymnal changed color to cranberry and our favorite song also changed - as we love to sing God’s words, You Are Mine, words that remind us, “do not be afraid I am with you…”

Now that you have read some of our story it is our hope that you would add your voice to our story. Years ago our charter members wondered… What kind of church are we going to make here? What kind of church are we going to be? They were imagining the church we are today.

• A people who tell the sacred stories of our oneness in Christ.

• A people who gather to coax those stories out of one another because we trust the Spirit of the risen Christ lives in each of us.
   

Led by the Prince of Peace we are a shalom home - and we are a house still under construction; standing in need of everyone’s creative hand. We are a cauldron of imagination, where the fires of justice burn. A place that today moves people out the door with the shout, “Go in peace. Serve the Lord” convinced that God needs us more in the world than inside our walls. This is the calling and the joy of this community of faith.