History of Immanuel Lutheran Church
Presentation to the Annandale History Club
2001
Karen Christofferson 
Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery

Immanuel Lutheran Church sits at the top of one of the many gently rolling hills of northwestern French Lake Township. It is located approximately one mile west and one mile north of French Lake Corners. 1998 marked the centennial for Immanuel, also known in the past as the Norwegian Church, because of its Norwegian roots and Norwegian language services in the early years. 

A plaque by the front door summarizes the history of the church. The congregation was organized in 1898 by pioneers who emigrated from Norway and Sweden between 1871 and 1892 and settled on farms in French Lake Township. The first church services were in 1887 at the home of Henry Kringsberg. 

Twelve couples and their families started the church, three couples from Norway and nine from Sweden. Henry and Gertrude Kringsberg from Sweden were the first of Immanuels founders to immigrate (1871), and they were among the leaders in organizing the church. Charter members from Norway were Ingrid Malsterteigen, Peter and Maria Walberg and Martin and Martina Opsahl. The charter members from Sweden were Henry and Gertrude Kringsberg, Ole and Ingeborg Larson, Henry and Anna Hendrickson, John and Mary Walberg, John and Mary Forsberg, A. J. and Mary Lindberg, Peter and Karoline Berg, Henry and Anna Anderson, and the John Gerards. Martha (Lindberg) Gerard was born in Sweden, and John Gerard was born in Minnesota, the son of early immigrants from Belgium. John Gerards parents were in French Lake as early as 1859 or 1860.

The twelve families were close neighbors and some of them were related. They held worship meetings in homes early on, and on April 26, 1898, they signed a charter stating in Norwegian: At the congregational meeting today, we the undersigned formed a Christian Congregation at French Lake and accept herewith the Constitution for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America. From 1898 to 1931 all entries in the church minutes books were in Norwegian.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America was founded by Rev. Elling Eielsen in Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin, in 1846. Eielsen Synod was added to the synodical name in 1867. Eielsen was a lay preacher and evangelist in Norway. He arrived in America in 1839. He is considered the chief transplanter of the Hauge movement from Norway to America. Hans Nielson Hauge (1771 to 1824) started a revival movement in Norway by lay activity alone. He advocated a non-liturgical form of worship with prayer, traditional hymn singing and usually lay preaching, which was a departure from the State Church of Norway. He was imprisoned in Norway for his ministry. Elling Eielsen (1804-1883) stressed the importance of repentance, conversion and lay preaching. He opposed ritualism, formal worship, clerical vestments and clerical authority. It is not known how the charter members decided to affiliate with Eielsens synod. It is possible they knew of Hauge or Eielsen in Norway or another Eielsen Synod pastor made evangelism trips to Minnesota. 

In 1900 charter members Henry and Anna Anderson donated land in Section 9, French Lake Township. The church was built in 1901. Alden Walberg said that he remembers his grandfather, Martin Opsahl, telling how he helped build the church. The original church was 30 x 22 ft. with an 11 x 10 ft. vestibule. A large area for the altar and a bell tower were added sometime in the early 1900s. A local craftsman, Nils Dahlman, built the pulpit and communion rail. The interior walls and ceiling are pressed metal and still in good condition. In the early days, women sat on one side of the church and the men on the other, which was the custom of the time. Chairs were used in the church until about 1956 when pews were obtained from another church. In 1956 a former Finnish church in French Lake was purchased for use as a dining hall, and the chairs were moved there. The dining hall was used for dinners, Ladies Aid meetings, social functions, and also for semi-annual Eielsen Synod conferences. The dining hall was sold in 1995. 

In 1902 the charter members (minus A. J. Lindberg) and also Ole D. Berg and Nels Lidblom signed Articles of Incorporation in French Lake before the Justice of the Peace. The document was left for safekeeping. In 1997, 95 years later, Chris Lantto found it in a safe and returned it to Immanuel. In the meantime, the original spelling Emmanuel had been changed to Immanuel. 

Rev. O.K. Vangsness was the first pastor. He served six years. The first birth recorded in the church was that of Mathilde Danielson, March 16, 1889. The first marriage was that of Martin Olsen and Marie Hanson, December 31, 1892. 

Rev. Stener Stenby (1861-1941), pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Eielsen Synod, Clear Lake, Iowa, was called to be pastor at Immanuel. From 1898 to 1904 he traveled to French Lake by train monthly or there was a need. In the early 1900s, Erick Person (Edwin Ericksons grandfather) became the first Sunday School superintendent. 

Rev. Amund Weik (1861-1922) served Immanuel from 1905-1916. He was pastor of the Eielsen Church on 17th near Lake Street in south Minneapolis and traveled to other Eielsen Synod churches and home missions. 

The Rev. John O. Blaness (1879-1968) was called to be pastor of Immanuel in 1916 and served 52 years until his death in 1968. Pastor Blaness and his family moved from Gary, South Dakota, to a farm by Lake Francis in French Lake Township in May 1916. He and nephew Clifford Blaness traveled by wagon and mule team and his wife Guro traveled by train with four children, Olaf, Beatrice, Gerhard and Marie accompanied by brother-in-law Lauritz Christofferson. Gladys and Bernard were born at French Lake. Pastor Blaness was Immanuels first resident pastor; however, his responsibilities included traveling to other Eielsen churches and home missions. At first he traveled by train and then by car, starting out in any weather. He had both a Model T and a Model A before being presented a 1937 Ford Coupe from Lundeen Ford as a gift from the Jackson, Minnesota, and Centerville, South Dakota, Eielsen Synod congregations. That car went well over 200,000 miles. Pastor Blaness regularly visited churches and home missions in 25 towns in six states ( Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South and North Dakota and Montana ). He was very dedicated to his work. 

Rev. Blaness also served as pastor at Bethania Evangelical Lutheran Church at Rice Lake, Stockholm Township, near Cokato. He would often conduct services at Immanuel Sunday morning and at Rice Lake Sunday afternoon. 

There are many people in the area who have been baptized, confirmed or married by Pastor Blaness. Couples would often arrive at the Blaness home with marriage licenses in hand. If Rev. Blaness were working at the farm, he would always clean up and dress up before performing the ceremony. Someone told recently about how two couples (sisters) arrived at the Blaness home to be married in August of 1948. Rev. Blaness was dressed in a suit ready to leave for the church in Jackson. He conducted the double ceremony in English, but included a few Norwegian words. It was his birthday that day and Mrs. Blaness invited them all to have coffee and cake. 

After Rev. Blaness died in 1968 at age 88, the Rev. Thore Larson (1904-1982) of Jackson became pastor. Pastor Larson served Immanuel from 1968 until his death in 1982, dividing his time between Stall Norwegian Lutheran Church of rural Jackson, Immanuel in French Lake and the other remaining churches in the synod, Centerville, S.D., and Taylor and Lodi, Wisconsin, a pastorate of over 650 miles. By 1968 the Eielsen churches in Minneapolis and Rice Lake near Cokato had closed. In 2007, Immanuel is the only active church that had been affiliated with the Eielsen Synod. 

In 1982 Pastor Thore Larsons son, the Rev. Truman Larson, became pastor and continued serving Immanuel and the church in Jackson until it closed. Pastor Truman Larson is the only remaining ordained pastor in the Eielsen Synod. Until 2001, he had driven to French Lake one Sunday a month to speak at Immanuel. In 2001 Pastor Larson accepted a call to be full-time pastor at a Hauge Synod church closer to his home in Jackson. All of the pastors since 1898 have been Norwegian. Pastors Stenby, Weik and Blaness were born in Norway. 

Lay pastor Edwin Erickson has preached, planned services and arranged for speakers. He and his brother, Daniel Erickson, have worked to update the church. Recent additions have been a closet and lavatory added in 1991, steel siding and doors in 1995, and outside ramp and steps in 1996. A 24 x 30 addition for Sunday School and fellowship was completed in 2001. The addition is handicap accessible and includes a second bathroom and a small kitchen. 

There are 18 children in Sunday School and average attendance of 25 at worship services. The Immanuel congregation has been fortunate to have Pastor Lee Shelton, former Covenant Church pastor, as a frequent speaker the past 15 years. Immanuel Church continues with the same simple worship service with visiting pastors as well as lay speakers. Immanuel Lutheran Church has continued for 109 years by Gods grace and provision.