History :

1880 West Blue Mounds Lutheran Church in Blue Mounds was formed. Founding Pastor: Adolf Bredesen, 1879-1882 (who also served Perry Church)

1881 Members built the church (in Blue Mounds) that’s currently in use today (with additions) at a cost of $2,190. Presiding pastor: Peter Isberg, 1882-1884 (who also served Perry Church).

1883 West Blue Mounds Norsk Evangelical Lutheran Congregation was organized with 100 souls. Pastor presiding: Rev. O.P. Syftestad, 1884-1890 (who also served Vermont Lutheran Church).

1890 Barneveld members were considered added to the West Blue Mounds congregation.

1914 Banker Jerome J. Jones donated a church building in Barneveld to the West Blue Mounds Lutheran Church as a place for the people in Barneveld to worship. But the congregation remained one congregation, with two places to worship. Remodelling costs over several years were $655. Pastor presiding: Rev. Otto Mostrom.

1954 The people who worshiped in Barneveld officially incorporated a congregation called “Barneveld Lutheran Church.” Then the two congregations banded together to form the Barneveld-West Blue Mounds Lutheran Parish: one parish with two separate congregations. This was a 3-point parish: Mt. Horeb ELC was the pastor’s home church, with Barneveld and West Blue Mounds as mission churches. Pastor presiding: Rev. E. R. Anderson.

Up until 1957, Barneveld-West Blue Mounds was always served by pastors who were originally called to another church, and we were mission congregations in the eyes of the national church.

1957 The Parish built a parsonage in Barneveld. Mr. and Mrs. Clair Campbell donated the building site for a new parsonage that was built during 1955-56.
957-1960 Rev. Raymond Mehl was called to be the pastor.

1960-1962 Rev. Erving S. Severtson was called to be the pastor.

1962-1991 Rev. Robert Twiton was called to be the pastor.

1971 and 1974 The BLC Congregation built a new church building in two stages.

1984 A tornado hit Barneveld, destroying most of the village including the church building. The belltower, however, stood.

1986 The BLC Congregation dedicated their new re-built church building.

1992-Present Rev. Dennis O’Brien is called to be the pastor.

1993-1998 Rev. Lil Belusa was called in a half-time position as pastor of Outreach and Nurture.

January 31, 1999 The Barneveld-West Blue Mounds Parish became “unyoked.” Barneveld was becoming a medium-sized church, while West Blue Mounds remained a small congregation. Increasingly it was hard to meet the needs of both congregations, and both congregations voted to dissolve the 2-point parish.

January 14, 2007 Pastor Dennis's last Sunday at BLC. He accepted a call to Advent Lutheran in Morton, Illinois. Pastor Dennis's address at Advent is: [email protected]