History

Over a century ago is 1886, when Missionary Ole J. Norby, a native of Kloebu N Dalone, Trondheim, Norway, came into this area and discovered so many Scandinavians of the Lutheran faith, he saw the need to establish a church.  Mr. and Mrs. Hans Benson had just built a home of logs from trees along the Heart River, six miles west of Mandan.  On April 18, 1886, a large group of pioneers gathered at the Benson home, near Marmot, for the purpose of organizing a Lutheran church congregation.  It was in this home that the birth of a Lutheran congregation in the Mandan community took place.

Reverend Norby baptized four infants:  Nancy Christensen, Oscar Carlson, Annie Anderson and Isaac Benson at this first worship service.  Four years later, August 17, 1890, the congregation saw their first confirmants.  A class of six were confirmed in the Benson home.  They were:  Carl Benson, Sander Christensen, Tilda Christenson, Susanna Hoff, Emma J. Olsen and Minnie M. Morck.  The first weddings in the congregation were also held in the Benson home.

Pastor Norby lived at Sims, Dakota Territory, and came to serve this Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran congregation once a month.  He used the railroad as his means of travel.  He also served a church at Taylor and his territory extended over the northwest half of the sate, west to Montana.  Rev. Norby represented the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. Those were also days of depression.  The pastor's salary was sixty dollars a year, and invariably he'd be paid with a side of pork or some other farm produce.

The first of three churches for the Mandan congregation was located at 222 9th Avenue SW in 1891, when Rev. Norby was pastor.  The lot was donated by George Bingenheimer, a local business man.  The 20 by 30 foot structure had additions for the altar and bell tower, and was built by A.O. Morck and Barney Anderson.

The congregation was incorporated October 14, 1891, and the church was dedicated May 22, 1892. Parochial school in the Norwegian language was taught during the summers in the early years.  Mrs. Ulrick Torne was the teacher.  The first Mandan Ladies Aid began in 1891 with Mrs. Martin Bull as the first president.

Syndicate and the city of Mandan grew rapidly in the early days and by 1912, the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Church needed more room.  Reverend Belsheim was the pastor from 1907 to 1914.

In 1912, on the insistence and suggestion of Rev. Belsheim, and unknown and unauthorized by the board of trustees, the members of the ladies guild of the Mandan Church purchased from L.N. Cary, the lot on which the new Scandinavian Lutheran Church was to be built. The purchase price for the lot was $700,000.

By the purchase of this site for the new church, the ladies had solved a problem that for sometime threatened to breed dissatisfaction in the membership of the congregation.  When the new church was first suggested, the choice of location became a bone of contention between the resident members of the south and north sides of the city.  Rev. Belsheim found himself confronted with a grave situation and only by earnest effort was the matter checked until the members of the ladies guild solved the problem by obtaining a splendid location, one generally acceptable to all.

The new location was at 8th Avenue and 1st Street NW.  The architect estimated the cost of the new church to be $6,000, which would be built to conform with the architecture of the churches of this denomination in Norway, which were especially inviting.  The measurements of the church were 30 by 60 feet, with estimated seating capacity at 300.  The first services in the new church were held December 25, 1914.  Mr. Christopherson, a student of the United Lutheran Theological Seminary of St. Paul, preached the sermon on the occasion of the feast.  The name had been changed from the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran to the Norwegian Lutheran Church by the time the second church was built.  Rev. C.J. Fylling served the church from 1915 to 1930.  A parsonage was built in 1930, next to the church.

Reverend O.O. Andvik, pastor of the church from 1930 to 1949, perhaps served through one of the most difficult times in the church history: the depression of the '30s and the years of the second world war.  It was he who felt the name of the church should be changed in 1938 from the Norwegian Lutheran Church to First Lutheran Church.  He also served the congregation during the celebration of the 50th Anniversary.

The Rev. Carsten Brien came to Mandan in 1949 to serve First Lutheran church.  It was under his leadership that the present church edifice was built .  With the congregation constantly growing throughout the years, the First Lutheran Church on 8th Avenue became inadequate.  Therefore, with the decision to build a new church, a building campaign was started in 1953.  The ground  breaking ceremony took place in 1955 at the location of the new church as Anton Olson, age 89, turned the first spade of dirt.

On Easter Sunday, 1958 the first service was held in the new church.  Many people of the congregation gave their time and talents to help build the church and it was indeed a privilege for this generation to have the opportunity to participate in the building of this beautiful house of worship.  On August 17, 1958 Pastor Brien performed the first wedding in the new church, when Delores Stephenson and Leland Olsen were united in marriage.

Dedication services for our new First Lutheran Church were held on October 29, 1961.  This date also marked the 75th anniversary of First Lutheran Church.  Signing the $100,000 mortgage with Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Co. of Minneapolis, MN, were: Bryan Edmundson, Fred Keller, Cal Tanner, Percy Livdahl, Clarence Hendrickson and Carl Keidel, chairman of the building committee.  It was a great day on February 6, 1977, when the mortgage burning ceremony took place.  R.M. Hagestuen, Pastor since 1969, announced the church was debt free at the ceremony.

1986 marked the year of the church centennial celebration.  The centennial birthday party was held April 19 and 20, 1986.