“Large crowd celebrates Bethel church centennial” from the August 3, 1965 Door County Advocate
Large crowd celebrates Bethel church centennial
Sarah Magnusson, Corres.
WASHINGTON ISLAND — A capacity crowd almost every night from July 25 through August 1 attended the Centennial services at Bethel church. The special speakers, the gospel film, “In His Steps,” and the wonderful music and songs of Winifred Larson and her team brought people from many places to hear them.
Friday night Lennart Arnell showed slides in connection with the construction of the Church Annex and the rejuvenation of the old church, also Island scenes of the different seasons, and gave a brief message. Eric Pearson led the congregational singing during the week. About 50 people from Bethel Baptist church, Ellison Bay, including their Pastor Rev. Ellison, attended the Friday night service at Bethel church.
They came to join in the centennial celebration, and returned to the mainland at 10:45 following an hour of fellowship after the service. We enjoyed very much having them with us.
Never before has Bethel church had six preachers on the platform all at one time as it did Friday night. They were: Rev. C. H. Lundberg, Rev. Elmer Bilton, Rev. John Ellefson, Rev. Ellison, Rev. Ben Pent, and Lennart Arnell, who recently completed seminary and will be pastoring two churches in Michigan. Rev. Lundberg, Rev. Bilton and Rev. Ellefson were the speakers at services during the week.
The inclement weather Saturday night was blamed for less than a capacity attendance.
Both services on the two Sundays were well attended, as were the Smorgasbords. Rev. Gordon Kling, District Superintendent of the Evangelical Free church, brought the message for both services Aug. 1. He is no stranger to the island, since he was here for the dedication three years ago. Winifred Larson is likewise no stranger, as she has been coming to the island for more than 20 years.
Following the evening service Sunday, Aug. 1 each person was given a piece of the beautiful Centennial cake (which had been made and decorated by Marjorie Bjarnarson) to take home and dream on. It was an enormous cake about 18 inches in diameter, with white frosting and trimmed with daisies at the base. The main center of interest on the top was a small white church with the doors standing open.
A guest book was attended each afternoon and evening by one of the Church women dressed in colonial costume, and it was noted that more than twenty different denominations were represented by the people who attended the Centennial services. All during the week many of the Church women wore colonial dresses as they served as hostesses and also in the kitchen. We can now put these dresses away along with our memories of a week that can never be duplicated in our lives, which was all done to the glory of God. The central theme of the week has been, “Jesus Christ, the Same Yesterday Today and Forever.”
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Mr. and Mrs. David H. Johnson are the parents of a baby girl, Terri Ann, born July 27 at Kenosha. The two sets of grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Percy Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. Hannes Hannesson, have been caring for the other three children this past week here.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Jensen are the parents of twin boys born July 31 in California. Harry Lee is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Jensen.
Rev. and Mrs. Clarence H. Lundberg, Hancock, Minn., have announced the engagement of their daughter, Bernadine, to Wayne Christiansen, Minneapolis. A summer 1966 wedding is planned. Bernadine was born and raised on Washington Island.
Merrill Lundberg, son of Rev. and Mrs. Clarence H. Lundberg, was admitted to the Bar at Madison July 28. He will be commissioned Lieut j. g. in the U. S. Navy Sept 19, 1965 at Newport, R. I., and will then be doing legal work in the Navy. Merrill’s legal home is Washington Island.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Lieut j. g. is Lieutenant junior grade.]
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