Our Churches

Big Woods

County 17 at County 18

(280th St. NW at 470th Av. NW)

Big Woods Township, Marshall County

New Hope

245 Fering Street

Alvarado MN 56710

Zion

405 Third Ave. East

Oslo MN 56744

(from Olso: 1 mile east on MN#1, 6 miles north on MN#220 and 1 mile east on 280th Street;

from Alvarado: 3 miles west on MN#1 and 6 miles north on county#17)

The first Norwegian Lutheran worship service in Marshall County was held in Big Woods Township in the 1870s.  Big Woods congregation was organized on August 4, 1882, making it one of the oldest congregations in the area.  It was named for the township in which it is located which was a common practice in those days.

    A building was soon erected and used in an incomplete state until 1902 when it was finally completed and dedicated.  Also in 1902 several Big Woods members and others organized the Oak Park Lutheran Church in the township to the south.  In 1938 a new church was built across the road from the old church and cemetery.  Down through the years many improvements to the building have been made, but it is still in use today as a house of worship.

    Big Woods has been in a parish partnership  with Zion of Oslo for many years, and at various times with other congregations as well.  Big Woods has been a member of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (1917-1959), the American Lutheran Church (1960-1986), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1987-present) as denominational mergers took place.

    The women's group (kvinde forenning), now called the WELCA, was well known for their spinning bees and rømmegrøt fests in the early days and is known for delicious and generous meals today.

    Home buy-outs after the massive 1997 flood have reduced the population of Big Woods Township, but the congregation continues to worship and witness to God's grace in Jesus Christ.

New Hope Lutheran Church was organized in 1983 through the merger of Bethlehem, Elim, and Zion Lutheran churches.  At first the congregation met in the former Zion building and then built a new modern church in 1997 which features, among other things, ground source heating and cooling.

    The congregation joined with Zion Lutheran Church of Oslo and Bigwoods Lutheran Church of Bigwoods Township to form the New Beginnings Lutheran Parish in October of 2014.  The main parish office was located at New Hope, Sunday School and youth group were organized on a parish level, while Sunday worship and the WELCAs (women's groups) were continued in each congregation.

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church was organized by Norwegians in 1879 south of Alvarado.  Originally called Zion, the named was changed to Bethlehem in 1905 when the congregation moved into the new village of Alvarado.  The church was located where the current New Hope parking lot is today. 

    Zion Lutheran Church was organized in 1914 in Alvarado as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church with the named changed to Zion in 1938.  Also in 1938 the Nyskoga Lutheran  Church merged with Zion.  It was organized in 1894 five miles south of Alvarado.  The Bloomwood Lutheran Church joined Zion in 1946.  It was organized in 1905.

    Elim Lutheran Church was organized by Swedes in 1893, and the church was built in 1905 in Oak Park Township just northwest of Alvarado.  A beautiful brick marker and the old church bell sit where the church once stood.

    Elim and Zion buildings were razed in 1986 after the new congregation was formed.  Bethlehem's building was razed in 1998 after the new building was built.  The New Hope congregation is still responsible for the  Elim, Nyskoga, and Mesopotamia cemeteries.

    Through all the changes the one Gospel of Jesus Christ has been steadfastly preached in the various congregations.

Zion Lutheran Church was organized on August 4, 1907 in the city of Oslo.  The first building was erected in 1909 where the current St. Joseph's Church is located.  In 1961 the current brick building was erected at 405 Third Ave. East.

    In 1957 Oak Park Lutheran Church in Oak Park Township merged with Zion.  Their building stood on its original site until the winter of 2016 when it was demolished because it was no longer safe.  In 1961 members of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Granville Township joined Zion.  Later their church building was moved to the East Grand Forks Heritage Village.

    Zion has been a parish partner with Bigwoods Lutheran Church for over a century and at various times with other area congregations.  In 2014 a new parish was formed adding New Hope Lutheran Church of Alvarado to Zion and Bigwoods.  Now many ministries are conducted on the parish level in cooperation with the other two congregations.

    Zion has a strong Norwegian heritage in a city named for the capital of Norway, although today many members come from other nationalities.  It is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which reaches out to all.

    The women's auxiliary, currently known at the WELCA (Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), was organized in 1906, before the congregation was organized (a common pattern in the old days).  It has been a vital support for the congregation to this very day as it continues mission projects, Bible studies, and service.

    Through floods and drought, good times and bad, the congregation has been a beacon of stability in the Oslo community and a strong witness to the Lutheran expression of the Christian faith.

Midsummer Night 2018 photo by Nancy Kosmatka.