The following appeared in the Rock County Star Herald on April 3, 1958.
Special Good Friday and Easter Services Are Planned
Most Rock county churches will have special Good Friday Easter Festival services tomorrow and Sunday. There will be no Community Good Friday services this year.
This year individual churches have scheduled Good Friday services or will go together with other congregations to have a joint service. Most churches will hold Easter services at their regular hours of worship Sunday.
Business To Close 12-2 p.m.
The Luverne Civic and Commerce Association announced that Luverne business places will be closed from 12 noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, in observance of Good Friday. A three-hour service will be sponsored by the Kenneth, Blue Mound, Luverne Zion and Grace Lutheran churches from 12 to 3 p.m. tomorrow in the Grace Lutheran church. Four laymen and three pastors will preach on the “Seven Last Words” of Christ from the Cross. Music will be provided by four church choirs and other groups.
Various Speakers
The first half hour of the joint service at Grace Lutheran will be quiet meditation with a background of hymns, with the service proper beginning at 12:30 p.m., with a processional of the four choirs. Speakers at the service include: Ray Paulson, Howard Fitzer, Dr. D. M. Odland, Elmer Hovland, Pastor Martin Ford, Pastor Russell Quanbeck and Pastor Gilford Helegsen.
Special Good Friday music will be provided by the Zion Lutheran choir, Kenneth Lutheran choir, junior and senior choirs of Grace Lutheran church, John Miller, Jean Helland and the Kenneth Lutheran Quartet.
Those who cannot stay for the entire joint service may leave approximately every 17 minutes. Those who enter between periods will be seated in the chapel until time to enter the sanctuary. The public may attend all or part of the service.
A special Good Friday service will be held at 1 p.m. in the First Presbyterian church. The robed choir will assist in the worship service.
To Sing Carols
Young people of the Grace Lutheran church will sing Easter carols for the sick and shut-ins starting at 7:15 a.m. Sunday morning. Participating in this will be the Junior and Senior Leagues and college students. They will have a youth fellowship breakfast and devotional program at the church after the caroling. Easter services at Grace Lutheran will be held at 6:15 and 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
Presbyterian and Methodist young people will lead a sunrise service at 6:15 a.m. Easter at the Presbyterian church. An Easter breakfast will follow. Regular Easter services will be held at 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. at the Presbyterian church and at 10 a.m. in the Methodist church.
Joint Sunrise Service
The Palisade Lutheran and First Lutheran church, Valley Springs, will hold joint League Sunrise services at 6 a.m. Sunday in the Valley Springs church. A League breakfast will follow there at 9:30 a.m. Worship services Easter will be held at 8 a.m. in the First Lutheran and 9:30 a.m. in the Palisade Lutheran church.
The Steen Evangelical United Brethren church will hold an Easter sunrise service at 6 a.m. Sunday, with the Rev. Henry Vander Schaaf, of the Steen Reformed church speaking.
St. Catherine’s Catholic church will have three Masses Easter morning. Mass will be said at 6, 8 and 10 a.m.
A complete listing of church services is on the Church Page of the Star-Herald.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.