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Trinity Lutheran Church is 125 years old and its parish members are celebrating the anniversary this weekend, with food, fellowship and a look back on the church’s history in the community of Jasper.
The German Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church was organized in the early 1890s around the same time the Methodists, Presbyterians and Norwegian Lutherans were starting churches in the booming little railroad town.
The Trinity Lutheran congregation put up a church building in 1894 and dedicated it on Oct. 28. The first pastor of the church was Rev. H.B. Kohlmeier.
The church members and community will celebrate Trinity’s 125th anniversary on June 8 and 9, according to Keith Eitreim, chairman of the celebration committee.
“We are excited and want to have a great commemoration weekend,” he writes on the church’s website. “Please be a part of it and make plans to attend.”
A highlight of the weekend will be five of the church’s previous pastors on hand for the celebration.
They include the Revs. Mark Krueger, Richard Mayer, Peter Sestak, William Sabol and Jon Olson. Rev. Michael Lutz, has sent a video but he is unable to attend.
Current pastor Robert Moeller, who also ministers to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Pipestone and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Trosky, will take the lead in the weekend’s activities.
Saturday’s events in Jasper include coffee and refreshments with these former pastors from 1 to 4 p.m.
A 5 p.m. dinner and program featuring the former pastors will follow.
Dinner will cost a freewill donation and guests are asked to register ahead of time by calling Eitreim at 605-261-5320.
On Sunday Pastor Moeller will lead the 10 a.m. worship service, which will also include former pastors.
A picnic lunch at 11:30 a.m. will follow at the Jasper City Park, also for a freewill donation and requested RSVPs.
History booklets will be available for sale as well as reprints of the old yellow Trinity cookbooks, each of them priced at $15.
More information is available at threestrandsparish.com.