LAKEWOOD — A century ago, Faith Lutheran Church was the soul of Lakewood.
Congregants gathered after long days of fishing and farming to talk about God and share their faith in each other’s homes. Women walked miles through mud and fields frequented by bears and cougars to discuss church matters and organize bazaars.
With their calloused hands and meager incomes, they built two small white chapels, side by side, in 1911. Inside, Norwegian, their sole language, echoed off the walls.
Today, only one of the church’s 260 baptized members speaks Norwegian. The Rev. Randall Sinn, whose ancestry is German, gives sermons in English. Occasionally people walk into the church asking for help in Spanish.
The forests and rolling hills have been replaced with shopping centers and housing developments. Lakewood High School sits next to the church and a large convenience store is being built across the street. National chains including Linens ‘n Things, Best Buy and Red Robin moved in down the street, sending a steady rush of traffic past the chapel.
“Hopefully, we provide a place of stability and faith here in the midst of everything changing around us,” Sinn said, sitting in a meeting room that church members built decades ago.
As the landscape around the church changes, so does its members. The families who built the church planned their lives around Sunday sermons, weekly Bible studies and parish dinners of lutefisk and lefse.
“You didn’t have Little League,” said Donna Huglen, who started attending the church 44 years ago when she married. “Your entertainment and social gathering (place) was the church.”
Her husband, Howard Huglen, 65, was baptized, confirmed and married in the church. In the late ’50s his dad, a Norwegian immigrant, helped dig the well that led to the merging of the two Lutheran churches that had sat side-by-side for decades.
He misses the days when church was the dominant force in the life of Lakewood. He saw all his neighbors in the pews each Sunday and throughout the week at church events. He knew their names and their reputations.
Now the faces change each week. People come occasionally, when they have time, and skip when services aren’t convenient.
“I look back and I realize those were the fortunate years when we were growing up in the ’60s,” he said. “Our world has gotten so busy people don’t have the time or wouldn’t dedicate the time if they did. The generations before us, I think they had a lot right.”
Lakewood streets used to bear the names of the founding families of the church: Bjorn, Pescnik and Brevik. They’ve since been renamed — and sterilized somewhat — to match their new suburban identity: 19th Avenue, 98th Avenue and 11th Avenue.
However, despite the changing landscape, the church is still a sacred place of refuge and comfort for many of its members.
At 88, Velma Bjorn is the church’s oldest member. Bjorn, who goes by “Babe,” has grown old in the church. Congregants supported her through the rough times, including the death of her husband three years ago, and were there through the good times: births, baptisms, parties.
“It’s the only church I’ve ever attended,” she said. “The family of the church, the people, have meant so much. They still do. … It’s been a place of faith for me all my life.”
As Faith Lutheran Church prepares to celebrate 100 years, Pastor Sinn is praying about the future.
Sinn, who has led the congregation for 20 years, knows the church will change, but believes it will remain relevant and important as Lakewood continues to grow.
“We’re at the beginning of another 100 years, filled with hope that the Lord still guides us and leads us” he said, looking at some of his church’s oldest members. “Who knows what the future holds, but great opportunity.”
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
A birthday party
Celebrate Faith Lutheran Church’s 100th birthday on Feb. 17.
Everyone is welcome to attend a special worship service at 10 a.m., followed by a ham dinner. A short program is planned with time to reminisce and view old photos and documents.
The church is at 1424 172nd St. NE, Lakewood.
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