Elim History

Rev. Martin Larson

It was in November 1900 that Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Segerquist arrived in Waterman. Having a four-year old son who had not as yet been baptized, they made contact with the pastor of the Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Seattle, Rev. Martin L. Larson, to baptize their son and later their daughter, Sophia. When Pastor Larson came to perform these baptisms he also conducted services in the old Waterman schoolhouse about once a month.

Rev. Herman Lind, acting pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran in Seattle then came and held occasional services. Soon the desire of the people to organize a congregation was strongly evident, so much so that during the year 1907 a number of Swedish immigrants were asked to sign a paper which would signify their intention of becoming members of a Lutheran church if organized. However, when the actual day of organization took place, many of the people declined membership, but there were still a goodly number very much in earnest about having an organized and functioning church in their midst. On the evening of September 30, 1908 worship services were conducted after which a meeting was held for the purpose of organizing. Pastor Lind was in charge of this meeting. Thirty-four persons signified their desire to become a part of an Evangelical Lutheran Church.

These charter members were: Mr. and Mrs. Olaf Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Segerquist, Lewis Axel Johnson, Anna Segerquist, Mr. and Mrs. Anders P. Peterson, Hilma Segerquist, 0. Westerlund, Emma Stone, Maria Granberg, Ida Brodine, Mr. and Mrs. P.R.Lundberg, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Olund, Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Forsmark, A.M. Malmgren, John Johnson, Charles J. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Nelson, Ellen Nelson, John Salenjus, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sandell, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Carlson, Mr. and Mrs. John Brodine, Carl Janson, John Segerquist.

Rev. Herman Lind

 This was a new country, and money was not plentiful. What the founding fathers lacked in modern conveniences and wealth, they made up for by resourcefulness, love of their neighbors, and unselfish helpfulness. In this spirit this congregation was organized, and in this spirit it had grown.
The annual meeting held in January, 1909 bears record that there were then 36 communicant members and 32 children. At this meeting a resolution was adopted by the congregation petitioning for admission into the Columbia Conference of the Lutheran Augustana Synod. Mr. J.P. Forsmark was elected delegate to the Columbia Conference meeting held that year in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mr. Olaf Johnson was alternate delegate.
There were many factors that contributed to making progress and growth of the congregation during the next decades slow and difficult. The fact that there was no resident pastor stationed on the field was the outstanding difficulty. Various pastors contributed their time and effort to minister faithfully to the congregation.

"THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE CORNER"
Arvid Olund, Mrs. Olund and son, Edwin

There was a house that was called "The Little House on the Corner" which was located at the Corner of what is now Woods Road and Hillcrest Drive. Everyone who was new in the area would have a place to stay since there were no hotels. This was a very small house-sometimes two families living in it. Horice Kinney, wife, Marie, and sons, Earl, and, William, were the last family group to live in the house.
Pastor Otto Karlstrom served as student pastor in 1911 and then as pastor (in addition to his Bethany Lutheran, Seattle pastorate) until at least 1925. In an interview with Reinhold Karlstrom, son of Pastor Otto Karlstrom, in March, 1983, the following information was obtained. The family would come from Seattle by boat, the "F.G. Reeves", and the "Atlanta", which the children liked best because it had a better horn! They docked at the Waterman dock where there was a store and one summer spent time on the beach and would journey up the hill to the Waterman School where church services were held. They also journeyed on the boat, which is now the "Virginia", a well-known pleasure boat in these present times. The Karlstroms also rowed to approximately where Harper is now in a rowboat and then were picked up there by church families and were transported to church. Pastor and Mrs. Karlstrom and his wife Alva had six children: Hildur, Reinhold, Paul, Thor, Roy and Ernest.
According to a brochure written in Swedish by Pastor Otto Karlstrom and translated by Reinhold Karlstrom, "Elim was named after the place in the desert where 12 people had found rest and comfort under the trees-good water-and went away refreshed. They had named the spot "Elim". When the immigrants read about Elim in the Bible they felt their spot in Waterman with the good water and beautiful trees were as the Bible described Elim in the desert, so they named the church "Elim"' Pastor Herman Lind was pastor at that naming of the church. In the 1925 brochure Pastor Karlstrom said that "the church was begun-and the field was theirs-take care of this field". At that time the ladies had $700 in their fund to contribute toward building of a church. He admonished the men and children to do the same because as he stated "Look what they could do together". The children had $75. These were large sums in those days. Pastor Karlstrom was noted for his kind and gentle ways.

Pastor Otto Karlstrom

As former members and also long-time members shared remembrances they told about how when one day Pastor Karlstrom was going on a visit to the Peter Lundberg home he passed Mrs. Norman's (a widow) home (Mrs. Norman's daughter, Sadie, is now Mrs. Frank Kinney). Mrs. Norman was spading for a garden as Pastor Karlstrom stopped; he finished her spading and then went on to his visit with the Lundbergs. Also, if something was cooking on the stove, he looked in the pan-and helped himself! That made him a member of every family of the congregation.
Pastor Karlstrom, even in that day, was saying "why don't you get off your "duff" and get moving-why hasn't Elim grown more than it has?" Pastor Karlstrom welcomed all who had been confirmed to the Communion table. He requested that everyone let him know if they wished to participate. Pastor Karlstrom also said: "Let us with one strength begin anew in Waterman".
The program (brochure described above) was on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1925. Martha Lundberg (now Mrs. Erik Edman) was confirmed on that day, also Agnes Segerquist, Carl Bjorling, Ainar Johnson, and Adina Johnson.
Pastor Karlson founded the "Compass Center" in Seattle. He died in 1965; Mrs. Karlstrom died in 1967; Hildur died in 1932. Paul is a counselor at Chico State University in California; Thor, a geologist in Flagstaff; LeRoy, retired from the State Department in Bellingham; and Ernest is a professor at U.P.S. in Tacoma.
Various pastors contributed their time and effort to minister faithfully to Elim's congregation. In addition to Pastors Martin L. Larson, Herman Lind and Otto Karlstrom there were Pastors Hugo Thorene, B.T. Erholm, Enoch Sandeen, Stanley Sandberg, and students Adolph Nelson, Roland Swanson, Palmer Sellstrom, Gordon Loren, Merton Lundquist, Allan Bilderback, Herman Hogberg, James Anderson, Luther Livingston, and Victor N. Thorene.
Hard financial struggles characterized these years as well. The life of the congregation was declining until in 1934 there were only 15 members.

Dedication of Elim Lutheran Church September 11, 1932

1931 - 1947

The history of the building of the first church and the acquisition of property covers a long span of years. The question concerning the buying of property was first brought up in 1909. It was not until 1931, however, that a committee of four, including J.P. Forsmark, Olaf Johnson, Charles Anderson and Mrs. Beda Lundberg, was elected to act as the building committee. The building was erected in 1932 with J.P. Forsmark as the head carpenter and builder. Also on building committee: Mrs. Peter Lundberg, Rev. Enoch Sundeen, Charles Anderson and Olaf Johnson. Carpenters were O.A. Olund, William Lofgren and Axel Backman.
Dedication services on the old church were held on September 11, 1932. Rev. Otto Karlstrom from Seattle and Rev. William Anderson from Spokane gave the sermon. Litergists were Rev. E. Arthur Larson, Tacoma; and Rev. Carl A. Bengston, President of the Tacoma District. Also participating were: the Bethany Choir, Seattle; Dr. Ernest Svenson; Rev. C.G. Bloomquist, Dr. C.R. Swanson; Elim's Choir and J.P. Forsmark. Rev. and Mrs. E. Sandeen had furnished upstairs electric fixtures. This must have been a thrill to the hard-working people who had all these years struggled to build their church, and now the dream became a reality.
The five years after 1939 showed a great upsurge of interest and activity at Elim. The Board of Home Missions took responsibility, and with the Regional Director of Home Missions supervising the students who worked in the field, there was a steady growth. There were then 60 students enrolled in the Sunday School and 30 adult communicant members.
At the annual meeting in January, 1943 it was decided to call a pastor and furnish $720 per year toward his salary. A senior at Augustana Seminary, Pastor Albert Hendrickson was extended a call and arrived during the summer of this same year to serve the congregation of Elim.

Pastor Albert Hendrickson

During the previous year (1938) property was purchased for the parsonage. With these two events the congregation really began to grow and prosper. Pastor Hendrickson was the first resident pastor, coming in August 1942, and during his term here he also conducted services at the Orchard Heights church where there was a Navy installation consisting of housing for 2,900 families of Navy employees and Navy personnel. Pastor Hendrickson's family consisted of his wife, Merle, and children David, Sharon, Rachel, Roseanne, and Peter.
David is now a doctor of ophthalmology in Hastings, Minnesota; they have two children. Sharon married Rev. Karl Gronberg; she teaches math at San Markos University near Austin, Texas; they have three children. Rachel is a psychiatrist at Lexington, Kentucky, and is presently attending seminary. She married Bruce Julian; they have two children. Roseann married Mark Swanson who is with DWME (missions) and she is completing her seminary training. They live in Cairo, Egypt. Peter is studying harpsichord in Germany, eventually hoping to teach and perform. Pastor Hendrickson served faithfully until 1947 when he accepted a call to Cloquet, Minnesota where he passed away in 1975.
In 1905 the people of the community started a fund to buy a bell that was to be placed in the belfry of the first church to be built in Waterman. The Sandells, Campbells, Brodines, Monks, Grandbergs, Olunds and Segerquists were some of the sponsors of this movement. There being no church in the community at the time of purchasing the bell, the bell was placed on two poles in the schoolyard. Here it remained until the new schoolhouse was ready for use in 1912. The bell was then placed in the belfry of the new school when it was decided that it should remain there as long as the building was used as a schoolhouse and then, if there was a church, the church should receive the bell. When the schoolhouse was sold in 1948 and was no longer a school, (it is now known as the Waterman Clubhouse), the bell was removed and placed in the belfry of Elim. It took from 1905 to 1948 to reach the place it was originally intended for. When Elim built the new church in 1968 the much-loved bell was moved to the new site. It was recently restored by Stener Kvinsland in memory of Robert "Buck" Gehring, a longtime faithful member of Elim.

1947 - 1959

Among the families in the new mission at Orchard Heights was that of Mr. and Mrs. A.A. Gronberg. Mr. Gronberg became the lay leader of the mission and Mrs. Gronberg (Esther) served as organist. When Pastor Hendrickson left, Pastor Gorden Loren was called to serve as vice-pastor during the interim. It was then decided that the congregation would call Lay-Pastor A.A. Gronberg as the pastor of Elim. He arrived on the field August 24, 1947 to serve at a salary of $100 a month and free use of the parsonage. Rev. E.A. Larson was made vice-pastor and served for many years in that role. Pastor Larson was present on communion Sundays, at baptisms, served as interim pastor and continued with his wife, Ebba, to be a friend of Elim's for all the years until his death in 1979.
During A.A. Gronberg's pastorate many improvements were made to the church property. The first large improvement was the enlargement and modernization of the church in 1953, as well as the installation of a new Allen organ and new pews. The Sunday School rooms were enlarged. A Seattle architect, J. Emil Anderson, submitted a plan at an estimated cost of $15,000. Volunteer labor, according to the estimate of the architect, raised the value of the expansion to $30,000. Also, in 1956 a full basement was installed under the parsonage, including a study for the pastor. The actual cost was $1,500 but, again volunteer labor doubled the value of the improvement. The salary of the lay-pastor then increased to $3,600, which also included $600, car expense.

Rev. E.A. Larson

A.A. Gronberg was the son of Rev. Carl G. Gronberg and his wife who served a pastorate for 10 years at Sandstone, Minnesota and then 13 years in the home mission field of the Canada Conference. A.A. Gronberg had additional schooling in high school and 2 years' study at the University of Minnesota. He married his wife, Esther, and they had one son, Karl, who is now a pastor at Austin, Texas. Karl married Sharon Hendrickson, the daughter of Albert Hendrickson, the first resident pastor of Elim. Karl and Sharon have three children, Kristen, David, and Erik. A.A. Gronberg and Esther also had a daughter, Anna Marie. Anna married Albert Drackert, and they had two daughters, Amy, and Sarah. Anna Marie passed away in August, 1981 and Esther Gronberg, after years of service as an organist and active church member, passed away in May, 1974. The "Viewflex" which houses historical confirmation pictures, now hangs in the Narthex in her memory.

A.A. Gronberg

A.A Gronberg accepted a call in 1959 to be the executive director at Compass Center in Seattle. He served there for 13 years, and then accepted the position as executive-director at the Millionaire Club where he has served for 10 years and is presently serving. While at the Compass Center he served for two years at St. Mark's Lutheran in Rochester, Washington, and also is presently assisting at Peace Lutheran in Seattle.
A great historical event took place on January 1, 1963 when four large church bodies-the Augustana Evangelical, the American Evangelical, the Finnish Evangelical, and the United Lutheran Churches merged to become the Lutheran Church in America. Before the merger in 1958, the old black "The Hymnal" was replaced with the red "Service Book and Hymnal". Elim purchased the new hymnals but they were not put to use until after Pastor Dugan arrived in 1960. It was interesting to note that many people were unhappy with the new hymnals, and it was said that Pastor Dugan made the change even though they had already been purchased when he arrived. In later years a green hymnal was published-"The Lutheran Book of Worship", and this time the new pastor, James Schoenrock, arrived shortly after the decision had been made to purchase the hymnals, so history repeated itself when people claimed the new pastor had caused the change. Elim has had many changes throughout its history, but naturally, as with any change, there are resistances to revisions of any kind.

Pastor Kenneth W. Dugan

1960 - 1978

Pastor Kenneth W. Dugan accepted the call to Elim and arrived in January, 1960. There was great excitement in the painting and preparation of the parsonage in anticipation of the arrival of the new pastor and his family. The excitement of their arrival was slightly dampened when the arrival of their furniture was delayed for three days. During this time the family consisting of the pastor, his wife, Dolores, and sons Tim and Kevin stayed with Elmer and Clara Isvick. Kevin came down with the mumps, and promptly gave them to Elmer! The Dugans had served in a parish in Brooklyn, N.Y. on the mission field at Sandaken, North Borneo before their arrival at Elim. Pastor Dugan married the former Dolores Ratbun on May 17, 1947 in St. Paul, Minnesota where they were both born and raised-going through high school there. They graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. Pastor Dugan did graduate work in psychology and counseling at the University of Minnesota, and received his Master's Degree from Pacific Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. Dolores graduated as a registered nurse from Bethseda Hospital in St. Paul. The Dugans have four children: Timothy, Kevin, Jeffrey and Lisa. Tim married Sue Moore and they have two children, Shannon and Jennifer. At the present time Tim is serving with the Coast Guard in Alaska. Kevin married Karen Woffington and their daughter, Kristy, was born after they moved to Boise, Idaho. The Dugans were very active in community affairs, as well as their involvement with the church locally and within the Synod.

In 1961 there was no longer room for all the children enrolled in Sunday School, so the Waterman Club House was rented for $5 a Sunday.

In 1963 the Episcopal Church rented the church facilities for $10 per Sunday. It was becoming evident that the church needed to be expanded due to the large Sunday School. There was much discussion concerning the expansion of the old Elim building, parking, building just a Sunday School wing, etc. After months of deliberation it was decided to build a new church due to limitations on expansion and parking.

In June, 1963 Elim purchased 10 acres of land for $14,000, with $2,000 down payment, with a payment of $100 or more per month at 6% interest. This property included a small house that rented for $50 per month. It was purchased with the sellers, Gust and Gunny Torn, reserving the right to park their house trailers as long as they desired. Previous to the purchase of the Torn property, the congregation had deposited $100 into an escrow account as earnest money for the Edith Olund property. Miss Olund had turned down the offer made by the congregation and the money was returned to be placed into the escrow account for the Torn property.

In 1964 the house on the Torn property was in need of repairs. Mr. Herman Boehme made improvements and recommendations. The house was then rented to a family for $50 per month.

In 1964 the architectural firm of Anderson, Graham and Durham from Seattle was contacted to draw some plans for a new church. The plans presented in 1965 were beautiful but the sanctuary alone was to cost $229,000, with the Sunday School to be added later. Since Sunday School space was the pressing issue, the church, in 1967 asked architect Milton Stricker from Seattle to draw plans. There were 108 votes for, and 3 against building plans. Mr. Stricker was not shown the other firm's plans, but strangely enough, the drawings were quite similar, but the cost was the same for the whole complex. The building committee consisted of Bill Smith, Bob Siegfried, Arlys Hewitt, Keith Canton, Mrs. Donald Crocker, John Grimm, Matt Hemming, Larry Johnson, Stener Kvinsland, Gerald Lyman, Sherril Murley, Virgil Parks, L. William Rill, Merle Spencer and Edward Sundt.

In 1966 Lutheran Laymen's-Association completed a capital fund drive with pledges being made to support the cost of beginning the building of a church. The cost of the drive had been estimated at $900-$1100 but actual costs were $520.47 (not including telephone calls) since the parish secretary addressed letters, telephoned, mimeographed and typed, cutting down on expenses of hiring an extra secretary. Mr. Kovacks, the coordinator, had hired Mary Stone as his secretary during this short period. By May, 1966 we had $65,205 in pledges and the plans for a new church was becoming a reality.

On January 21, 1967 the old chicken houses on the Torn property were burned to prepare for the groundbreaking and blessing of the church site which was held on October 15, 1967. This was an exciting day since First Lutheran also had their groundbreaking and Elim and First joined together to celebrate with First Lutheran's ceremony at 12:30 p.m. and Elim's at 3:30 p.m. At Elim the breaking of the ground was done by Pastor Kenneth W. Dugan; Rev. Dr. A.G. Fjellman, President, Pacific Northwest Synod-LCA; Bill Smith, Building Committee Chairman; Pastor Neal Snider, First Lutheran; Mrs. Joe (Emma) Cookus-Vice-Chairman, Church Council; Milton Stricker, Architect; and Janice Murley, representing youth.

Messages were given by Rev. Kenneth Dugan, as pastor of church; Emma Cookus, as Vice-chairman; Rev. Carl Fagerlin, Dean of Olympic District; Rev. Neal Snider, Pastor of First Lutheran; Mr. C.W. "Red" Beck, State Representative; Rev. Harvey DeVries, pastor-First United Methodist, Port Orchard; Mr. Nick Repanich, Mayor Port Orchard. On December 12, 1967 the contractor, Leo Finegan from Tacoma arrived for his first day on the job of building Elim Lutheran Church. There were a few delays like a snowstorm January 30, 1968 that halted work until February 6. Also, on February 27 a large beam had been blown down by strong winds. This had happened after excitement and near tragedy when a truck fell over attempting to raise a beam weighing 3 tons on February 12!

The "Service of Entry" and cornerstone laying was held on July 28, 1968 with the service beginning at the old church with a processional carrying items from the old church. The excitement was obvious by all the happy faces. In the processional were Pastor Dugan carrying the old brass cross; communion trays, Donald Crocker and Jack Mandeville; vigil light, Arlys Hewitt; offering plates Jean Parks; baptismal bowl, Buck Gehring; ciborium, Bob Siegfried; candles, Bill Carlson and Emma Cookus; flower vases, Beverly Mandeville and Lars Grevstad; missal stand, Merle Spencer; altar books, Clyde Ries; Communion wine, Vern Schoenrock; Communion wafers, Ruth Zimmerman; baptismal napkins, Gerri Grimm; funeral pall, Ernest Erickson; pastor's robes, Dolores Dugan; pastor's stoles, Kevin Dugan; paraments, Edward Reinke, Martha Hemming, Matt Hemming, Lucille Boehme; linens, Arlene Reyers, Dorothy Wilkerson, Ruth Claussen, Signe Nilsen. The remainder of the congregation joined in the procession to the new church.

During the laying of the cornerstone, the following items were placed behind the cornerstone: current newspaper, Bible, list of charter members, current membership list, name plaques from old pews and memorials. Of special interest was the hanging lamps made by Glennys Gehring and installed in the narthex and pastor' office.

The last baptism in the old church was performed on April 25, 1968. The baby was Angela Eggert, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Eggert. The first baptism in the new church was for Cynthia Johnson, daughter of Larry and Ruth Johnson. The last wedding in the old church was for Donna Nohrenberg and Edward Barnes. The first wedding in the new church was Janet Schoenrock and Ronald Ness.

In May, 1968 the congregation decided to attempt to sell the old church. Since there was no market for the church it was decided to sell both church and parsonage to the Bible Baptist Church for the sum of $44,300. The Bible Baptists, having no down payment, rented the church at $150 per month for one year with "option to buy". In May, 1969 the Bible Baptist Church paid $4,000 as a down payment for the church and parsonage.

On June 15, 1969 a congregational meeting was held to discuss the plans for the new parsonage. $100 bonds were sold to Elim members to secure money for the building of the parsonage. Bids were opened with Ron Galla being the lowest bidder and awarded the contract to build the parsonage for $23,740, plus $300 for the fireplace. The new parsonage was ready for occupancy in November, 1969.

It was decided that Elim would sponsor a refugee family, and on September 12, 1975 we welcomed our first Vietnamese family-Mr. Nguyet Bui; wife Lang, 2 daughters, Anh, and Thu; 5 sons-Hung, Dung, Cuong, Sang and Giau. This family wound their ways into the hearts of the people at Elim and became baptized members of the church and an asset to the life of the congregation. Elim felt truly blessed and thanked God for being able to know this family. Mr. Bui died on March 10, 1982, and the family due to school and job responsibilities, moved to Seattle in 1982.

In February, 1976 the interior of the small house on the church property, now occupied by the secretary, was renovated by volunteers headed by Rex Dempewolf, Harland Grotem and Glennys Gehring.

Gene Bradbury served as our youth director from 1974 until 1976 and was commended for the fine job he had done with the young people as was evidenced in their commitment and involvement. Gene served youth at Elim and First Lutheran.

Paul and Linda Demant

Bruce Keck and his wife, Barbara, were called to be our first intern and wife, arriving in July, 1976. Again, a fine relationship with the youth was established as well as other important emphasis on ministry.
This ministry was again shared with First Lutheran. Bill and Avis Rill provided housing for the intern and his wife which was a tremendous contribution to being able to hire an intern. Bruce is now serving as campus pastor at California State University, Chico, California.

In 1977 our second intern, Paul Demant, arrived with his wife, Linda. This couple was a dynamic pair who also related well to the youth, and who had other responsibilities within the ministry. Paul was a good cook and used his talents working part-time at Denny's restaurant. Paul and Linda have two children and are now serving a parish in Holbrook, Arizona but are considering a call to a church in California.
In 1977, since the trend for having parsonages was changed and most pastors now were owning their own homes, it was decided to sell the parsonage to Pastor Dugan and family for $40,000. There were many delays due to separating one acre of land, water system, etc. In the meantime, Pastor Dugan received and accepted a call to Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Boise, Idaho. The parsonage was eventually sold to Dale and Joyce Olson and family, and Pastor Dugan shared the equity for his many years of service to Elim. He said that he was not seeking this call and that he had always said he would not leave unless he felt that some other congregation needed him more than Elim. Emmanuel Lutheran needed Pastor Dugan's particular talents, so the family left Elim in August 1978 after 18 years of dedicated and faithful service.
Elim was then faced with the 'calling" process. A number of pastors were contacted concerning their openness to a call. The persons interviewed were Pastors Burton Schroeder, Cliff Berggren, George Beard, Paul Chell, and James Schoenrock. It was on October 26, 1978 that the congregation would extend a call to Pastor James Schoenrock.
We were fortunate to have Pastor George Hershberger, a retired Navy chaplain consent to do the preaching after Pastor Dugan left, and until a new pastor arrived. His warmness and eagerness and special abilities were greatly appreciated and welcomed. His wife, Eleanor, has been a very faithful supporter and this support was very evident and welcome.

Susan Briehl

Susan Briehl, our next intern, arrived in September, 1978. Her outstanding leadership with the youth and other leadership, preaching and abilities were appreciated by the congregation during the period of time we were without a pastor. Lay people were involved with supervision and leadership during this time.

Pastor George and Eleanor Hershberger

Susan married Martin Wells and the two now have a shared ministry at Our Saviour's Lutheran in Bellingham, Washington. They now have a daughter, Mary Emily.
During the period of time that Elim was without a pastor (August, 1978-February, 1979), Rex Dempewolf served as president of the congregation and was commended for the outstanding work done, and without these men the transition would have been more difficult. Also, during this time we welcomed our vice-pastor, Lowell Erickson, pastor at First Lutheran, Tacoma, Washington who did a wonderful job until we received a regular pastor.
After six months without a resident pastor it was with eager anticipation that we welcomed the new pastor, Pastor James E. Schoenrock, his wife, Diane, and children, Kristina and Timothy. Pastor, Jim, graduated from high school in Waseca, Minnesota in 1964. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1968 and then taught junior high school math in Michigan. he decided that he would go to the seminary at Luther-Northwestern, graduating in 1973, and accepting a term call to St. Paul Lutheran in Vancouver, Washington where he served until November, 1975. In December of 1975 he accepted a call to Gethsemane Lutheran in Tacoma where he served until December, 1978. They arrived at Elim in February, 1979. Also arriving that same year was our new intern Elwood "Woody" Carlson and his wife, Dea. This again, was a very positive experience, with Woody assuming responsibilities of helping to minister to the congregation and to the youth. The congregation was grateful for Woody's talents, and as with each intern before, was missed when he left to complete his last year of school. The Carlsons are now serving a parish at First Lutheran, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Pastor James E. Schoenrock

In May, 1980, Elim sponsored a second family from Vietnam. Arriving were Hue Tran and his wife, Oanh, their son, Tin, and friend, Cahn Le. Elim had been blessed by serving and knowing two Vietnamese families who continue to be friends of Elim even though they have moved to Seattle to get work and be near training schools, etc. Cahn Le lived with Estel Drake and then moved to Bremerton to be near Olympic College where he is presently enrolled. 1980 also saw the arrival of another fine intern, Scott Jurgens, and his wife, Cheryl. Scott was involved in the ministry at Elim as intern until the fall of 1981. During their stay here the Jurgens were truly blessed by the arrival of their daughter, Katharina. It was then decided to ask Scott to remain on the staff as assistant to pastors from Elim and First Lutheran Churches until December or until he received a call. Scott accepted a call to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Missoula, Montana in 1982.

Elwood "Woody" and Dea Carlson

It was decided that since there was a difficult financial period that Elim would drop the intern program. There was still a great need for a youth leader and Bryan Petro, a member of First Lutheran, was hired for part-time leadership in the fall of 1982. In the spring of 1983 a very successful "Lay Renewal" weekend was held with Avis and Bill Rill as the leaders. This was the beginning of the activities for the 75th Anniversary of Elim Lutheran Church that we will celebrate on September 24 and 25. We pray for God's strength and guidance, and pray that we may continue to work together to further His Kingdom here and in the community and in the world.