Grund Church celebrates 135 years of sharing and fellowship
Grund Frelsis Church turns 135 years young – its beauty unfaltering.
The service held at Grund Frelsis Church on Sunday, August 18 was in celebration of this place of worship turning 135 years old as well as celebrating the annual Pack the Pews celebration started in 2004 – making this the 20th year of this event.
As 1:30 p.m. drew closer, the pews were quickly filled.
The sounds of chatter and laughter filled the space. One can only imagine the very first service held within these walls.
Prior to the service, I was able to speak with Glen and Carlene Hamilton who attended with their two granddaughters, six year old Nova and four year old Nyla.
Carlene smiled as she looked around the church; “This was like our second home. My grandparents Siggi and Sigga Johnson lived next door so we spent a lot of time here. It is wonderful to be able to share this experience with our granddaughters.”
Glen went on to say, “Carlene and I got married here, and both of our daughters were married here. It is a big part of our family history.”
It was time for the service to begin.
Vera Bjornson warmly welcomed Rev. Donna J. Smalley, “who came back to where she began her ministry.”
Although retired, Rev. Smalley returned for this special service, sharing that it was at Grund Frelsis Church that she started her journey in 1995. After a year, she went back to school to complete her religious training and returned to Grund Church after her graduation in 1997.
Lorelie Mitchell then shared announcements and a brief history of the area, including the travels of the first settlers leaving from Gimli and voyaging as far as they could by boat. When they could no longer navigate waterways, they completed their journey on foot, moving on until they found grund, meaning grassland, a terrain that was, and still is, foreign to the Gimli area. The settlers quickly constructed their homes and community, and by 1889, the Grund Frelsis Church was built by volunteers under the watchful eye and skillful direction of master carpenters Byring Hallgrimsson and Arni Sveinson.
Grund Frelsis Church stands tall and strong 135 years later, recognized today as the oldest standing Icelandic Lutheran Church in Canada.
The congregation was treated to the musical gifts of the Witherspoon sisters, Val , Linda and Cheryl, as well as those of Vera Bjornson who has provided music to the congregation of the Grund Frelsis Church for many a year.
The beauty of the dulcet talents of these four ladies has no bounds.
As the service progressed, the teachings were poignant and moving, and the hymns perfectly suited to the day.
An honoured guest, the Consulate General of Iceland, Vilhjalmur Wiium, was in attendance reciting The Lord’s Prayer in Icelandic, followed by the congregation reciting it in English.
At the conclusion of this commemorative service, everyone in attendance was invited to come to the front of the church for a group photograph, an activity that has been done since the very first Pack the Pews event.
Although I was unable to partake in the potluck meal that took place after the service, I heard it was amazing with many favourite Icelandic treats. Although the food was, as always, first rate, it was said that it was the fellowship and reconnection with others that was most enriching and fulfilling.
Grund Frelsis Church is more than a building, it is the heart and soul of everyone who gathers within its walls.
– Takk fyrir að deila
PHOTO CAPTION: Following the church service at Grund, a potluck lunch and lots of visiting took place. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK
