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EXPLORING VINJE'S HISTORY
In April, we have the anniversary of two important walks in the history of Vinje. This month pastor Andrés has asked two of our members to share their memories about them.
On April 7, 1963–it was on Palm Sunday, the congregation gathered for the last service at the church in downtown at the corner of Becker Avenue and 5th Street and, after the service, our old sanctuary was ceremonially closed with the nailing of a Lenten Cross on the doors. The congregation then marched down 5th Street and Willmar Avenue to our current location.
Dan Kleven was part of that walk, and he remembers that “it was a cold and blustery day.” Dan continues,
“The procession started inside the old church with a short service and comments from the pastor. Then everyone assembled outside to begin the trek to the new church. The women wore long dress coats and the older women all had kerchiefs on. Some of the men wore car coats but most just wore suits. It seemed like a long march to us kids, but it probably only took about 40 minutes. Along the way, people visited about lots of different topics, but the new church was on everyone’s minds, and we were excited to get there. I remember that there was a dog that joined the procession and followed us all the way to the new church. When we arrived at the church, the congregation lined up for photos, and as I remember, the kids weren’t included in the picture taking. A few words were said by the pastor, and then everyone entered the church and proceeded into the narthex for more formalities and later a church service. The new Vinje Church was a different structure than the other churches in town and we all were so excited and proud to be members of our congregation, and nothing has changed in my mind after all these years.”
Fifty years later, on Saturday April 6, 2013, Vinje recreated that walk with what was called a “Jubilee Jaunt.” The congregation was invited to walk, run, or bike from Vinje Church on Willmar Avenue Southwest to the old Vinje site at the corner of 5th Street and Becker Avenue downtown, and back to the church. The old Vinje church building downtown was gone, but the building at 414 Becker Ave. that was once the church’s educational wing was still standing and is standing today. It was open for tours on that day.
Lynn Gatewood was part of the 2013 walk with her kids Max and Jackson, and she has these memories to share:
“In 2013, Max was in 4th grade, Jackson was a 1st grader, and I was a Sunday School teacher. We were encouraged to join the walk as a way of celebrating 50 years of Vinje. The boys were pretty young, so sharing a few pictures helped jog their memories. Max remembers wearing his favorite sweatshirt, singing the Jubilee song with Pastor Engholm, and the fun he had with his brother and his friend Logan. Jackson remembers the ‘why’ of the event. We were recreating the walk that our Vinje members took from the old church to the new. It was important to recognize our heritage and the evolution of our church.”
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