WHAT TO EXPECT
We have an ever-expanding traditional Lutheran worship. Our confessions, preaching, and music bring relevance to everyday life. Our theology is steeped in grace where we believe God’s love is available to all. You are invited just as you are.
Children are a vital part of our community and are warmly encouraged to attend worship services. We expect them to make noise and wiggle; they are growing in understanding and learning how to be part of the church family. Jesus himself said, Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs (Matthew 19:14). We have a nursery available during worship and our team has created ‘quiet bags’ for active children.
Join us Sundays at 10a; and learn more about our ministries and programs here.
FISH LAKE LUTHERAN
Our Mission
Steeped in grace, we come together as a community of faith to worship God and serve our neighbor.
CORE VALUES
Fish Lake Lutheran is a Christian community called and gathered by one God of the Trinity. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he came into our world to bear God’s creative and redeeming love to us. Because we are Lutheran Christians, we also believe that nothing that we do can earn this love: it comes to us out of God’s unconditional love and grace. We take the Bible so seriously that we call it a “living word”, written by many different authors in many different circumstances. Its holds authority is because it tells of God’s great love for all of creation and renews in us new life through the promises of Jesus Christ.
Lutherans stand in the historic catholic (small “c”) faith; that is, we believe that we are part of the larger Christian Church that has existed since the time of the New Testament. We believe in the historic Creeds of the Church, and strive to live our beliefs in contemporary ways. We are always growing as the spirit leads our ever expansive understand of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
Fish Lake Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the largest body of Lutherans in the United States.
You can learn more about the ELCA here.
We are also a member of the St. Paul-Area Synod of the ELCA, which you can learn more about by clicking here.
HISTORY
When Fish Lake Lutheran Church was organized on February 19, 1867, the Civil War had just ended two years prior and the State of Minnesota was only nine years old.
The land on which the church now stands was inhabited by the Ojibwe Indians. It is believed that Indians roamed this area on hunting and fishing expeditions for several centuries prior to 1867. This is evidenced by the artifacts found in fields and on lakeshores.*
The first white settlers in the area were Peter Lof and Erick Berglund families, who came from the Chisago Lakes area where they had resided for a year after their arrival from Sweden. They settled here on Midsummer Day, June 24, 1861. The men came alone on the exploration trip and the story has been told that one evening when making camp they heard the calls of a loon and reasoned that they must be close to a lake. The next morning after walking some distance, they came upon the shores of Fish Lake. The Lof family settled on the southeast shore of Fish Lake and the Berglun family settled on the northeast shore.
Many of the first settlers were from Småland in southern Sweden. Chisago County is very comparable to the area of Sweden where they had lived with the abundance of lakes. Many of these farmers became potato farmers and raised their families speaking Swedish. The Swedish language was used in Sunday Schools until 1926.
The evening before Pentecost, June 14, 1886, the church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The present building was erected eleven years later at a cost of $3,990.00. In 1905 the current pipe organ was purchased and installed in the balcony at a cost of $1,200.00. It was controlled by a manually operated bellows. The male members of the congregation would sign up to take turns at monthly bellows duty.
Also in 1905, a Parish Hall was built south of the church. This served as a fellowship hall for many church events until it too burned down. In 1988 when a new addition was added to the basement with bathrooms, nursery, library, conference rooms and offices.
The painting above the altar was done by Mr. John Blomquist of Harris and is named “Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane”. It was completed in 1906. During this time, the sanctuary was completely decorated in the original Swedish style of stenciling painting.
In 1957 the balcony was boarded up with plywood; and a false ceiling was installed over the sanctuary to save on energy costs. It stayed that way until 1997 when a complete renovation of the sanctuary was completed with the stenciling patterns duplicated from original samples located from covered areas.
Since then, it has been the honor and privilege to maintain the integrity and history of the Fish Lake church building and its people. There have been many updates to the kitchen, the landscaping, and office areas. The COVID pandemic brought the addition of online church services in a new era of worship. Yet, through all the changes, we hold to the same Good News of Jesus Christ that has led our way since 1867.
From the 125th Anniversary: “May we always remember our Fish Lake Founders. They were hearty, church-going people who ventured into the unknown wilderness seeking a better life for themselves and future generations yet unborn. They cleared the land to build their homes and made their humble living from the soil. The possession were few and their hardships many, but their faith remained strong in their hearts and homes.”
Staff & Elected Positions
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Rev. Teleen Saunders |
Pastor
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Denise Steinberg | Office Administrator |
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Sister LaDonna Olson | Director of Music & Ministry/Financial Administrator |
| Robin Graham | Custodian | |
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Tom Anderson | Custodian |
| Cindy Blesener | Organ/Choir Accompanist |
Contact Pastor
Rev. Teleen Saunder
pastor@fishlakelutheran.org 612-554-1550
Church Council
Michelle Young (President)
651-248-1302 michelleyoung@q.com
Floyd Pinotti (Vice President)
763-250-0093 pinottifloyd302@gmail.com
Nancy Hoffman (Treasurer)
320-251-7095 nhoffman1@q.com
Rick Cedergren (Secretary)
651-674-7927 r.cedegren@gmail.com
Jeff Lustig
763-333-5951 jblustig59@gmail.com
Lisa Nephew
612-207-8245 lisanephew@edinarealty.com
Luciano Schisano
320-358-3323 lschisano26@rushcity.k12.mn.us
What are Lutherans?
Lutheran Christians trace their heritage to the Lutheran Reformation in Germany. Begun by Augustinian monk Martin Luther (from whence our name comes…but he wouldn’t have been so terribly happy about that. Said Luther: “Why do they call themselves Lutherans? I did not die for anyone!”). Luther protested the abuses of the medieval Church and emphasized that we are saved by grace alone. That is, we do not have to be “good enough” for God to love us. God simply does love us already out of grace and nothing we can do can earn that love or undo it. In 2017, Lutherans around the world celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, a “…reform movement within the larger Church.” We do not, however, have a market on God’s grace or think that we alone are right. We welcome and celebrate the gifts of our Christian brothers and sisters in other traditions and are constantly seeking ways to further conversations around Christian unity. Lutherans have historically had a very strong emphasis on education, music, and social action. We also like beer and hymns (we basically invented both…).
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24)
Land Acknowledgement Statement
Given the painful history between the State of Minnesota, the United States Government and native peoples, this congregation recognizes its responsibility to use the land, its building and mission for the work of reconciliation and healing with Native people. The congregation repents of injustice that continues to harm Native communities and pledges to work for justice, peace and the well-being of all creation.
Constitution
