A SHORT HISTORY OF CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELK RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Calvary Lutheran Church began when a group of Scandinavian people arrived in a new town in a new World. Those Norwegian and Swedish immigrants came to Elk Rapids for work in the iron smelting industry and its associated lumbering operations.
The need for worship was quickly recognized and there was a drive for mission work, especially by “The Norwegian Synod of America.” In response, some families began to organize themselves into a congregation, “so that God’s word would dwell regularly within us!”
A Norwegian family that had immigrated to the United States earlier in the century was the Maakestads of Ullensvang Hardanger, Norway. They had a son, John J. born May 10, 1854. He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1856, and lived on a farm in Lee, Illinois. The young man grew up and went to school in Lee. His education consisted of preparatory work in the schools near his home; then to Luther College from 1862 to 1875; then to Iowa State Normal at Cedar Falls from 1877 to 1878 and finally to study theology at the Luther Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri from 1879 to 1882.
John J. Maakestad was ordained in 1882, and his first call was as a missionary to Suttons Bay. It was a large and difficult undertaking, as the area he was to serve actually covered much of the Northern Lower Peninsula and part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Reverend Maakestad resided in Suttons Bay, in a parsonage across from the church. Over the years, he started or served churches in Elk Rapids, Good Harbor, Northport, Frankfort, Leland, Manitou Island, Port Oneieda, Donneybrook and Empire.
Services were held about every three weeks, as it was impossible for him to reach each church every week.
In 1882 or 1883, the Scandinavian people in Elk Rapids met and voted to ask Reverend Maakestad to serve them starting October 15, 1884. His salary was to be paid based on eight sermons per year! Pastor Maakestad was also elected president of the congregation, but on account of illness, he could not start in October 1884, so the congregation had to wait until the New Year.
In January 1886, the church was incorporated under the name “Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation.” Reverend Maakestad wrote the constitution for the fledgling congregation. That document was written in Norwegian and is retained in Calvary’s archives.
During his time in the Traverse Bay area, Reverend Maakestad may have founded as many as twenty-two churches. This is even more impressive considering the difficulty he would have had travelling in to so many parishes. During the winter months, he sometimes crossed the Bay by horse and sleigh, when the ice was thick enough. He also sometimes travelled using ice skates. In warmer weather, he travelled by horse and buggy. His notes indicate his first trip by train was made on January 14, 1892. Reverend Maakestad married Esther Oline Mason in January 1880 when he was in seminary. They had two children. One died in infancy and Esther died shortly before Reverend Maakestad came to Suttons Bay in 1884. He married again, to Elisabeth Midhoe, who was the daughter of missionaries to the American Indians. Their only child died at the age of two months. Elisabeth died in September 1887.
In his journal, Reverend Maakestad wondered what God had intended for him, since so much of this sort (death of loved ones) had happened to him. He wrote in red ink on December 5, 1909 that he had been shot in the neck. On Saturday at 4:15 pm, it appears that he and his sons were clearing up some lumber near their barn. Some boys were hunting nearby and he was accidently hit. The doctor said no operation could be performed as the wound was too close to the jugular vein. He lived the rest of his life with the pellets in his neck.
The Reverend did marry a third time, to Caroline Mathilda Aslackson, in 1889. Her father was a Great Lakes steamship captain. John and Caroline had seven children; Ester, Bennie, Rachel, Walter, Hans, Harold and Norvald. All survived to adulthood.
On July 2 , 1918, Pastor Maakestad resigned his call to the churches on Grand traverse Bay where he had served for nearly thirty-six years. He made his only visit back to this area in 1925. He accepted a final Pastorate at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nope, Virginia where Pastor Maakestad served 14 years. In 1932, he celebrated his 50th anniversary of ordination and retired. His wife Caroline died that same year and Pastor Maakestad died at the age of 89 in June 1943.
The Congregation that Reverend Maakestad started in Elk Rapids inherited both his spirit and his stubbornness. The Scandinavian Lutherans who came to Elk Rapids to work in the iron smelter furnaces didn’t leave their faith “in the old country”. As soon as they could manage it, several families undertook to build a church. Land on which to erect a church was found on the East side of Elk Rapids, not far from the heart of the town’s industry, on Furnace Street (now called Rivershore Drive). The land belonged to the Elk Rapids Iron Company. A deed for the purchase by the congregation is dated 1889. The church was built and dedicated the next summer on August 17, 1890.
After a while, there was some strife among the parishioners for reasons that are not quite clear. A congregational meeting was held on October 10, 1892. The records indicate the discord was between the Norwegian Lutherans and the Swedish Lutherans who shared the building. The Norwegians expressed their regret over the strife with the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church, and set certain rules that the Swedish Lutherans must abide by if they wished to use the church. These rules covered such things as when the Swedish congregation could use the building, who would provide the wood for heating and lamp oil, and who was responsible for picking up and dropping off the key. The charge to the Swedish congregation for use of the building was $12.00 per year to be paid in advance, $3.00 every three months. This was evidently not acceptable to the Swedish people as they soon built their own church across the road. It is noted that a chapter of the Ladies Aid Society was formed by members of the Church on August 14, 1902 and met at a private home.
The original (Norwegian) building still exists. It has been home to the Elk Rapids Lions Club, a Senior Citizens Center, and other community organizations. It is now a private dwelling. The Swedish Lutheran Church was destroyed.
Calvary Lutheran has been served by many clergy, lay and seminarian pastors. Halvor Rue served from 1895 until about the turn of the century. Paul Fatnes served about 15 years after that. Apparently, Pastor Maakestad returned to Elk Raids for a few years, travelling between Suttons Bay and the East side of the bays on a weekly basis.
The collapse of the charcoal-fired iron smelting industry about the time of the first world-war marked the end of Elk Rapids as an industrial city.
Employment dwindled, population declined and church services were infrequent. Pastors came occasionally, but none served the Elk Rapids Lutherans exclusively. Reverend Phillip Fretheim came faithfully from Suttons Bay as did Reverend Dale Larson from East Jordan.
In 1951, the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America dropped the Norwegian name and the language and by 1958 its ethnic heritage was a thing of the past. In March of 1958, Gerald Hedlund was called as a pastor. The congregation grew, there was Sunday school, and an addition was built on the church.
In 1960, the Evangelical (Norwegian Lutheran) Synod merged with other Lutheran Synods to form the American Lutheran Church, and the Elk Rapids congregation took on a new name and became Calvary Lutheran Church. In 1961 the congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary in a spruced up and larger building, with a new altar, new paint and a new name. Soon the congregation was faced with the question of survival.
In 1962, a congregation meeting was held to decide whether or not the church would close. “With few souls, less money and great faith”, it was decided to move forward with a greater effort. Warren Salveson, pastor at Evangelical Lutheran in East Jordan took on the Elk Rapids parish in July 1963. His ministry was marked by energy and ideas. The congregation began a pre-school class which came to be known as Chain-O-Lakes Nursery.
In 1964, the need for a larger building seemed obvious. Property was purchased along US 31 Highway from Bessie Hoare and a new facility was planned and constructed. The first worship was held on October 30, 1966 and the building was dedicated in June 1967.
Several Pastors and a few interns served part-time for short periods. Harold Kruse Jr. served as a licensed lay preacher from 1968 until 1973. He was followed by Rev. Paul Winters, who left to work for Lutheran Services of Northern Ohio in 1977. Rev. Carl Heidel, then a layman, served as interim until Tom Schutt came in July (1977?). Pastor Shutt’s ministry was marked by growth, enthusiasm and great consternation. Reverend McCollister came all the way from Germany to serve Calvary in 1984. It was not a good match! His service a Calvary ended and he returned to Germany. Not long after, Calvary was served by an interim (now) Pastor Renee MacLeod for only a short time, after which Calvary called Reverend David Mellor. Pastor David served Calvary until his retirement in September 2015.
Upon Pastor Mellor’s retirement, Calvary and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church experimented with, what was hoped to be a lasting, partnership, but it just wasn’t to be. During a very difficult period, Calvary was blessed with a number of wonderful “Supply” Pastors, most notably Reverend Gary Grieger (Gaylord) and Pastors Ruth & Fred Overdier (Traverse City). As of this updated writing, Calvary has contracted with Pastor Zachary Nelson, who was the Part-time Pastor for Bethany Lutheran Church in Kaleva, MI. Pastor Zack conducted his first worship as regular weekly Pastor at Calvary on August 5, 2017.
The bell which graced to Old church on Furnace Street was installed in the bell-tower of the “new” church on Elk Lake Road and is rung each Sunday as a call to Worship. In 1997, the congregation undertook a remodeling project which improved the sanctuary. Reflecting the makeup of the local community, Calvary is a church of ethnic diversity. It has been blessed by God’s abundant grace and mercy. It is a small church with a great big warm and welcoming heart. Its story is long, but it’s not yet ended. More to come …
Written by: __________________________ Updated and Edited by: Steve Young