Immanuel Lutheran Church

Immanuel Lutheran Congregation of the Scarville area was a part of the Lime Creek congregation in Norway township and ministered by the Rev. T. A. Torgerson until around 1887. As a number of the members of the Lime Creek congregation lived a considerable distance from their house of worship, Rev. Torgerson advised them to arrange to have divine service at points nearer their homes. In 1896, while Rev. A. M. Torgerson was assistant pastor to his father, services at Immanuel were held at more regular intervals.

After the Chicago & Northwestern railroad had built its track in 1899 and the village of Scarville was started, plans for erecting a church in the new community were formulated. Support for the new church was obtained from members of the North Prairie congregation, both east and west members of the Lime Creek congregation, and from the Silver Lake and Concordia congregation, as well as members in the immediate Scarville area. Land for the church site, which now adjoins the Scarville town site and is used as a ball diamond, was donated to the congregation by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Knudsen [see details below]. The Knudsens also donated the original one acre cemetery ground located one-half mile north of Scarville. The church was erected in 1901. The original church was constructed with a basement intended for parochial school classes. Plans changed as the community grew and the need for a public school became apparent because the residents of the community rented the church basement for their first school.

With establishment of the church, the Rev. T. A. Torgerson of Lime Creek served two churches until his death in January of 1906. His son, the Rev. A. M. Torgerson continued as minister until a new minister could be called. After some discussion, it was decided to divide the parish as follows: Silver Lake and Concordia congregations were to form one parish with the Rev. A. M. Torgerson as minister, Immanuel Lutheran Church in background - 1913

Immanuel Lutheran Church in background - 1913

and Lime Creek covered such a large territory, it was advisable that the part of the congregation lying west of the Winnebago River be organized into a separate congregation. On June 30, 1906, a meeting was held for the purpose of organizing this congregation west of the river. Lime Creek-Immanuel parish called Rev. O. Otterson as their minister. Before he arrived, another re-arrangement was made. Newly organized Immanuel congregation and North Prairie congregation joined to form one parish and called Rev. A. J. Lee. Rev. Otterson served the Lime Creek congregation in Norway township and Our Savior’s congregation of Lake Mills, which had been newly organized to form one parish.

Rev. Lee took charge of the Immanuel-North Prairie parish in the spring of 1907 during which year a church parsonage was built in Scarville. In 1918, the Rev. E. Hanson was his successor and he served until May of 1918. [At this time, the merger of three Norwegian church bodies occurred. A large portion of Immanuel Lutheran Church joined the new church body, but eight families for conscience' sake could not agree with the doctrinal compromises of the merger. These families formed Scarville Lutheran Church.]

A Story of Firsts at Immanuel...

The first baptism performed by Rev. A. J. Torgerson in the church basement in 1901 was Adolph Iverson. Alice (Peterson) Christianson was baptized in the completed sanctuary in 1902.

The Ladies Aid or “Kvinde” Forening, as it was called, was in operation before the congregation itself was organized. In the year 1900, the Ladies Aid was organized jointly by members of Lime Creek and North Prairie congregations who lived in this community. When Immanuel congregation organized, the Ladies Aid took the same name.

The first and only son of Immanuel to enter the ministry was Rev. A. N. Brudvig in 1905. He was ordained in 1908.

The first pastor to serve Immanuel and North Prairie, after they joined to form a parish, was Rev. A. J. Lee in 1907. He and his family became the first occupants of the newly constructed parsonage.

The first confirmation class in 1907 consisted of Celia Stephens, Burlette Iverson, Selma Martinson, Cora Dahie, Selmer Juveland, and Albert Larson.

Land for the Church - Stephen and Brita Knudsen immigrated to the United States in 1854 from Vass, Norway. In 1882, they came to Winnebago County, Iowa and settled on land north of Scarville, although there was no town here when they first came. They suffered many hardships during the harsh winters, as did many immigrants.

Stephen and Brita had a great influence in the building of churches in the Scarville area. In 1880, when North Prairie congregation was organized, they joined there and helped build the church. In 1901, they helped organize and build the old Immanuel Lutheran Church at the north end of town. To this congregation, they donated lots from their farm to the church and an acre of land for the cemetery. They remained members of this congregation for the rest of their lives. Stephen passed away January 30, 1914 and Brita on September 2, 1923.

(Information and pictures directly from 1999 book, Humble Beginnings: Scarville,
Iowa, Established 1899, pp. 3, 13, 14, 23, 41, 58. Used by permission.)

May 13, 1907 - Articles of Incorporation adopted for Immanuel Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Witnesses: Nele Levorson, John Helle, Thron Thronson. Secretary: A. E. Brudvig, Treasurer: John Dale, Trustees: N. E. Brudvig, Sam Throntveit, E. K. Juveland.