Our History
The Eagle Lake Lutheran Church was founded on October 17, 1871, with a membership of 28 adults and 32 children. For a time, services were held in homes, but in 1876, the church (only the sanctuary) was built.
The school room was added in 1887, the tower in 1897, and the kitchen in 1910. The parish hall addition was completed in 1951. The church building burned to the ground on Sunday, May 10, 1953.
The new church was built immediately, and Christmas services and the Sunday School program were held in the partially completed building. Otherwise, services were held in the Gearhart Funeral Chapel while Sunday School classes were held in District 34. Services resumed in the new building in the spring of 1954.The original members were Swedish farmers and their families. The Swedish language was used exclusively until the 1920s when English gradually became the language of the services and the organizations.For many years, the church was known as Eagle Lake Swedish Lutheran Church. It was often called the Swedish Church.
Eagle Lake Lutheran Church was part of the Augustana Synod until the merger in the late 1950s, when it became part of the Lutheran Church of America. In 1988, as a result of another merger, it became a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).Eagle Lake Lutheran Church has gone through a number of changes.
In the 1990s, office space and an education unit were added. During these years, growth took place with a doubling of both membership and attendance.For several years, members and friends talked of the need for more space and the possibility of building. Building of a new sanctuary and other space as well as kitchen remodeling began in 2005. Worship in the new sanctuary took place in August, 2006. A re-conditioned pipe organ now adds much to the worship.Eagle Lake Lutheran Church continues to reach out to the community and nation and world through worship, study, and work. The mission statement of the church: “Living together in Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we serve others.”
