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History Links: Bethel's History Through Its
Pastors
The History of Bethel Lutheran Women
The gathering of a
handful of committed Christians in 1855 has grown into a congregation of
more than 5,800 members. And through the years, the cornerstone of the
Bethel Lutheran ministry has remained as solid as its house of worship.
Madison is home to
200,000 people. The State Capitol of Wisconsin is the city's
centerpiece; the University of Wisconsin-Madison is its academic treasure,
and Bethel Lutheran Church is the house of worship of its largest
congregation.
The State Capitol is on
an isthmus stretched between two of the community's four lakes. Bethel
Lutheran Church stands on the same isthmus, just two blocks away.
The history of Bethel
begins with the coming of Norwegian settlers. Emigration from Norway began
in 1825. By 1850, there were 9,467 Norwegians in Wisconsin, but only five
Norwegian families in Madison. Though the number was small, the settlement
drew the interest of a pastor, Rev. H.A. Preus, who had come from Norway
in 1851 to serve three congregations north of Madison: Spring Prairie,
Bonnet Prairie, and Norway Grove.
Rev Preus began holding
services in Madison, June 8, 1853. Like most pioneer pastors, Preus was
young and energetic, active in organizing new congregations, and at one
point preaching regularly at 15 separate locations. He was one of the
leaders in organizing the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in 1853,
and served for 32 years as its president.
The Madison
congregation extended Preus an official call in 1856 for one year only. He
accepted, and continued to serve until 1882.
The congregation's
first meeting place was the chapel of Grace Episcopal Church, across from
Capitol Square. The rental fee was $3 a service. That proved a financial
burden during the severe depression of 1857 and members were forced to
seek less expensive quarters. Three years later, the German Immanuel
Lutheran Church was rented for $1 a service.
The move spurred the
congregation to take steps toward securing a church of its own. A building
committee was elected and a building fund begun. But when the German
Immanuel Lutheran property became available in 1861 for $1,200, the fund's
treasurer reported only $200 on hand.
Another group of
Norwegian Lutherans, led by Rev. J. N. Fjeld, had now begun to hold
services in the city. In 1862, a meeting of trustees of the two groups
resulted in the formation of a single congregation, the Madison
Evangelical Lutheran Church. The merger made possible the acquisition of a
building site and, in 1863, the construction of a church on the corner of
North Hamilton and Butler streets in downtown Madison.
In the early 1880s,
internal strife over the theological question of predestination swept
through the Norwegian Synod. The issue reached a crisis in 1886 when a
majority of Madison Evangelical members voted to leave the synod and join
a short-lived group known as the "Anti-Missourian Brotherhood."
The minority, including many of the congregation's leaders, organized
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church.
Following the split,
proposals were made for the union of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and
Madison Lutheran. It was accomplished on July 18, 1890. The union
paralleled the union of the synods to which the two churches belonged,
together with the Norwegian Augustana Synod to form The United Norwegian
Lutheran Church of America.
In 1896, the merged
200-member congregation voted to change its name from the "Madison
Evangelical Lutheran Church" to "Bethel Lutheran Church."
From that time on, Bethel has been home to countless worshipers.
The church's growth
at the turn of the century brought a pressing need for more space. Some
was provided in 1900 with the completion of a small chapel on East
Washington Avenue. Two years later, a new and larger church was erected on
the site of the congregation's first building at a cost of $10,440.
Great changes were now
in the offing for Bethel. Ever since the bitter doctrinal controversies of
the 1880s, there had been continual overtures to merge the United
Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, the Norwegian Synod, and the Hauge
Synod. Bethel hosted the meeting of representatives of the three synods
which formulated an agreement on the doctrine of predestination. This
so-called "Madison Agreement" was signed on February 22, 1912.
Five years later, on June 9, 1917, delegates of the three synods marched
in procession through the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota, into the
Municipal Auditorium where they met for the first time as the Norwegian
Lutheran Church of America.
In the years following
World War I, Bethel began to realize that the exclusive use of Norwegian
was a serious deterrent to new membership. The change was slow, but by
1929, a full English program was provided at the morning worship hour,
with occasional Norwegian services at other times and on special
occasions.
In 1937, the
congregation paid off the mortgage on property at the intersection of
Gorham Street and Wisconsin Avenue, just two blocks off Capitol Square.
Membership growth had made the addition of a second Sunday service
necessary, and the need for a larger church acute.
On Easter Sunday, 1939,
a building drive was launched with a cash offering of $22,000. Work began
in 1940 with the razing of houses on the site, and on July 7, ground was
broken for the existing Bethel Lutheran Church.
Construction moved
ahead so quickly, the congregation was able to hold its first services in
the new building on June 1, 1941.
Membership also grew
quickly, and within the year it was necessary to hold two services even in
the larger new building.
Auxiliary organizations
and programs expanded as well. In 1944, Bethel began Sunday morning radio
broadcasts as a service to those unable to attend. Telecasts began in
1964, and TV equipment to permit "in house" production was added
in 1987.
The expansion was not
limited to organizations and programs. Through the years, neighboring
properties were acquired, until in 1966, Bethel owned the entire block.
Then, in 1986, with the proceeds of $1.25 million dollar fund drive,
construction was begun to renovate specific areas of the church, including
relocation of the church offices and library, the addition of a new youth
facility, and an adult day-care facility, named the Cephas Johnson Center.
The project was completed and dedicated in 1987.
In addition to serving
and involving its own members, Bethel has maintained a strong tradition of
relating to its local community and beyond. It is, indeed, 'A
City-Wide Church with a World-Wide Mission.' |
