Chaffee Congregation puts its skeptics to shame
Religion in the news
Taken from the Fargo Forum, June 19, 1977
by Jan Jelleberg
CHAFFEE, ND - Skeptics would lose face at the celebration the congregation of St. Peter American Lutheran Church, rural Chaffee, is going to have Sunday on its 90th anniversary.
Ten years ago skeptics said the church wouldn't make it.
What the 60-some families decided to do in 1967, against what seemed like an inevitable doomsday forecast, was build a new church out in the country, instead of in town or consolidating with one of the several small Lutheran churches in the area. The old church, erected in 1895, was dilapitated. Something had to be done.
The vote was nearly unanimous to tear down the old church that stood along the banks of the Maple River, near the site of a marker where Gen. Sibley of Indian war fame once crossed.
The new church was built nearby, among the wild roses, along a winding country road, and by an old wooden bridge or two, and appropriate and beautiful setting for a country living bunch of folks.
Ann $85,000 building fund was started. The volunteer labor force of farmers and their wives pitched in. They made it, despite the skeptics which included a Forum newspaper editorial which said that in several years "the good people of St. Peter may find the experts and the statistics were right. The inevitable will come."
At least the folks were praised for their faith. But who would end up paying the mortgage on a new building once the farmers moved out?
Urbanization , declining populations and farm consolidations have affected the Chaffee, Embden and Leonard areas. But not so as to cut their interest and love for their country church.
Folks there, most of them of the farmer variety, still have it. In fact, they've got more of it. The 60 families of St. Peter have grown to 80. There are 289 baptized and confirmed members.
"And now, they've gone crazier than ever," said Rev. James Kloster, who lives in a house across the road. "They're going to build a new parsonage. Groundbreaking is in July."
The mortgage on the church, incidentally, has long been paid off.
St. Peter is going half on the parsonage with its sister church, St. John at Embden, about 11 miles away with about 100 members. The sister churches share Kloster as a pastor.
What's happening at St. Peter's? For one thing, many children are staying or coming back home to farm, according to Kloster and Roger Koetz, vice president of the congregation, a farmer with five children.
Also, they have noticed a trend in the last couple years or so of people from Fargo moving in and commuting. "There's not an empty farmhouse around here," said Koetz.
"Hopefully, the future will depend on some of that," said Mr. Kloster, "and, hopefully, you people will stay as more and more are choosing to do."
Much of the future depends on the attitude of the congregation, said Mr. Kloster. "Just so that the congregation doesn't sit on its laurels. We have to encourage new members. There's more out there."
If worse comes to worse, some day, St. Peter's may still have to combine with some of the other congregations around. Besides Embden, nearby Leonard has three ALC churches of its own -- one in town and two in the country. The membership of those three amount to about the same as St. John's and St. Peter's combined.
And, then there's the Methodist Church in Chaffee. One of these days the eight families that support that church may have to find a new home, possibly at St. Peter's. The part-time Methodist minister who is in his 80's is thinking of retiring, according to Mr. Kloster.
But Lila Jackson, council secretary, like most of the members of St. Peter's, doubts it will ever die or do too much consolidating. It's nothing against the folks at Embden or Leonard. "But Embden has its own church and nobody wants to give in. People have an attachment to their church."
Out there, said Jackson, the church is the social center, a community meeting place. Families often get together there.
"You can hide in a larger church," said Jackson. "You can't here."
If it's not a quilting bee, the fall bazaar or one of the many senior citizens' programs, it's weddings, funerals, or just getting together on Sunday morning.
"Right, it's not my sermons," quipped Mr. Kloster. One of the keys to strengthening the family, he said, is children, including hight school age, attend church regularly with their parents. It happens at St. Peter's, according to Mr. Kloster, one of the many good signs for a healthy future.
"It will be a struggle," acknowledged Mr. Kloster. "There are so many things to do. Young people can just jump in their car, they have a million things to do."
"But they also know that St. Peter's depends on every individual. They have to do their part or it won't work. There is an $18,000 budget to support."
There are a lot of good signs in the church, religiously, said Mr. Kloster. Weaknesses he pointed to were a lack of an adult educational program, and he would like to do more ministry in interpersonal relationships.
"It's my fault," Mr. Kloster quickly took the blame. "But we can't do it all at once."
But perhaps 10 years from now.
The anniversary program for Sunday includes a 10:30 a.m. worship service with Reb. Hugo Schwartz, Independence, IA, a former pastor. This will be followed by a noon lunch and a 2:00 p.m. program with Rev. Reuben Jacobson, Hatton, ND officiating.
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