Thompson added, “For the trivia, they had to answer a question like this, ‘Norwegian Services were changed to English in: A – 1902, B – 1916, C – 1922, or D – 1936.’ The correct answer was 1916.”
Another thing worth checking out was the cemetery map updated by Atchison. She recorded all the names alphabetically and compiled short histories.
“That way, when the genealogy hunters came, they at least had a face or obituary that they could refer to,” Atchison said.
Inside, a long line of confirmation pictures covered the walls, while a historical display occupied table tops. One member brought in a collection of barbed wire from way back when.
“I brought a Norwegian doll because of our Norwegian heritage,” Thompson said. “We also displayed the coffee pot the church used to make egg coffee in. We scrounged up fun things that made people say, ‘I remember.’”
The day wasn’t complete without a viewing of the church’s original cornerstone. Much to everyone’s surprise, a copper box filled with memorabilia accompanied it.
“The cornerstone was cracked really badly,” Atchison said. “At Star Granite, while they were fixing it, they took it apart and found this copper box that had been sealed. Nobody knew about it, so we kept it quiet until we opened it the day of the anniversary.”
For those kids in attendance, they had quite a few entertaining options, which included jumping in the bounce house and playing bean bag toss. But before doing so, they gobbled up the traditional Lutheran Jell-O, along with the whole slew of adults.
“Our meal was all catered except the traditional Lutheran Jell-O,” Thompson said. Rauenhorst added, “Red Jell-O always has the bananas in it, and for the green Jell-O, we put in pears.”
All three anniversary coordinators are overjoyed with how the day turned out. It feels bittersweet to have the event behind them.
“I feel like the people here are my family,” Thompson said. “If anyone is sick, everybody is there to assist, pray, you name it. We are very supportive of each other.”
As to why Central Freeborn Lutheran Church has prevailed all these years, they are very clear on the reason.
“Our faith is number one,” Thompson said. “This spills out into our actions of caring for neighbors both inside and outside of church.”
