“A Celebration of Gathering: 25th Anniversary of the Expansion of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s Building and Mission” will take place on Sunday, November 17, at 9:30 am with a special worship service, brunch and program. When Good Shepherd expanded in 1988, the goal was to provide additional space not only for church programing but also for the use of community groups. Besides the new sanctuary, additional rooms were constructed for church administration, Sunday School classes, and community activities. The old sanctuary was repurposed into a Fellowship Hall with a new kitchen.

Throughout the morning and during the program at the brunch, the artisans and craftspeople who designed and created the unique furnishings for the new sanctuary and narthex area will be recognized. The shepherd’s cross and weavings that hang on the south wall; the pulpit, baptismal font, and altar rail on the chancel; liturgical season paraments; and the wood carving hanging on the narthex wall are gifts of talent and funds that honor members, past and present.

Information about the day and invitations to attend have been sent to the 1988 Confirmation Class, 1988 First Communion Class, the Building Committee, 1988 congregation officers, committee and Council members, and Pastor Thiem Baccam, who as a seminary student from the congregation returned to participate in the Service of Dedication, Sunday, November 20, 1988.

To honor the occasion, Good Shepherd members have selected two agencies to be recipients of funds from the outreach portion of the 25th Anniversary Gift Fund. A local gift will be made to the Decorah Community Free Clinic while a global gift will be donated to Lutheran Immigration and Relief Services. The Gift Fund will also be used to refresh spaces and furnishings within the church building.

Weavings: John Skaare
Baptismal Font and Pulpit: John Kjome
Shepherd’s Cross: Construction and Design by Stanley (Slim) Maroushek, Hung Van Pham, Reg Laursen
Paschal Candle Holder: Harley Refsal
Altar Rail: Design by Orville Running

Tiles designed and installed: John Kjome

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Nils Kjome

2013: Sanctuary, Sunday School Rooms, and New Entrance

1988: New Sanctuary seen from the west

1958: Original Good Shepherd Church Before Expansion

Mark your calendars for these upcoming adult forums.

September 8

Intergenerational RALLY DAY  Sunday, September 8 marks the beginning of a new year for both Sunday School and Adult Forum. This year we will have a Good Shepherd Prayer Share in the fellowship hall after church. This will be an opportunity for members of our congregation to share a favorite prayer, perhaps one learned as a child. 

Sept. 15

John R. Jefferson, Professor of Chemistry, Luther College, will talk about “The Promise of Stem Cells.” Stem cells hold a great deal of promise for regenerative medicine.  But realizing this potential will require a more complete understanding of the genetic read more at programs that regulate their function, so that they can be safe to use.  This talk will answer some basic questions concerning the origin, applications, and controversies surrounding this new type of medicine.

Sept. 22

Hans Becklin, senior, pre-seminary student at Luther College (who worships at Good Shepherd occasionally) will give a presentation on “Salvation in the Details: The Predestination Controversy and late 19th Century Religious Art in the Local Context.” The speaker will be considering Norwegian and American illustrated bibles, works by Gausta and the religious atmosphere in Decorah  around the turn of the century.

Sept. 29

Lyle Otte will discuss “Stewardship of The Land: The Cases of Frack-Sand Mining and CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations).

A Celebration of Gathering:  25^th Anniversary of the Expansion of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church’s Building and Mission

In 1988, the congregation embarked upon a second building project. An addition to our original 1958 church building was constructed. It provides our present main entrance, sanctuary, narthex, office areas, nursery, sacristy, and additional restrooms. The original sanctuary was remodeled into our Fellowship Hall and kitchen. Some of the spaces in the former ‘west wing’, which links the original building to the addition, also were converted for other uses. An important goal of this building project was to expand our space, not only to meet our worship and fellowship needs, but to enable us to provide facilities for additional community outreach. The new spaces created a larger and unique space for worship, areas for informal and formal fellowship and meetings for the congregation and community groups, and allowed Good Shepherd to be the home for Kinderhaus Preschool and Kindergarten.

The Celebration of Gathering will be launched with a most appropriate event – our 4^th  Welcome Neighbors Picnic: Good Shepherd’s Gift to the Community – on Sunday, September 8, 5:00 – 6:30 pm. The formal Celebration … will close on Sunday, November 17, with a special 25^th anniversary worship service followed by a meal and program.

The Steering Committee, with Council approval, has designated two major projects for this 25^th anniversary Celebration … – A $25,000 fund-raising campaign and a new version of our congregation Directory. The goals of the fund-raising campaign are to provide hospitality upgrades for our spaces and furnishings and to continue our tradition of making substantial contributions to local community and global Lutheran  programs. The new version of the Directory will be on our website, log-in and password protected, with print versions available for members who do not have internet access.

25^th Anniversary Steering Committee members are: Jon Christy and Elizabeth Kaschins, co-chairs, Carol and Paul Hasvold, Jane Kemp, Charilyn Hover, David Lester, and Pastor Mau.

See historical photos of the building process below:

Original Church Building, 1958

Pastor Hasvold Consecrating the Ground

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Excavation – View from the West

Construction – View from the North, Iowa Avenue

Construction – View from the West

Construction – View from the West

The Addition Is Recognizable – View from Iowa Avenue

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