Big Grove Lutheran 150th is Sunday

Big Grove Lutheran church of rural Brooten turned 150 years old this year. It is a remarkable achievement for any church of any location, even more so for a rural "country" church.

The members of Big Grove invite the public to come help celebrate their 150th anniversary of the church's founding on Sunday, July 23. This year's celebration takes place 100 years after a special three-day celebration took place on June 22-24, 1917 in honor of the church's 50th anniversary.

Coffee hour is at 9 a.m., and morning worship starts at 10:30 a.m., led by Pastor John Dalen. A Padua Pub-catered meal is at 12:30 p.m. with a free will donation accepted. The afternoon program starts at 2 p.m., and coffee and bars will be served following the program.

Note: the Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper has published multiple stories on Big Grove church in the past few issues. They did not come close to getting all the ink out that can be used for the rich history of the North Fork settlement and the descendants of the pioneer families of that area. Look for additional coverage and a whole host of photos from the 150th anniversary celebration in the July 27 issue of the newspaper. On our website over the next week, readers can watch many video clips that will be recorded from both the morning worship and the afternoon program. It is an honor for this newspaper to be a part of this special day.