The Archives Committee was formed in 2007 with members Janet Baldus, Kathy Roberts and Jan Stole - the first meeting was held on October 1, 2007. In January 2009, Lavonne Frandsen and Harry Amenson joined the committee and a council rep was designated. The mission of the group is to preserve the history of Bergen Lutheran Church from the past and determine what to save in the future.
The Archives Committee found the history of Bergen so compelling they felt the need to document it in some format to share with members. The 135th Anniversary of Bergen Congregation in October 2009 provided the perfect opportunity. The group worked with Karl Baldus, member of Bergen, from Screenscape Studios in Des Moines to compile Bergen's history into a timeline and create a DVD. It not only included Bergen's history but also showed the current life of Bergen. It was great to share the DVD with the congregation at the anniversary celebration.
We have documented some of our history on this website but there is so much more. As we know, what happened yesterday is already history.
We are thankful for the Norwegian pioneers that came to Roland and realized the need for a church to give thanks to God and praise Him for all that had been given to them. We are thankful for the faithful members that have taken good care of our beautiful worship space so that many others would feel that Bergen is a safe place to gather for worship. We are thankful for their sturdy spirits that loved God and welcomed all to come to Bergen. We pray that we can follow in those footsteps from the last 135 years so all "will know we are Christians by our love".
Jan Stole