Pastors of Bergen

(Information taken from 2009 Timeline created for 135th Anniversary)

Pastors that have served Bergen:

Rev. N. Amlund - pastor for pioneers in Story City area

Rev. N. Amlund served the pioneers settling in the Story City area. When the group got too big, two churches were formed - Bergen in Roland and St. Petri in Story City. Rev. C.B. Jacobson was assistant pastor to Rev. Amlund and he went to Bergen.

1878 - 1894 Rev. C.B. Jacobson

Bergen Congregation was officially organized and Rev. C.B. Jacobson, assistant pastor at St. Petri, was called to be the first pastor of Bergen Congregation. Rev. Jacobson was born in Bergen, Norway on June 2, 1842. He was known for his "wise and tactful leadership". He took a leave of absence in June of 1894 due to failing health and died in Norway on September 19th of that year at the age of 52.

1895 - 1920 Rev. Gottfried Smedal

Rev. G. Smedal accepted a call and was installed as Bergen's 2nd pastor on March 3, 1895, and conducted the first service at East Bergen on March 17, 1895. Rev. Smedal was born on September 10, 1861, in Mandal, Kristansan, Norway. He was known as a fluent speaker and was remembered for delivering outstanding sermons. He encouraged younger men to assume leadership roles in the congregation and was instrumental in establishing instruction in connection with the public schools. Rev. Smedal worked tirelessly for religious training of the children of the congregation including a well developed Sunday School and vacation schools. In 1911, the congregation voted to affiliate with the Norwegian Synod. He served at Bergen til 1920. Rev. Smedal passed away June 22, 1957, at the age of 95. Funeral services, held at Bergen Church, were conducted by Rev. Allen Nelson with interment at the Roland Cemetery.

1921 - 1942 Rev. M.O. Sumstad

Rev. Martin O. Sumstad was installed January 1, 1921, as the 3rd pastor of Bergen Church. Rev. Sumstad was born March 14, 1882, in Roan, Fosen, Trondheim, Norway. In 1898 he immigrated to America. He received his BA from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and graduated from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota in 1920. He was ordained into the ministry of the Norwegian Synod of the Lutheran church which later was merged into the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America on June 14, 1910. Among the many services remembered while at Bergen were his tireless efforts in getting the new church built and his special interest in the aged and infirmed. He resigned November 10, 1941, after more than 20 years of service to Bergen Church. Rev. Sumstad passed away in March of 1957 at the age of 71.

1942 - 1959 Rev. Allen E. Nelson

Rev. Allen E. Nelson of Dallas, Texas was installed as Bergen's 4th pastor on March 15, 1942 after accepting a call on November 26, 1941. Rev. Nelson was born in Clifton, Texas on August 30, 1895. While attending college at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa he left for service in World War 1. He attended Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota and was ordained upon a call to Mahnomen Lutheran Church, Mahnomen, Minnesota. He served Bergen Congregation until August 21, 1959. Rev. Nelson passed away February 2, 1973. Funeral services were held at Decorah Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa.

Bergen's Lutheran Brotherhood surprised Pastor Nelson on Easter Sunday 1949 and presented him with a new car. They learned of the pastor's need and took up a secret collection to purchase the car.

1960 - 1979 Rev. Howard M. Lybeck

A call was extended to Rev. Howard M. Lybeck, pastor of the Springfield Lutheran Church at Springfield, Oregon, and on September 11, 1960, he was installed as the 5th pastor of Bergen Congregation. Rev. Lybeck was a 1936 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he was a letter winner in both football and baseball. He received the Luther College Hall of Fame award on October 10, 1981. He graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1942. He served as Chaplain in World War II. He enjoyed fishing, and took in several fishing trips to Canada with a group of men from the Roland area. Rev. Lybeck passed away from Leukemia on December 26, 1982 at the University of Iowa hospitals in Iowa City, Iowa at the age of 68.

1980 - 1999 Rev. Conrad E. Rolland

Rev. Conrad E. Rolland of Belmond, Iowa was installed as the 6th pastor of Bergen Congregation on January 20, 1980. Conrad E. Rolland was born June 15, 1934. A graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and Seminary school in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rev. Rolland passed up a contract to play baseball for a "farm team" owned by the Brooklyn Dodgers to pursue his calling as a pastor. He continued his passion for sports by becoming a huge sports fan for his own children as well as others, and many parents' scrapbooks are filled with his photographs that were published in local newpapers. Rev. Rolland is also fondly remembered for growing and picking popcorn which was a tradition to eat around the campfires at the congregational retreats in Colorado.

2000 - 2009 Rev. Rachael J. Hansen

Rev. Rachael J. Hansen was born March 8, 1953. She was installed as the 7th pastor of Bergen Congregation on June 4, 2000. The installation service was conducted by Rev. Cheryl Doely, assistant to the Bishop. Special music was provided by her daughters who sang "O Christ the Same". A catered meal was served at the Roland Middle School following the service. Rev. Rachael earned a BA degree from Ottawa University in Kansas, and Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut. During her service to Bergen, Rev. Rachael, a hybrid rose breeder, started the tradition of presenting white roses to the families of deceased members on All Saints Sunday. She is remembered by many for her compassion with the afflicted. Rev. Rachael served Bergen Congregation for 9 years.

2010 - 2016 Rev. Adam Starrett

Rev. Adam Starrett was ordained and installed at Bergen Lutheran Church on August 8, 2010 by the presiding Bishop The Rev. Dr. Steven Ullestad. Rev. Starrett holds a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy from Luther College in Decorah, IA. He received a Masters of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH in which he placed a strong emphasis in Family System theory and counseling. Rev. Starrett received his chaplain training at The Mayo School of Medicine in Rochester, MN. He also served as a chaplain at Grant County while serving Grace Lutheran Church in Petersburg, WV as intern pastor. He was born in Dickenson, ND January 18, 1978 and soon moved to Clear Lake, IA. Following college in 2001 Rev. Starrett lived in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and then returned back to Iowa in 2010. He moved to Roland in August 2010. His family is wife Jill, son, Xavier, and daughters, Faith and Trinity. Rev. Starrett served at Bergen for 6 years.