Lutherans in the Hannaford area worshipped together in the early years and were known as the Bald Hill Congregation. The first meeting to organize a congregation was held in June 1885, which resulted in the organization of Bald Hill and Eidfjord congregations.
The Bald Hill Congregation met in the Gunderson School which was located one mile south of Walum on the east side of the highway. Dry years and hard times delayed plans to build churches and there was much difference of opinion where they should be built. Land had been given for a church site in Walum and a cemetery started. Bald Hill Lutheran Church was built on this site in 1899. Eidfjord built their church in 1901, and Mabel Lutheran in 1899. Bald Hill Congregation changed their name to St. Olaf Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1902. The first Mabel Lutheran Church was in the country near their cemetery. Following a fire which destroyed the church in 1926, Mabel rebuilt in the town of Sutton. The new church was begun in 1928, and completed in 1938.
Several families from Bald Hill still felt a church should be built in Hannaford and as a result plans were made to form a congregation. The first recorded minutes of a meeting are dated February 12, 1898. The congregation was named Hannaford Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. On March 5, 1898, a constitution was adopted and signed by Even Olsen, Halvor Sorenson, Halvor C. Johnson, H. H. Groven, Halvor Anundson, Thomas Olson, Niels Hemmingson, Walter Hemmingson, John K. Stromme, E. H. Groven and Christ Sonju. Rev. P. A. Thoreson was called to be their first pastor in March 1898. He was already serving Bald Hill, Eidfjord and Mabel congregations. Pastor Thoreson served in this area for 32 years.
A church building was erected in 1899. It was located where the W. O. Brown home now stands. Andrew Langdon donated the building site and also gave the land for the cemetery north of town. In 1900, the congregation affiliated with the United Lutheran Church. There were several mergers over the years. The United Synod merged with the Hauge and Norwegian Synods in 1917, to form the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America. The name was changed to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1946. A merger of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, the American Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church took place January 1, 1961, and the American Lutheran Church came into being. The Lutheran Free Church became a part of this merger in 1962. On January 1, 1988, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America came into being as a result of the merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (a small group of about 100,000 members who had broken away from the Missouri Synod). We are a part of this group of Lutherans which has over five million members.
The original Hannaford Lutheran Church did not have a basement or general meeting room and this made it difficult for the women of the congregation. They held their Ladies Aid meetings in the various homes until 1909, when they purchased the two-room school which had been vacated when the cement block school building was built in 1907. They called their newly acquired building the Ladies Hall. This stood where the present church stands.
The Ladies Aid was organized in 1898, and met once a month in the homes. Dues were ten cents for lunch and each member paid fifty cents as a membership fee. At the meetings, members worked on their box work. Materials were purchased by the Aid and the members made articles of clothing, etc., which were sold at the annual sale and supper in the fall. They were knit, sewed or crocheted and materials, as well as finished products were kept in a box, hence the name box work. Over the years the women of the church have raised the money for many of the furnishings of the church as well as helped pay off the debt of the new church when that time came. Circles were begun in 1942. Bible Study became the main thrust of the circles in 1961. A church library was started by the Ladies Aid in 1958, and in 1960, the Altar Guild was organized independently from the Ladies Aid.
By the late forties the church building was beginning to show the effects of time and weather. In 1949, it was decided to sell the Ladies Hall and build a new church on that site. The hall was moved uptown a block east of where it stood. Today this building is the American Legion Hall. The new church was built in two units. On November 19, 1950, worship services were held for the first time in the first unit which is now the dining room. The second unit or sanctuary was completed in 1952. Ludvig Hareland was the contractor. During the years 1970 through 1973, the church was extensively remodeled with Clifford Johnson as head carpenter and Claude Freer working with him. Many hours of labor were also put in by the men and women of the congregation. In 1984, combination storm and screen windows were installed and 1986, vinyl siding was put on the church building.
A realignment of churches took place in 1924, when Mabel joined the Binford parish and Union joined to form a parish with Hannaford, St. Olaf and Eidfjord. Union had been served by the pastor from Luverne. Too many churches for one pastor had been a problem for many years and realignment was often discussed. In December 1958, Hannaford withdrew from the four point parish. When Pastor Alvin Bergh arrived in July 1959, it was to serve Hannaford church only. At this time Mabel was served by the pastor of Trinity Lutheran in Cooperstown. In March 1962, Pastor Bergh began work in the Mabel church along with Hannaford on temporary basis. In May 1970, they were invited to become a permanent part of a two point parish with Hannaford. Hannaford changed the name of their church to Faith Lutheran in 1960.
Many faithful pastors have served the congregation over the years. Pastor P. A. Thoreson served the longest from 1898 to 1921. He was followed by
George S. Natwick 1921-1924,
John M. Haaland 1924-1927,
E.C. Tollefson, intern, 1927-1928,
E.O. Stenson 1928-1929,
Elmer O. Lee 1930-1947,
Lewis E. Bakke, intern, 1947-1948,
Roy W. Gilbertson 1949-1953,
Edwin L. Bersagel 1954-1957,
Alexander Thompson 1957-1959,
Alvin J. Bergh 1959-1963,
Roger C. Paulson 1963-1966,
Neil Thompson 1967-1970,
Michael J. Lockerby 1970-1978,
Robert C. Berthold 1979-1984, and
Theodore D. Kerr III 1984-1988.
The first three years Pastor Thoreson served Bald Hill and Eidfjord congregations he lived in Dazey. From there they moved to a homestead two miles west of Walum where they lived for 11 years. A small house on the land was replaced by a large house in 1902. By 1907, it became necessary to seek school facilities for their nine children so they moved into Hannaford. The first year they lived in Tom Olson's house which was later known as the Garlie house. In 1908, Pastor Thoreson purchased the house across the street to the east of the original church, generally known as the Flesjer house. Neither of these houses are in existence today. The first parsonage owned by the congregations was purchased from G. M. Aarestad in 1920 for $4,500. When the parish was realigned in 1959, the rural churches purchased the share owned by the Hannaford congregation for $900. They sold it to Elgar Paulsons in 1969, when Trinity Parish (Eidfjord, St. Olaf and Union) built a new parsonage for their pastor. The Paulsons are still living in this house.
The Hannaford congregation rented a home for their pastor in 1959. This resulted in two moves by the pastor within six months and it became clear that something permanent had to be provided for the pastor. A site for a new parsonage was chosen across the street to the south of the church. Half a lot was given by Mrs. Anna Malmin and her son, George, and 2 1/2 lots were obtained from Mr. and Mrs. George Knauss for $55.90, the amount of improvement tax which had been paid on these lots. Pastor Bergh and his family moved into the new parsonage on January 9, 1960. The house cost the congregation $14,000.
Some interesting tidbits from the life of the congregation. Early records indicate that the first cemetery was one mile west of Hannaford on the south side of the road. It was the Thomas Olson land at that time. Today it is owned by Daniel J. Larson. The first year the congregation paid their Pastor $78. It increased to $125 in 1900. In 1902, the custodian received $5.00 at the end of the year and the organist $10. Both the pastor and organist also received three altar offerings each year. By 1918, the pastor received $300 from Hannaford, the custodian $35, and the organist $20.
The first year parochial school was held was 1902. It was held for two months and the teacher received $103. Parochial school continued all through the years, but is now known as Vacation Bible School and is usually held for one week with members of the congregation serving as teachers.
A communion tray with individual glasses was purchased in 1921. Until then the common cup was used. First mention of subscriptions to a church paper came in 1922, and there was a choice of two, the Lutheranian in Norwegian or the Lutheran Herald in English. Annual and special meetings were the only times when minutes were kept or probably the only formal meetings held by the church council during the year. It wasn't until 1960, that minutes of council meetings began to appear regularly in the church secretary's book. In 1921, it was decided that when services were held, every other time preaching should be in the Norwegian and English languages. This didn't necessarily mean every other Sunday as services were alternated between the four congregations of the parish. In 1939, Pastor Lee had conducted 14 worship services in English and 13 in Norwegian in the Hannaford Church. In 1940, there had been 11 Norwegian services and 18 English and it was decided that from then on services should be three-fourths in English and one-fourth in Norwegian. It was also decided that the minutes of the church secretary should be in English from then on. Use of the Norwegian language ended completely in 1947, when Pastor Lee left Hannaford.
The question of whether or not to allow the women to vote at congregational meetings was first discussed in 1927. It was voted on again in 1929, but not mentioned again until 1950, and again in 1951. In October 1955, at a special meeting of the congregation prior to the November annual meeting the vote was unanimous to grant the women voting privileges. The first year a woman was elected to the church council was 1971, and also as president of the congregation. Since that time there has generally been more than one woman serving on the council. During the early years the pastor was always chairman of the congregation. In 1963, John C. Grover was elected chairman of the council and lay people have filled this position since that time.
In the early years there were "Klokkers" or song leaders who had the opening and closing prayers and announced the hymns. Today lay people greet the worshippers as they come, provide for special music each Sunday and read the Old Testament and Epistle lessons. A lay adult and youth help serve communion when it is served the first Sunday of each month and on festival days.
Two sons of the congregation have become pastors: Lyle A Rich, son of the late Lyle E. Rich and Bergetta Rich; and Darrel R. Olson, son of the late Otto and Clara Lerum Olson. Bernice I. Ouren and Clarie H. Ouren Lunn both served on the mission field. They are the daughters of the late Oscar and Edna Ouren. Bernice began work among the Mexican Indians at Tamazunchale, Mexico in 1943, and retired in 1981. Claire spent from 1947 until 1960, with the World Mission Prayer League in West Pakistan until her marriage to Kenneth Lunn in 1961.
In 1988, the congregation was divided into Faith and Service Groups which include the entire family and all the work which can be done by the lay members of congregation is done through these groups. They do the greeting each Sunday morning, take care of special music, reading scripture for worship services, ushering, communion assistants, all church cleaning, snow removal, lawn mowing, serving for potlucks, funerals and any other serving which needs to be done. We have four groups and each is responsible for whatever needs doing for three months of the year.
The women of the church hold four general meetings during the year and the Bible Study Circles meet monthly. The women continue with many service projects of their own including playing Bingo at the Griggs County Nursing Home in Cooperstown every other month, entertaining the nursing home residents at the church three times during the summer months, helping make lefse at the nursing home in the fall and helping fix hair there during the year. They continue making at least 100 quilts each year and put together health, sewing and school kits, layettes, boxes of clothing and soap for Lutheran World Relief. Many boxes of used clothing are sent to various places such as the YWCA and New Life Center in Fargo and ARC in Valley City. Christmas gift items are sent to the Jamestown State Hospital, as well as clothing and other items during the year. They have adopted a resident at the Grafton State School and Griggs County Nursing Home whom they remember at Christmas and at their birthday. Cookie plates are given out at Christmas and they serve receptions upon request. The congregation provides nonperishable food items for the county food pantry and collects old newspapers, magazines, etc., which are taken to Fargo where they are recycled into insulation. The proceeds from the paper drives are used for youth activities in the congregation.
The Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Altar Guild, library, youth activities and SEARCH Bible Study with Trinity Parish also remain active components of the congregation. At the present time, March 1989, Faith Lutheran is without a resident pastor, but is being served on an interim basis by Bob and Mary Albing, pastors of the Trinity Parish.
Church membership as of January 1988, was 216, including 63 children and 70 active households.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 64