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REV. ANDRÉN'S TIME

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uring the vacancy produced by Kinell's resignation two theological students, A. J. Borgstrom and Aaron Segerhammar, preached in Fridhem. Segerhammar also taught parochial school. But the congregation needed a regular minister in order not to come to a standstill. Therefore, in the latter part of the year 1895, the Rev. A. Norrbom of Topeka, Kansas, was called. He replied in the negative. In the beginning of 1896, Rev. J. E. Swanbom of Shickley, Rev. P. O. Hanson of Newman Grove, and Rev. C. G. Olson of Wausa were each in turn called, all declining the call. This made four calls successively refused, and the Fridhem people began to be despondent. But the clouds were soon to be dispelled and despair to give way to hope. On June 2, 1896, at a business meeting of the congregation, when Rev. Swanbom was chairman, M. Theo. Andrén, a theological student of Augustana College, was elected and called to preach. Andrén came and served the congregation a while in the summer. Being liked by the people, he was called as their regular minister. But he was not yet through the seminary and would have to be ordained before he could take charge. He was called on January 8, 1897, and at the same time a petition for his ordination was sent to the Synod, which met in Moline, Illinois, that year. Meanwhile another student. J. E. Morton, came to Fridhem to conduct services and to teach parochial school, while Andrén went back to the seminary to prepare himself for ordination. Being ordained in June, 1897, Andrén came and took charge of the congregation in time to confirm the class of confirmands that had been taught by J. E. Morton.

   Fridhem now had 349 members, of which 213 were communicants.

While this was not a very large gain for eighteen years since the organization, it showed a healthy growth.

    Debt has always been the bogie with which the congregation has had to struggle. This was the first thing Andrén came in contact with as pastor. He went to work with a will. Consulting with the church council, it was decided to attempt a subscription for the purpose of paying the debt. Although there had been a partial crop failure, a subscription was taken and the debt paid.

    In 1900 the New Constitution for the churches of the Augustana Synod was adopted, and in 1891 it was entered into the Book of Minutes.* One peculiarity stands forth in 1901 and this is that the young people's society did not meet for six months. The dormancy did not last long. In 1902 the society was again active, meeting regularly as before. The youth of Fridhem have always been quiet and well-behaved, and Andrén several times in his annual messages gives them fine credit.

    The night between June 6th and 7th, 1902, came very near being a disastrous night for the congregation. A violent storm came up, blew in a window of the church building and caused great damage to the structure. This is proven by the fact that insurance to the amount of $775 was collected and that the repairs which were afterwards made
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*See "Corrections" page

on the church property amounted to $2,657.65, but a part of these were on the parsonage. As usual, this became a debt that for some time was to hang over the congregation. It was not until two years after that it was paid.

    In 1902 the Young People's Society installed gasoline lights in the church and contributed $100 towards paying for an altar painting, which was bought the following year from Olof Grafstrom of Rock Island, Illinois. This painting represents Christ on the cross of Calvary, just before sunset. The sunlight glows on the battlement of the walls which surround Jerusalem. The soldiers are leaving with the raiments of the Saviour on their shoulders, and the three Marys and the disciple John are alone with the dead Saviour. Before the cross stands Mary, the mother of Jesus, with outstretched hands, looking up into the face of Him she loved. Beside her stands John looking the sympathy he feels for her who was the carnal parent of his Lord and Master. Back of Mary, the mother of Jesus, stands Mary, the wife of Clopas. At the foot of the cross lies Mary Magdalene with her mantle wrapped around the Saviours feet. The color tone of this wonderful painting is bluish gray and plainly holds the glimmering hues of approaching night. One thing that can be mentioned, as a peculiarity, not as a fault, is that the sunlight which gilds the clouds and the walls of Jerusalem apparently comes from the east. As the time of the day is late afternoon, the light should have come from the other side. But this picture is, nevertheless, a great painting. It is a masterpiece and often draws the attention away from the sermon. When it does so, there is always this compensation: the painting is itself a sermon.

    Rev. Andrén several times in his annual reports remarks that the sacrament of baptism is mostly received in the homes. This he believed to be caused by the lack of a baptismal font in the church. A baptismal font was bought, and there appeared a marked improvement in the practice; after this most of the children were brought to the temple to be baptized.

    In 1903. President O. J. Johnson of Luther College took a subscription of $865 in Fridhem for his school. In 1905, Rev. Swanherg got $300 for the Deaconess Home in Omaha, and Rev. Swanbom $500 more for Luther College. In 1908 a subscription for the Augustana College Jubilee Fund was taken in the congregation. The Luther League at this time bought a new reed organ for the church, larger and better than

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* This font is a present from Rev. Andrén to the congregation.

the old organ. In 1907 they also bought a piano. Through their efforts portraits of the former pastors, Rev. C. H. Södergren and Rev. Kinell were enlarged and hung in the sacristy of the church.     These times seemed to be the days of preparation, as equipments were bought and debts paid, both in the congregation and in the conference. One thing is certain, that a period of prosperity had set in for this section of the country. Good crops and fair prices had been the husbandman's portion for a number of years. The pastor's salary had been raised several times and was now $800 per year with free house and the use of the church land.     But it was not only of material things that the congregation was thinking. The cause of the Master was also considered. One family contributed $50 a year for the support of a native missionary in India. and the Luther League promised to furnish the support for one in China.    The question of putting the church in a village would not down -- it came up again. This time it was proposed to buy land from Gust Akerson, just across the way, sell small tracts to such as wished to live near the church, and in this way build up a village around the church. At first it appeared as if this plan would succeed, but obstacles presented themselves and it failed to materialize. But the idea did not die with this failure; it only slumbered, destined to awake at a time when it could not be shunted aside. This came in 1910, when Rev. Swanberg, who was president of the Nebraska Conference, announced at the annual meeting that a petition had been circulated for the removal of the church to Funk and presented a subscription list where $1,400 had been pledged for the purpose of defraying the expense. On this list the business men of Funk had liberally subscribed. The sentiment for a change of some kind was felt to he too strong to be ignored, and a committee was ap-

pointed to investigate. This committee consisted of Rev. Andrén, A. A. Gustafson, Louis Hanson, J. S. Johnson, Adolf Akerson, Emil Lind and C. G. Walline. When this committee had reported, the congregation decided to move the church to Funk. The church was accordingly, in 1910, removed, but Andrén did not go with it. He resigned, took a charge in Wisconsin and left before the edifice again stood on its foundation. The congregation was vacant but a short time. A new pastor was in charge even before the church property had been set right after the disorder it had gotten into during its moving.

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