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STORIES OF BETHLEHEM

Land O'Lakes Commercial

Recalled By: Bernie Neumann

"Land O'Lakes was seeking a church to stage their ice cream television commercial. Our church was their ideal typical rural church with a big front yard so they contacted us. A hot summer afternoon was decided upon in July 1969. They came with a truck full of plastic gallon containers of ice cream. A professional man and lady came to play the family. (I don't remember children or if they selected two children from here). They came with filming equipment, of course. They selected Gus Marohn and Arnold Neumann to scoop the ice cream into cones. After just two or three scoops, the ice cream would start to melt and become shiny (because it was such a warm day). So, the pail of ice cream would be replaced with a fresh one. The started pails were left for the people attending to take home. The ladies from the congregation sat on folding chairs under a tree between the parsonage and the church. The serving was done from several folding tables that were placed 50-60 feet straight north of the church building. Part of this commercial was filmed on the Wm. Zeidler farm. Men were standing around a tractor in their yard. There also was a picture of a herd of dairy cows."

Pumping the Organ

Recalled By: Beverly (Elfmann) Galembeck

"I remember sitting in the front pew with my dad, Robert Elfmann when it was his turn "to pump" the organ. That was before the organ was connected to electricity and when the custom was for the men to sit on one side of the church aisle and the women on the other side with the smaller children. Older children, especially boys, would sit with the water."

Parsonage Room and Board

Recalled by various congregation members

Many members of the congregation remember rooming and boarding in the parsonage with the pastor and his family while they were attending the parochial school for the two years throughout confirmation instruction. They did this because their own families lived a distance away and transportation wasn't convenient at that time. Some children lived with relatives (during the winter months at the least) who lived within walking distance of the church and school. Attending the parochial school was required for every child of confirmation age up until 1961 when Rev. Barlau agreed to hold a confirmation class on Saturday mornings. 

Skating Pond

Recalled by: Esther (Zeidler) Klemz 

"I remember the school house being by the cemetery and the land across the road being Pastor Streufert's pasture. After the school was moved north of the road, there was a pond that had frozen over and was used for skating when she was going to confirmation."

First Impressions

"Precisely four years to the day after my ordination our belongings including King and Queen were loaded into a freight car in route to our new home. With our two babies in arms, we traveled per passenger train to Howard Lake, Minnesota, where Pastor A. L. Octjen (the vacancy Pastor), awaited our arrival. To say the least, I was distressed by the first glance at the unsightly church property, An L-shaped one and a half story brick veneered parsonage was set on a knoll about 200 feet from the road and a water hold covered with green scum in front of it was anything but inviting. This health hazard was soon removed when one day, in fall, approximately fifty men gathered to haul 400 wagon loads of ground to fill the pool to some extent. The parsonage was, indeed, a far cry from the beautiful homes which we were privileged to occupy in later years. No where in this neck of the woods were to be found such facilities as running water, furnaces, and bathrooms. On the other hand, we were favorably impressed with the small but neat church with its pipe organ, a carpeted chancel, and a large melodious bell."

Excerpt from Pastor Streufert's 17 page memoirs at Bethlehem

A Big Undertaking 

Excerpt from Pastor Streufert's 17 page memoirs at Bethlehem

"As specified in my call, I was obligated to teach Christian Day School. This stipulation involved more than the congregation had implied. In those years, the Minnesota State School Laws required a minimum of forty days attendance per annum. In accordance therewith, my predecessor had "taught school" from November 1st to Palm Sunday to complete the entire catechetical instruction in four scant months. To the life long detriment of the children, no other courses were offered than German, reading, and writing besides religion. Obviously some young people were almost illiterate. Protests were many when I announced that instruction lessons would begin in September. Eleven scholars appeared on the first day of school, all prospective confirmands, hardly able to to read the assigned memory work. An urgent appeal to parents in the next Sunday's school sermon resulted in the enrollment of 25 pupils next morning. Though nearly half of the church members voiced their determined opposition against a full parochial school, year after year another subject was added to the curriculum until in 1917 we could offer a full eighth grade course of study to our fifty students. Parents began to appreciate the efforts put forth for the education of their children. Ina. rather stormy voters meeting, friends of our Christian Day School succeeded in passing a resolution to employ a vicar to teach the elementary subjects while the pastor took charge of religious insturciotns and German. By the grace of God this, our small rural school, has been in continuous operation for fifty years. In addition thereto, I am glad to report that some of our scholars have entered into church work as pastors and teachers, many others are successful in business. 

A Pastor and A Physician 

Excerpt from Pastor Streufert's 17 page memoirs at Bethlehem

"While our parish work continued at a normal pace, we were hampered by a wide-spread epidemic of scarlet fever, black small pox, and individual cases of spinal meningitis. Entire rural families were stricken. 213 individuals of our parish including 13 persons affected with dread pneumonia were abed. Doctors not being available, it was the pastor's obligation to visit the bedside of his people stricken with severe illness and death. Day by day, I entered home after home until late at night on sick-calls. I found a doctor in Howard Lake more cooperative. He gave me prescriptions. By the gallon, I purchased the mixture at the pharmacy and then distributed it in the houses after brief devotions with the patients."

This was the epidemic in 1919, when many of the people died, including Pastor Streuferts' wife.

Early Youth Group Days

Excerpt from Mabel Treichler Loesch's memoirs about the youth group (formerly called Young People's Society)

"In the late 30s/early 40s...That is what we called it. Walther League and affiliation with similar groups in neighboring Lutheran churches came later. Quite possible, this organization had as much influence on the lives of the members of Bethlehem as did Confirmation. Confirmation was the entryway to the YPS, though usually a person waited until he was 14 or 15 before attending regularly. One could remain a member until he married. How many couples got married after noticing each other in the monthly socials held by the YPS? Probably all who married someone was also a member of Bethlehem. I remember my sister, Florence, nervously pacing the kitchen floor while Waldemar Uecker was in the barn asking our father for permission to take and bring her home from the YPS. That is the way things were then. The girl's father had to give permission for a first date.

 

My memories of YPS come from 1939-1944. About 25-30 young people met monthly. First, there was a Bible lesson taught by the pastor and then came the games. From April through November the games were outside. There were singing games accompanied by a sort of folk dance: Four in the Boat, Needle's Eye, Pig in the Parlor are some I remember. There were also more athletic non-singing games like Last Couple Out, Three Deep, and Cat and Mouse. The more ingenious teenager could manipulate these games so that he could stand next to the person he wanted to impress or tease. After the games came the food. As I remember, food was furnished by the girls, one family at a time. Sandwiches, pickles, cookies, or cake, nectar and coffee made up the menu. After the food came the cleaning up! (I wonder how many Bethlehem girls got their first kiss while being momentarily trapped in the broom closet)?! 

 

One vivid memory I have of YPS is Myron Wackler's first meeting with us after he started at Concordia College. We were all in a bit awe of him; after all, he was going to be a pastor. He dispelled our awe by jumping on top of the table after lunch, picking up a bunch of paper roses and entertaining us by singing loudly and not too badly, "Give Me One Dozen Roses."  

 

Another memory is a night of entertainment we had for the congregation. We had sever one act plays, followed by lunch, of course. I was in one play along with Elmer Boltz. We were supposed to wear outrageous clothes. Elmer showed up in very large shoes that he had enabled a bright yellow.  

 

This seemed in memory to be a simpler, happier time. Everyone was friendly. We furnished our own entertainment. No one misbehave and no rules were needed for behavior. I hope that the young people today have a chance to have as much fun as we did."

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