FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH
ABOUT FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH
First Lutheran Church in Ely, MN, is a congregation of the LCMS devoted to the public reading of the Word of God, the administration of the Sacraments according to Christ's command, and an adherent of the Book of Concord as a faithful and true exposition of the Scriptures.
We gather weekly for the Divine Service where we receive from God His own gracious gifts, that is salvation, life everlasting, and the forgiveness of sins.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
First Lutheran Church is a confessional and liturgical congregation.
We hold to the doctrinal tenets expressed in the historic creeds and confessions of the Christian faith as set down in the Book of Concord, 1580.
We understand that God’s Word is eternal and eternally unchanging. That Word, revealed to us in the Holy Bible, is, of course, the sole foundation of our faith. And it informs three of the world’s most enduring creeds.
At First Lutheran we confess weekly the basic truths of Scripture in the Nicene Creed, first drafted in 325 A.D.
As Lutherans, we also hold to and confess the Book of Concord to be a true exposition of God’s Word. This book was first published in 1580 and contains, among other works, Martin Luther’s small and large catechisms, the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord.
All have profoundly influenced Christian teaching through the ages. They still guide us and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod today.
If you’re truly interested in what we believe, we encourage you to join us in our worship services, Bible studies, and other church activities.
We gather weekly for the Divine Service where we receive from God His own gracious gifts, that is salvation, life everlasting, and the forgiveness of sins.
BRIEF HISTORY
First Lutheran Church in Ely, MN, is a congregation devoted to the public reading of the Word of God, the administration of the Sacraments according to Christ's command, and an adherent of the Book of Concord as a faithful and true exposition of the Scriptures.
In 1890, 82 Finish immigrants met in the “Temperance Hall” in the recently incorporated city of Ely, Minnesota, to organize a new congregation and call a pastor.
By 1899, a new church building was erected and dedicated. Sunday School was founded in 1904. Although invited to join a synod of Finnish congregations, the congregation felt they could not for doctrinal reasons. In calling a new pastor in 1901, the church had to decide between candidates from the new National Evangelical Church and the Suomi Synod. Although the National candidate won out, the decision split the congregation and those in favor of the Suomi Synod withdrew to form their own church.
It was not until 1938 that First Lutheran officially joined the National Evangelical Church, a decision that also caused a rift in the membership. In fact, in 1939 the original church was remodeled and made smaller, an unusual move but one which actually did improve and beautify the interior.
The church grew and flourished during the 1950s and 1960s. Services, both in English and Finnish, were held each week.
In 1964, the National Church merged with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. In 1968, property was acquired and ground was broken for a new church, the current site at 915 East Camp Street. Although the construction of the building was done by Wetterau Builders of St. Louis, Missouri, members of the congregation did the excavating, laid the sewer (mostly through rock ledge), did all the painting and finishing work inside and out, laid all the floors, did all the cabinet work, and made the draperies. The building was completed two and a half months ahead of schedule and the first service was held, appropriately, on Thanksgiving Day, 1968. The congregation paid off its mortgage seven years ahead of schedule.