Our church, of course is very small. A sanctuary, an altar, a parish hall. A place to worship, to sing, for quiet prayer And we rejoice in seeing our good friends there. The Ladies Aid is active from January to December. Our quilting bees, rummage sales, dinners we’ll remember. We work and laughand cry together, always thinking of one another. When someone needs help, and has no “kin”. The Ladies Aid is there, pitching right in. When our kids have a party to please their wishes, The Ladies Aid is there, doing the dishes. Sophie Schmidt’s sugar cookies, Ann Jensen’s hot dish, Make our dinners too good to miss. And who can forget Mrs. Lange’s generous gifts So we now have a “Lange Room”right in our midst. The bulletin board and the library book case, Made by Al Sandberg, is quite in fine taste. When we needed more room for our Sunday School, Everyone pitched in – each brought a tool. And so it goes – all working together, Down through the years, in all kinds of weather. Our church, as I said, is very small. But in all of our hearts it will always stand tall! - Composed by Muriel Gilyard, 1978
South Santiago Lutheran Church has been a part of the local landscape since 1891. "Thousand Islands" was the name given to the settlement which was later changed to South Santiago, which marked their beginning in 1891.
Three Scandinavian families from Mower County, MN, took homesteads in this area: Augund Aslakson, Ole Amundsen, and Halvor Olsen.These pioneers felt a need for establishing a Lutheran congregation, and they met at the home of Halvor Olsen to decide where and when to meet. The first worship service was held on Oct 31, 1882 at a member's home. On Nov 20, 1882, at Ole Amundsen's home, the congregation was officially organized and named "Santiago Norwegian Danish Evangelical Lutheran Congregation." In 1927 the name was changed to "South Santiago Evangelical Lutheran Church." According to local resident Esther Gunderson, the original acre of land was purchased for a dollar.
At the beginning, worship was held in various homes. The original log church was built in 1888, and served as a meeting place for about eighteen years. According to long time resident Esther Gunderson, brothers Gilbert and Theodore Erickson had moved the log cabin to their home a few miles north and west of South Santiago. The brothers used the cabin for blacksmithing for many years. Several years later (in the 1930’s) the log cabin was moved back to its current location near South Santiago Lutheran Church. Esther said she enjoyed attending Luther League in the log cabin in the 1930s and Ladies Aid was also held there. My mom reminisced that there were always horse and buggies tied up outside the tiny log cabin church in the 1930’s when she first started attending.
Although the log cabin was used for worship originally, a new and larger church was needed and plans were drawn. The cornerstone for this new church was laid in 1904, and finished in 1906. The congregation met for worship in that building until January 2000, when the church burned to the ground due to arson.
From January 2000 to May 2002, the congregation met and worshiped at St. Lawerence Catholic Church in Duelm, MN. The new church building was opened for worship on June 23, 2002.
My mom was baptized in 1932 at South Santiago Lutheran Church. She often attended with her Grandma Alma Gilyard as a girl. My nine siblings and I were all baptized at the church and all were confirmed at South Santiago except my brother Alan, who passed away at the age of eight.
My mother started attending South Santiago fulltime in 1945. She was very active on the church council and also helped publish their cookbook in the 1980’s. Mom and dad took a trip to Sweden to visit my sister Judy just before the cookbook was about to go to press. My sisters and I still chuckle as we recall how mom told us if anything happened to her and dad overseas to make sure that cookbook got published. Mom also organized a bus trip for the senior citizens at church to attend a MN Twins game, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
I remember helping plan the 100 year celebration in 1982. The center stage was a hayrack (a nice one) featuring local guitarists Tim and Robin Howard.
Spending time with our church family was a priority and a large part of our social life in my family. Mom would always sit between Terri and I during church but it didn’t stop us from being naughty. We chuckle now as we remember how mom smiled all the while she pulled the short hairs on the back of our necks and gave us well deserved hot burns (snake bites).
We attended Sunday School and Luther League (youth group). We played softball against Foley and Princeton churches. Life seemed so simple. Church has always been and continues to be a huge part of our lives. Worshipping with Christian friends is a great joy.
I remember the congregation feeling like our extended family - wonderful local people that greatly impacted our lives with their testimony. People like Bernie and Hazel Halvorson, Myrtle and Gene Shaw, George and Ida Huffer and of course my uncle Ruthvin and aunt Lillian Gilyard and grandparents Doris and Oscar Larson.
I never realized as a child how blessed I was and how special those memories and cherished friendships we formed at South Santiago would become as I’ve gotten older.
Small country churches are a great part of our heritage and such a blessing.
