Holden Lutheran Church, rural Kenyon, Minnesota.
THE LAST TIME I STOPPED at Holden Lutheran Church, rural Kenyon, the heavy oak doors to the sanctuary were closed and Sunday morning worship underway. Not wanting to intrude in the middle of the service, my husband and I instead wandered the cemetery, vowing to return.
The beautiful sanctuary of Holden Lutheran Church.
Several weeks ago we did, on a Saturday afternoon, en route home from Wanamingo to Faribault along the back roads rather than the more direct Minnesota State Highway 60. Goodhue County Road 30 led us right by this landmark Norwegian brick church standing high and solid among farm fields and farm sites.
A photo of the “old church,” built in 1871, is posted in the present church.
With my rural roots and deep appreciation for country churches, I was excited to tour this church built in 1924. The congregation was established in 1856. Previously, members worshiped (for 53 years) in a standard wood-frame country church.
Holden’s Norwegian heritage is reflected in this rosemaling art hung in the narthex.
This congregation is especially notable for its strong Norwegian heritage tracing back to Telemarken, Norway, specifically the village of Holden. From thence comes the name.
This memorial to the Rev. Bernt Muus was unveiled in May 1937. It is dedicated “In gratitude to God who enabled the pioneers to establish His church in this community…and to the pioneers for building upon Jesus Christ and His Word.”
Holden Lutheran is also notable for its connections to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. A memorial on the church grounds honors Holden’s first pastor, Bernt Julius Muus, who founded St. Olaf and helped to found Luther. He shepherded Holden for 40 years.
Stained glass windows fill the sanctuary, including this one in the balcony.
Grapes carved into wood along the balcony.
A view of a sanctuary side aisle showcases the craftsmanship of this church.
This is a place of deep history and heritage reflected in craftsmanship and artifacts within the church building.
A gravestone in the old part of the cemetery.
And in names—like Gustaf, Tollef, Ole—chiseled in to stone in the graveyard.
I trail Randy from the back church parking lot into another section of the cemetery.
Here in this rural place, the wind blows steady on a sunny spring-like March afternoon. I meander with my husband among the gravestones, noting a weathered holiday wreath on one. And then, as I step back and back and back to photograph this massive church in its entirety, I skirt a mound of fresh earth. Not that long ago, mourners gathered here, like the Norwegian speaking settlers 160 years prior, to grieve and to bury a loved one.
In the church basement, I found and photographed a portion of the church centennial photo.
Time imprints upon generations in the cycle of life.
The front entry to Holden Lutheran is stunning. Faith, hope and love are chiseled above the oak doors.
Through these church doors, below the far-reaching steeple tipped with a cross, the faithful have gathered here to worship God, to exchange vows, to baptize children, to mourn the dead. And in late autumn to dine on roast beef, pulsa, lefse, rommegrot and fruit soup at the annual All Saints Dinner celebrating Holden’s Norwegian heritage.
FYI: Check back tomorrow for more photos from Holden Lutheran Church.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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