Article: Saving Sacred Places

I surely enjoyed your article about saving those sacred places. I feel a special tie to George Bennard as he attended Albion College, my alma mater. We were very proud of him there.
We have a very special church that's been saved here in our little town of Manistee. Our Saviour's Lutheran Church is the oldest Danish church in the US and has been kept in wonderful condition since its retirement as a congregation. The church congregation was established in the 1870's in our lumber town by the Scandinavian , mainly Danish, immigrants who came to work in the lumbering here. It is now used for special occasions, weddings, musical events, and meetings. Next door to the church is also what was formerly the Folk School which has been purchased and restored by a private individual. He has a music school there, and presents many concerts there throughout the year too.

I surely enjoyed your article about saving those sacred places. I feel a special tie to George Bennard as he attended Albion College, my alma mater. We were very proud of him there.
We have a very special church that's been saved here in our little town of Manistee. Our Saviour's Lutheran Church is the oldest Danish church in the US and has been kept in wonderful condition since its retirement as a congregation. The church congregation was established in the 1870's in our lumber town by the Scandinavian , mainly Danish, immigrants who came to work in the lumbering here. It is now used for special occasions, weddings, musical events, and meetings. Next door to the church is also what was formerly the Folk School which has been purchased and restored by a private individual. He has a music school there, and presents many concerts there throughout the year too.

You mentioned that you attended Albion College where Rev. George Bennard began writing his well-known hymn "The Old Rugged Cross". One of our board members (of The Old Rugged Cross Foundation, Inc.) was a personal friend of Rev. Bennard's and has a lot of stories which I'm compiling for him.

If you haven't been in Michigan for a while, you might want to visit Pokagon the next time you're in the area. You will be amazed at how the restoration of the old church is progressing.

Your article on saving/restoring churches was so uplifting. My great-grandparents immigrated from Norway and settled in North Dakota.
I have wonderful memories of visiting them and seeing the beautiful churches as we drove across the state. Their faith was strong and has been passed down to subsequent generations. Although I wasn't raised in North Dakota, I feel a strong connection to my "roots" there.

Two Catholic churches have already been demolished in my town. We have been struggling to save these churches, most over 100 years old. What caught my attention was that fact the article was about Walsh County, ND. My great-grandparents and their parents lived in the Oakwood/Grafton area. I would be interested in any information about the Catholic Churches as they may hold keys to family history. My surname is LaCourse, but may also have Gelinas, LaChappelle, Pelland in the area. The family was French-Canadian.