1950Pastor Tengbom
The Fabulous Fifties
The Winds of Change
PASTOR TENGBOM
The time was ripe a new young pastor. The Second World War was behind us
and Calgary's future looked bright. On September 1, 1946, Reverend Luverne Tengbom arrived, overjoyed at receiving
a call to FIRST LUTHERAN. He spent a considerable amount of time in Canada
as a student pastor prior to his
ordination.
An American by birth, he attended the
Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis,
Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter,
Minn., as well as the Augustana
Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, before coming to Calgary.
Under his leadership, attendance at FIRST grew considerably. He began his services with a total of 33 people attending. He initiated a radio ministry over CKXL on Sunday mornings, which enabled FIRST LUTHERAN to reach out to many in need; those who had no church home, the shut-ins, and those in the rural community.
Some of the current members were married by Pastor Tengbom. Cupid came calling for him too, when Mildred Hasselquist, a missionary on leave from Nepal, captured the heart of this young bachelor pastor. They were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis on May 23,1953.
In 1956, Pastor Tengbom accepted a call to serve as a missionary in Tanzania where Pastor and Mrs. Tengbom set up a bible school. Pastor and Mrs. Tengbom now reside in Claremont, California where they are enjoying their retirement.
THE FABULOUS FIFTIES
FIRST LUTHERAN thrived under Pastor Tengbom's guidance. With attendance increasing it became apparent that a
new church building was needed.
Property was purchased in 1951 at 7th
Avenue and 9th Street S.W. for $16,800.
The old church property was sold for
$27,000 and, with $29,000 in pledges
and cash, the new church building was constructed at a cost of $45,000.
On Sunday, April 1, 1951, services were held for the last time in the old church. In the afternoon we gathered at 7th Avenue and 9th Street for the laying of the cornerstone for the new facilities with Dr. Anton Nelson, now Regional Director of the Board of American Missions, officiating. The congregation met in Mount Royal College until the church was ready to be used. Dedications of the new church took place on Sunday, June 29, 1952.
By the end of 1954, church attendance had risen to an average of 129 people per Sunday. The congregation became self-supporting for the first time in its 55 year history. FIRST was able to send one of its daughters, Greta Ekstrand, to serve as a missionary in Tanganyika, East Africa.
The highlight of 1955 was the hosting of the 16th International Youth Conference by FIRST LUTHERAN with 2,300 young people from all across Canada, the U.S.A., and a few from other lands attending. The theme for the conference was CHRIST, THE LORD OF LIFE.
The women of FIRST LUTHERAN prepared about 2000 box lunches per day for those attending the conference. The success of the conference was mainly due to Marguerite Mosher (nee Flood) who worked diligently as Chairperson. The headquarters were in the Palliser Hotel and the conference was held in the Mewata Armory.
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
On March 20, 1957, a call was made to Rev. Llano Thelin to become the pastor
of First Lutheran. Pastor Thelin arrived
in Calgary in July 1957 along with his
wife, Caroline, and their 4 year old son,
Scott. Pastor Thelin recalled that as he
passed through the U.S. and Canada
customs at the border, he was asked how
much money he was bringing into
Canada. It didn't upset the customs officer
too much when he replied, "$4.32."
As FIRST did not have pastoral accommodation, a 2-bedrrom suite was acquired within walking distance of the church. A kitchen shower was held for the pastor and his wife that provided the household necessities until the moving van arrived two weeks later. This accommodation served its purpose until May 1958 when the church council approved the building of a 3 bedroom house in Collingwood on the northern outskirts of Calgary for $16,400.
Born in Gettysburg, South Dakota, Pastor Thelin was raised and educated in a rural environment. His primary education was in a one-room school with 16 students followed by 4 years of high school in Sioux Falls. S.D. After high school, he enrolled at Kansas State University, graduating with a BSc. in agriculture economics. His plans were to be an agriculturist in Argentina.
God said, "Your ways are not my ways, and my ways are not your ways." So it was with Llano Thelin who had a strong Christian upbringing, was active in the Luther League, and experienced a faith that followed him through out his early years. Llano felt a calling from God and changed direction in 1953 when he enrolled in the Augustana Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. It appeared the Holy Spirit was leading Llano from working with 4 legged sheep to working with the 2 legged ones.
Pastor Thelin was installed as Pastor at FIRST LUTHERAN on July 21, 1957. These were good years as confirmed membership stood at 278 souls with an average attendance of 185. This was the high point in the history of growth. New mission churches appeared in the city, with Hope Lutheran in the northwest and Church of Our Saviour in the southeast as well as Church of the Cross and Messiah Lutheran.
When the mission developers applied at city hall for a building permit for Messiah Lutheran, they were queried about what new cult was coming to the city. The winds of change started with these new churches appearing on the scene. FIRST, the downtown "mother church", was now in a position where it had to share the ministry outside of its immediate community. Many members living in the suburbs now found it more convenient to attend church at one of these new missions.
Pastor Thelin, in his infinite wisdom, accepted a call for the United Lutheran Church and left FIRST LUTHERAN in the spring of 1961. Pastor Thelin had fond memories of his ministry at FIRST LUTHERAN.
He visited FIRST in 1990 when we celebrated 90 years of ministry to the city of Calgary. At that time, he extended an invitation to Calgary people to visit his congregation in Bellevue, Washington, where he was serving as Pastor at the time. Pastor Thelin left his earthly home on April 29, 1996 at Astoria, Washington.
