1960Rev. Norman Mattson
Pastor Lund-Teigen
Pastor Jacobson
REV. NORMAN MATTSON
Rev. Norman Mattson succeeded Pastor Thelin in September 1961. During this time membership declined as urban renewal began to bring about physical and geographical changes in the inner city. The strong need for a joint community/church was evident if we were to meet the urban environment. Many different programs were tried to bring more sheep into the fold, but to no avail. Membership continued to decline.
Changes were taking place in the church at large. In 1966, the merger of four synods, ULC, AILC (Augustana), UELC (Danish), and the Finnish Lutheran Church (Suomi), formed the LCA (the Lutheran Church of America). This was significant as new resources through the merged church were brought into focus on the crisis and challenge of the inner city church.
PASTOR LUND-TEIGEN
Pastor Geoffrey Lund-Teigen began his ministry at FIRST LUTHERAN in the fall 1966. A native of Norway where he received his elementary and high school education, he immigrated to Canada in 1952. He enrolled in Waterloo seminary and graduated in 1963. He was ordained into the Holy Ministry at FIRST LUTHERAN Church on June 11, 1963.
He received a call to serve the parish at Creston, B.C. FIRST had a vacancy after the departure of Pastor Mattson and they put in a call to Pastor Lund-Teigen,
which he accepted. He served FIRST LUTHERAN for a short time, and the left the ministry and FIRST LUTHERAN to pursue other interests.
In 1968, confirmed membership stood at 200 with an average attendance of 92. The operating budget was $17,500. The congregation began to re-evaluate its role in ministering the inner city. Single-family residences were being replaced be high rise apartment buildings and FIRST LUTHERAN was now cast into the corporate jungle.
PASTOR JACOBSON
In August of 1968, Pastor J. Robert Jacobson began his ministry at FIRST LUTHERAN. In his report to the congregation at the annual meeting in January 1969, Pastor Bob was quoted as saying the FIRST LUTHERAN stood at the corner of 9 Street and 7 Avenue "not by our choice, but by God's choice."
Therefore, FIRST had a commitment to serve His people in the downtown. The question remained, "How?"
Messiah Lutheran, our sister congregation serving the Altadore district in south Calgary, had struggled since its inception in the mid-fifties. Seeing no future for expansion and facing a declining membership, a decision was made to merge the congregation of Messiah with FIRST LUTHERAN. On March2, 1969, sixteen families transferred into FIRST LUTHERANS membership.
