Hope Lutheran Church
Anniversary Moments - Did You Know...
April 2026: Did you know... By definition, the word fellowship means companionship, shared beliefs, friendship and community. At Hope it also means FOOD! Our fellowship is a meal after Sunday service where all are welcome to visit with each other. Over the years Fellowship has taken on many different formats. Jan Bathke, a long-time friend of Hope, shared this information, “The fellowship hour we know now didn’t always exist. First there was nothing, then coffee only, then coffee and desserts, then sandwiches, and then full-blown meals. Several older members who lived alone and didn’t cook for themselves benefited from the food that was served. Sometimes it was the only meal they ate for that day,” Jolene Albert recalls that fellowship occurred in the back of the church before the fellowship hall was built. “Before the kitchen and addition to the current building, the chairs in the back of the sanctuary were moved to set up tables for potlucks and dinners. This was done so efficiently and quickly because everyone joined in to help.”
In a recent survey done at Hope, the fellowship time was listed as #2 of things people enjoyed the most about Hope Lutheran. Not only do people enjoy the great food, many friendships have occurred thanks to fellowship. Russ Oberg writes, “I met my girlfriend at Hope during fellowship after service one day.” Additionally, seasonal visitor Jacqueline Eklund commented, “my fondest memory of Hope is the people I met at the fellowship brunch after services” and Jason Bramstadt says, “the Sunday potlucks are the best aspect of Hope.” Long time member Darlene Behling worked many years in the kitchen with Cheryl Chapman. She recalls a luncheon when they made baked ham and cheese sandwiches. She writes, “The last batch got burned but we served them anyway and people came into the kitchen and asked if we had any more of those very browned sandwiches because they were so good.” While it is a labor of love by the Women of Hope, Sunday morning fellowship is appreciated. Neil Ecklund, summer visitor, stated, “I suppose it might be easy and natural for those who provide and work at the luncheon every Sunday to feel it’s a never ending and thankless chore, but I think it’s a very important part of ministry and it provides a wonderful social contact time especially in the winter when people feel more isolated. Thank you to all who make it possible.”
In addition to Sunday’s Food Fellowship, Food for the Flock provides meals to members of the Hope community who may be recovering from an illness or injury. Volunteers from Hope cook and deliver meals to those individuals. Bonnie Deutsch has benefited from the program several times and writes, ”In 2015, I was new to Hope and was in a bad snowmobile accident and laid up a long time. So many members brought food and visited. I couldn’t believe it, especially being a “newbie”. I recently was in need again and am grateful for this ministry.”
Historically, baking has been a strong tradition at Hope. LuAnn Gregas talks about bake sales held at church in the past. “I remember my mom, Lorraine Lloyd making donuts over our wood cookstove and baking seven loaves of bread in that oven for the bake sale.” Pastor Gary Albert recalls, “Ethel Sorenson often brought the most pies. Her husband, Elmer made two wooden racks with slots so she could transport her pies to church. Other women made cream puffs and butter horns.” Paul Sheffler recalls his fondest memory of Hope by stating, “My mom took me to Hope to have strawberry shortcake during the week after the 4th of July.” To this day, the tradition of food defines fellowship at Hope and the caring environment it fosters.
March 2026: Did you know… The current parsonage that Pastor and Robin Mueller occupy was built two years after the sanctuary was built. Discussions about building a parsonage began in January of 1961 while Rev. David Brockopp served Hope. In March of 1961, the congregation received a loan from Lutheran Church Extension Fund of $20,000.00 for the building of a parsonage. Construction began in September of 1961 and was completed in April of 1962. Dedication of the parsonage occurred on April 29, 1962 with a ribbon cutting and presentation of the keys from contractor Harry LaFriske to Donald Ort, congregational chairman. Additional funds were needed to complete items to the parsonage which were not covered by the original plans. An additional loan of $2,000.00 was secured from the LCMS Northern Wisconsin District. The total cost to build the parsonage was $22,000.00.
In 2024, Hope renovated the current parsonage. The kitchen was gutted and replaced with new appliances, flooring, plumbing, countertops and cabinetry. In addition, old carpet and flooring was ripped up and replaced with vinyl luxury plan (VLP) flooring in the main living areas and new carpeting in the bedrooms. Bathrooms also were renovated. New gutters were recently installed and both the interior and exterior of the building was painted. Many church members volunteered their time to help with this project. As a result, the total cost to redo the parsonage was $35,000. Thanks to the generosity of friends and members of Hope, all funds for the renovation were raised from the Faith, Hope and Love Campaign.
Upcoming projects for the maintenance of the parsonage include a new furnace, well, updating the electrical service and replacing all exterior doors. The importance of maintaining parsonages was recently published in the January 2026 issue of the Reporter, the official newspaper of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The article is entitled Worker Wellness, Necessary conversations: The Church Parsonage and was written by Cheryl Magness. In this article, the author stresses the importance of maintaining a parsonage. One source in the article states, “ caring for a parsonage is not only smart, it is the right thing to do. It protects the congregation’s investment but also gives the family a nice place to live, a place they can be happy in and feel proud of. It also makes it more likely that they will care for the home, since it was in good shape to begin with.” Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor is the managing director of the LCMS Office of National Mission and states in the article, “Church workers need living conditions that keep them safe and healthy. When we install church workers into our congregations, we make promises to the Lord, the (church) workers and to each other that we will support them. This includes making sure they have safe and healthy lodging. We make personal sacrifices to give and provide for them which is fitting because our workers sacrifice a great deal to serve us and our Lord.”
February 2026: Did you know… Throughout the history of Hope Lutheran Church, pastors served not only our congregation but several others as well. Some of the other LCMS churches that Hope shared our pastors with included Grace, Three Lakes, WI; Our Savior, Eagle River, WI; Trinity, Boulder Junction, WI; St. Paul, Beechwood, MI; St Paul, Iron River, MI; and Sion of Amasa, MI. At times, Hope was part of a two- or three-point parish. The Reverend Dr. Jack Ferguson served Hope and St. Paul, Iron River. Pastor Ferguson recalls, “Winters were primitive, but summers always brought in a hoard of visitors. I remember wearing gloves in the chancel on Sunday mornings because it was so cold but enjoyed fishing in the summer on my days off.“ Pastor Terry Tieman had a triple-point parish, serving Hope, St. Paul, Iron River and Sion, Amasa, MI. His wife Becky recalls, “My husband travelled 107 miles each Sunday from Amasa, Iron River and back to Land O Lakes.” Pastor Tieman wrote, “ Since I would drive to Hope from conducting services at St. Paul, Iron River, the organist had instructions to begin the first hymn of worship at Hope even if I wasn’t there yet. Often, I would arrive during that hymn and change into my robe while the congregation was singing. Soon thereafter, the members of Hope bought robes for me so I wouldn’t have to rush as much. I still have that robe today and wear it proudly.” On the following page is a list of Pastors of Hope Lutheran throughout our history.
January 2026: Did you know… The Women of Hope have been active throughout all of Hope’s history. In January of 1953, the first Ladies Guild was organized, and ladies of Hope joined the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). While official membership in LWML is currently inactive, Hope’s LWML still distributes and collects mite boxes to support missions throughout the world. Besides LWML, the Women of Hope continue to be a vital part of Hope Lutheran Church. Clothing and quilt drives for Orphan Grain Train are held regularly, and members are very generous in donating gently used items for this mission. Additionally, the Women of Hope support Operation Shoebox to give gifts of toys, socks, toiletries and other gifts to needy children at Christmas. Donations are packed into shoeboxes that get sent to children all over the world. The Women of Hope are also responsible all the work that goes into the beloved Sunday morning fellowship meals.
December 2025: Did you know… Christmas has always been an extremely special time in the life of Hope Lutheran. Christmas Eve candlelight services have always been a highlight. Lighting one worshipper’s candle in the start of each pew and having each participant light the next person’s candle is a beautiful tribute to Jesus, the Light of the World. With all other lights extinguished, the congregation sings Silent Night by candlelight. In 2021 pew candles were added to enhance the Sanctuary during the Christmas Eve service. During Covid many churches were not able to have a Christmas Eve service but Hope prevailed by having two services that evening and accommodating worshipers with social distance spacing in the pews. Unfortunately, a huge blizzard cancelled Christmas services in December 2022.
November 2025: Did you know… The current property on which Hope Lutheran Church stands was obtained through a land exchange with the U.S. Forest Service. In order to acquire the property an equivalent amount of land value had to be exchanged. One section of land exchange was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ehlert of Watersmeet, MI and two additional sections of land were donated by Mr. Christensen of Phelps, WI. The land exchange was approved by the US Forest Service in April of 1956.
October 2025: Did you know… Hope Lutheran Church held its first worship service in the basement of the Land O Lakes Town Hall on October 15, 1950. Sixteen people were in attendance, and the service was officiated by Pastor Paul Natzke. Services were held in the town hall until 1959 when the current sanctuary was built. Current member Luanne Gregas and frequent visitor Tom Kind were among those who worshipped in the original setting and still worship at Hope today. In addition, Mark Pflughoeft shared that he also remembers worshipping in the town hall.