Memories on the block
By Deb GauToday, the things that helped mark Israel Lutheran Church as a house of worship all must go.
Along with the plates, silverware and kitchen equipment listed, there's an altar, a Communion rail and stacks of hymnals on the bill for today's auction at the church site in rural Clarkfield.
"For me it got kind of touching (Tuesday) night, when we started taking the curtains down in the basement," said church member Marlene Berg, who was a member until the church closed in December
Berg had gathered Tuesday with other parishioners to box up items for the auction at the church. The auction starts at 11 a.m. and lunch will be served by members of the FLY youth group.
It was tough going through the church for items to auction, church member Helen Werner said, although it was harder to make the decision to close the church last year.
"There were a lot of tears. We had a lot of different times together, as a group," Werner said. "There's a lifetime of memories."
By the time Israel Lutheran closed, parishioners said, the church was down to about six active families. It was clear the church wouldn't be able to survive much longer.
"We knew it had been coming for years," said church member Dale Berg.
"There's just not the people out in the country, you know," said Elden Appelwick, a lifetime member of the church who is assisting with the auction.
The church building will eventually be removed from its current location southwest of Clarkfield, church members said. Before that can happen, the furniture and fixtures inside need to be auctioned off. Parishioners have been planning the auction since January and met this week to sort through and pack the auction items.
Appelwick said he and another church member were cutting boxes to size for the auction items on Tuesday.
"We kept down there for about two hours, I think," he said. "It's a good sized bill."
The auction bill includes memorabilia from Israel Lutheran's centennial, furniture and pews and a pair of Hammond organs.
"I've been playing the organ for over 50 years" at the church, Werner said. Tuesday, she said, "I played my last number on it."
Parishioners said they hoped there would be good weather and a good turnout for the auction.
Appelwick didn't seem too worried.
"I've gotten a lot of calls," he said. "There was one person from Lake Benton who wondered if they could take a look at the organs. People are interested. One of the biggest interests are pews."
Dale Berg and Werner said they hope former church members and people with ties to Israel Lutheran will attend the auction. Another possibility is that other churches will come to bid on some of the items.
"I think we'll all be there," Werner said of the parishioners.
The last Israel Lutheran parishioners had close ties to the church community. Appelwick said his family was connected with Israel Lutheran for generations, going back to the church's founding.
"I can remember back when we were kids, we would do the Christmas programs. When we got out, there would be people handing out apples at the door. That was a big deal in them days," Appelwick said. In later years, "after church we always stayed and had a cup of coffee. We got to do a lot of socializing."
Now, the church members are split up for worship, some attending different churches within the local Healing Waters Parish. Even with Israel Lutheran gone, however, Appelwick said the parishioners are still close, partly because they're neighbors.
"None of us are that far apart," he said. "We see each other all the time."
