Immanuel Lutheran Church
Absarokee MT

59001

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Who we are

Who We Are

We’re a congregation of Christians that recognizes our early Norwegian heritage. Founded in 1897, we are one of the oldest Lutheran Congregations in the state of Montana. Immanuel is part of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Located in Absarokee, Montana, in south Stillwater County, we are nestled in the foothills of the Absaroka Beartooth Mountains.

Our worship service is liturgical with much singing of traditional Lutheran hymnody. We are a singing congregation! Immanuel’s motto is “Where we sing the faith, live the faith and pass on the faith.” You can listen to the congregation singing “A Mighty Fortress is our God”, accompanied by our pipe organ: click here. Our choir sings an impressive variety of chorales and songs to enhance our worship.

We gather each Sunday in worship at 10:30 AM, growing in faith as we celebrate God's presence in our lives through Word and Sacrament (Baptism and Holy Communion). Equipped and nourished, we are sent into our community and the world; proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed, as we engage God's mission.

We are a learning congregation. We offer Sunday School classes for all ages on Sunday morning at 9:00, in our Parish Education Hall. Following our worship service we serve coffee and goodies as we enjoy good fellowship. We are a loving congregation. We invite you to come and attend and see how God is at work in our congregation and community.

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Location of worship

Immanuel Lutheran Church
301 S Montana Ave
Absarokee, MT 59001
United States
Phone: (406) 328-4671
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Church Pastor

Reverend Jakob Schumacher
Reverend Jakob Schumacher
Pastor
301 S Montana Ave
Absarokee, MT 59001
United States
Phone: (406) 328-4671
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Denomination

Evangelical Lutheran



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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America   Edit

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Click here to contact Reverend Jakob Schumacher   Edit
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Reverend Jakob Schumacher was ordained in the ELCA and began his ministry here at Immanuel. His seminary work was done at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, with a year at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He and his wife met at Eastern Washington University where they both received their undergraduate degrees. Their son Henry was born in October of 2017 and continues to fill their lives with new adventures.
Pastor Jake’s ministry focuses on preaching the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He continually works on distinguishing the difference between Law and Gospel which shapes how we read the Bible and understand the promises that God. He would love to grab coffee with you anytime to chat and get to know you.   Edit
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Mailing Address

PO Box 343
Absarokee, MT
59001   Edit

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301 S Montana Ave, Absarokee, MT
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Immanuel Lutheran Church Service Times

​Worship Service 10:30 am

Bible Study 9:00 am​

Where ​we sing the faith, live the faith, and pass on the faith

It's been more than 5 years since the last service times update. Please make sure to contact the church to confirm service times.

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Immanuel Lutheran Church History

Immanuel Lutheran Church History

120 Years - 1897-2017

​In 1895, on the banks of Butcher Creek four miles south of Absarokee, Montana, the Immanuel Lutheran congregation began when Martin Arthun asked pioneer pastor Jorgen Madson to come and perform his wedding ceremony and also baptize a baby for John Arthun. But to set the stage for this event, a transformation had to occur. A frontier valley that was frequent host to running battles between the Crow and Sioux Indians had to become settled and safe.

Christianity had come to Montana considerably earlier. In the 1830’s Jedediah Smith, the Bible-toting mountain man, awakened a desire among the Flathead and Nez Perce tribes to know more about Christianity. The result was Protestant missionaries going to Oregon and Jesuits to northwest Montana. Later, churches had been founded in several mining settlements. But for Lutheranism to become established in Montana, there had to be Lutherans, and it was in the late 1800’s that the massive migration of Lutheran settlers from Scandinavia and Germany began. By 1885 a small group was worshiping in Melville north of Big Timber. The Home Mission Board of the Norwegian American church sent a minister, Peter Reinertson, and the first Lutheran congregation in Montana began.

Settlement in the Absarokee area was still impossible, because the reservation of the Absaroka (Crow) Indians encompassed all land south of the Yellowstone from Livingston east to the reservation’s present location. In the 1890’s two major developments combined to make Immanuel Lutheran Church possible. First, late in 1892, the Crow reservation was reduced in size and the second Crow Agency, located south of Absarokee near Jason Ostrum’s present home, moved to a location near Hardin. Thus, the valley opened to homesteaders.

The second development was arrival of a remarkable man, Jorgen Elius Madson*, a newly-ordained Lutheran pastor. Accepting calls to the churches at Melville and Castle, Madson was also responsible as a circuit rider for a territory staggering in size, from Missoula to Forsyth, north to Lewistown and south to Red Lodge. Grover Cleveland was president. Custer and his men had died just nineteen years earlier. Montana had been a state for only six years. When mines at Castle closed, men who had worked them settled in the Absarokee area. Knowing Pastor Madson from the church at Castle, these men asked him to come down to perform the wedding and baptism mentioned above. Out of this event evolved a plan for monthly services. Thus, with an unofficial beginning in 1895 and an official one on February 16, 1897, the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran, the third Lutheran church in Montana (and the first south of the Yellowstone River) was formed.

* In most of our church records and in Isabelle Johnson’s writings Rev. Madson’s name is spelled “Madsen.” However, “Madson” is correct.

Charter members signing the constitution were Tormond Arthun, Martin Arthun, Knute Haugan, Gunder Arthun, John Sievertson, Olaf Oleson, John Johnson, Chris Brakke, Ole Sundeno, Sam Indreland, Magnus Johnson, Nels Rogness, and Gilbert Gilbertson. Soon Anton Nelson, Ole Eggen, Jacob Solberg, Jacob Erickson, T.T. Haaland, Carl Gaustad, Peter Gaustad, and Albert Johnson became members. Most were Norwegians, but at least one, Magnus Johnson, was a Dane.

Calling itself Immanuel -”God With Us” - the new congregation built its first church not in the tiny settlement of Absarokee, but four miles south on land provided by Magnus Johnson on the ranch later owned by his son Elmer (and now by Elmer’s daughter Emily and her husband Dan Aadland). The site was immediately above (south) of the newly abandoned 2nd Crow Agency. Martin Arthun, Sam Indreland, and Jacob Eik were the building committee, and Eik received two dollars per day for building the church. The late artist and historian Isabelle Johnson recorded the size of the church as 18’ X 36’, the total cost $540.41. “This included the cost of the furnishings, the altar, altar rail, baptismal font, and organ.” Most of the funds were donated, but $125 was borrowed at an interest rate of 11%. Visible from the two acres Johnson fenced separately for the church were remnants of Crow tree burials in the timbered coulees to the east. In 1901 Jorgen Madson became resident pastor, moving to a homestead a mile south of the church (later the Vegge place, now owned by the Finley family). He would serve until 1907, then again from 1913-1915, and, indeed, any time he was called upon. Isabelle Johnson recalled her mother’s narrative of the Madson family’s arrival from Melville, Montana: Our home was located in a log building at the bridge crossing the Stillwater on the road from Big Timber to Absarokee. Mr. Johnson [Albert, Isabelle’s father] was riding for cattle and my mother was alone with her infant son. The morning was cold, and there was a blizzard. At three o’clock in the morning came a loud rapping at her door. Fearing Indians or highwaymen, she hesitated opening the door. She called out to learn that here was Jorgen Madsen with his wife and nine children. They had left Greycliff early the previous morning and had been lost in the wind and snow in crossing the divide between the Yellowstone and Stillwater. They travelled in two wagons. With them were their livestock and chattel. She hastened to admit them, built up the fire, and put on some coffee. Madsen said, “Woman, we must have more than coffee. We haven’t had a bite to eat since early morning, and these children are nearly starved.” She made the trip to the root cellar for potatoes and carrots, and for a ham. They were so cold that Mrs. Madsen and some of the children became ill. They stayed for several days, sleeping on improvised mattresses on the floor. Reverend Madsen and the older boys went on to prepare the home until the ill were again able to travel. Besides founding Immanuel, Pastor Madson established congregations at St. Olaf (between Red Lodge Creek and Volney Creek), where he is buried, Roscoe, and several other locations. His tremendous stature as a pioneer pastor is suggested by those in attendance at the dedication of the monument erected near his home after his death in 1928. The keynote speakers were John E. Erickson, former governor of Montana, and Dr. L.W. Boe, president of St. Olaf College.

During the pastorships of R.A. Reese and Alfred Furness (1907-1913) the congregation grew rapidly, as did the need for a church building in the town of Absarokee. The population of Lutherans to the north and west of town had increased, resulting in terribly long wagon rides each Sunday for faithful worshipers. Isabelle Johnson recalled from her childhood cold, dark, early-morning departures by wagon to reach the church on Butcher Creek by eleven.

In 1914 P.A. Hawkins donated lots in Absarokee on which to build a new church. The congregation voted in 1915 to erect, at a cost of $3000, a building 30’ X 60’ by 80’ high and agreed with their new pastor, Peter Luvaas, that construction should not begin until most of the funds had been raised. With help from the Lutheran Mission Board, this was accomplished, and John 0. Lee contracted to build the church for $2999. The building was completed and dedicated with an elaborate three-day celebration on July 15, 1917.

​ The 1920’s brought great changes to Immanuel Lutheran. The congregation had swelled during the great “dryland boom” before World War I, years of unusual moisture and high grain prices. Now twenty years of drought began. Many of the homesteaders had to give up their farms and leave. Several times the church fell into arrears, occasionally having difficulty paying the pastor’s salary. Furnishing the church required extra funds. The original church building (on Butcher Creek) was sold to St. Luke’s congregation in Roscoe in 1920 and was moved.

A small house on the west side of Absarokee was purchased as the first parsonage and was occupied by Rev. John Aarthun and family. This building proved inadequate, and the present parsonage was built in 1931 by volunteers working with John 0. Lee, for just $16, the cost of the chimney. (All other materials and labor were donated.) The late Andy Anderson recalled being sent to town with a team of horses and a “slip” (sometimes called a “Fresno”) to dig out the basement of the pastor’s future home.

Pastor 0. T. Haugen’s ministry, from 1924-1939, was prominent during the twenties and the depression that followed. Church services switched from Norwegian to English. All records before 1926 were kept only in the Norwegian language. (Records of the “Kvinde Forening”--the Ladies Aid--were also kept in Norwegian until that time and were eventually translated into English by the late Thea Ostrum.) During the depression Pastor Haugen often admonished his congregation to attend services, not stay away because they had no money to put in the collection plate.

Isabelle Johnson recalled the pastors who served Immanuel in the forties as follows: “Everett Gilbertson (1940-1943) was the first to get the church to adopt a budget system of finance and the envelope system for the Sunday offering. Julius Hovland (1943-1949) organized the Lutheran Brotherhood as a church activity. Evan Knutson arrived in 1949 and served until 1952. During his ministry much work was done on the parsonage. The upstairs was completed and an enclosed back entry added.” Others will have additional memories of these pastors and their wives. Pastor Hovland, for instance, was a skilled photographer who enjoyed photographing parishioners and presenting them with enlarged prints for framing. Pastors during this era were equally familiar to the St. Olaf congregation, which they served along with Immanuel.

​ In 1952 Rev. Arthur 0. Aadland came to Immanuel for an eleven-year stay. The Parish Hall was built during this time and dedicated on October 27, 1957, and a rear addition was built to house a pastor’s office and organ room.

Picture In Isabelle Johnson’s words, “Pastor Aadland was more than usually gifted musically and mechanically. During his pastorate, with the aid of memorials and gifts, he constructed and put into use a complete pipe organ.” Building the eight-rank pipe organ was a family affair, Pastor Aadland’s children assembling after school to help glue the wooden pipes (the longest was sixteen feet) and wind electrical wire on the solenoid magnets that operated the organ’s action. The organ was publicized in national magazines, and a steady stream of visitors came to hear it with Inga Aadland at the keyboard. Because of inability to maintain the complex instrument after its designer and builder accepted a call to Westbrook, Minnesota, (and perhaps some lack of knowledge of its value) the organ was later donated to Old Westbrook Lutheran Church in south-west Minnesota where Pastor Aadland added additional ranks of pipes and an oak console. The instrument still plays for Sunday services and is sought for weddings and recitals.

Pastor Aadland’s successor, Eugene Peisker, served for just three years (1963-1966). He is remembered for his work with youth and his keen sense of humor. Pastor Peisker was replaced by Earl Erickson, who stressed individual worship in small groups and Bible study. In addition to services at Immanuel and St. Olaf, Pastor Erickson started services at Nye. During his pastorate a major reorganization took place. St. Olaf became part of the Red Lodge congregation, and Immanuel agreed to share a pastor with St. James Lutheran in Columbus. This arrangement lasted until the mid 198O s, but it was a difficult challenge. Both congregations were active and demanding and separated by a difficult stretch of highway. Thus, during the early years of Pastor Charles Sider’s tenure, Immanuel Lutheran voted to separate from the Columbus congregation. A modernization of the church interior occurred during the mid-sixties, the only major change in the sanctuary, and one that did not last very long. The traditional altar was removed to the rear of the church and replaced with a table-type altar with cross. Isabelle Johnson, the retired art professor, was influential in returning the original altar to its past (and current) position.

Pastor Howard White served only from 1977-1979 but is remembered for his energetic and stirring sermons. He was the first minister called from the LCA synod (rather than the ALC or, previously, the ELC), for the arrangement with St. James in Columbus was for replacement pastors to be chosen alternately from the two synods. (The point is moot today, because the synods have merged.) In 1979 Bruce Jenkins and his wife Terry arrived, serving until 1983. An athletic and scholarly man, Pastor Jenkins was a familiar sight on his daily runs along the highway. Terry was an exceptional musician, a violinist in the Billings Symphony, director of the Immanuel choir, and organizing director of the Stillwater Community Choir.

Pastor Charles A. Sider and his wife Debbie came in 1983 and stayed until 2005, the longest tenure by any minister at Immanuel. During their stay a major building project was undertaken which involved remodeling the Parish Hall, changing the roof to pitched configuration, and insulating the entire structure. Maintenance-free siding was installed on both church and parsonage. There were many extensions of the ministry during the Siders’ stay, from youth activities such as the carnival to Christmas tree drives to the wagon trains which culminated with services at St. Olaf. Chuck and Debbie both sang in the Immanuel Choir and instituted a folk choir and a once-monthly folk service.

In 1997 Immanuel Lutheran celebrated its Centennial with a spring program and banquet at the old gymnasium at the Absarokee Schools, attended by several former pastors, and later, an outdoor service at the site of the original church building four miles south of Absarokee on the Johnson (now Aadland) Ranch.

Pastor and Debbie Sider left in 2005 to be replaced temporarily by Interim Pastor Kristi Bummer, who served us with great energy and enthusiasm, often challenging us with exposure to alternative liturgies such as Holden Evening Prayer (for Lenten services) and to a greater awareness of our place in the larger church. During the summer of 2006 Rev. Robert Leaverton and his wife Susan were called from Baltimore, Maryland, where Pastor Leaverton had completed his studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. With his wife Susan, a Lay Pastoral Associate, the Leavertons enriched worship at Immanuel with their wide range of experience and their heartfelt sincerity, expanding Immanuel’s community outreach, instituting new programs for youth, and introducing additional liturgical elements to our services. During Pastor Leaverton’s nine years at Immanuel, two major projects were completed. The first was germinated after the death of Rev. A. O. Aadland, when his family gifted a complete pipe organ, earlier built by Rev. Aadland and installed in his home. Immanuel’s pastor, several parishioners, and members of Pastor Aadland’s family removed the organ and transported it to Absarokee in horse trailers. Then the work truly began, and Art Aadland of Aadland Pipe Organ Company was contracted to much enlarge the organ and adapt and voice it to Immanuel’s architecture along with converting it to state of the art computerized control. An organ chamber was created under the church steeple, above the narthex, and men, women, and children, both Immanuel members and community volunteers, spent some 6200 hours, much of it in Steve Aadland’s shop, which became Art’s temporary headquarters. Particularly notable was a team effort involving raising a piano-sized chest on a scaffold and into position.

​Finally all was housed behind a hand-rubbed oak façade. Total cost of the project, nearly $150,000, was provided completely outside the church budget by donors not only from Immanuel but from 26 states and several foreign countries. Dedication of the organ on July 8, 2012 featured a festival service followed by an organ recital by Dr. Michael Elsbernd. Several recitals have followed, the organ not only enriching Immanuel’s worship, but serving as a community asset as well. Also during these years the kitchen was modernized and a building improvement project was undertaken involving enlargement and modernization of the Parish Hall bathrooms, new carpet in the sanctuary, and a Parish Hall building addition to house a lift (elevator) for entrance to the facility by people who might have difficulty with stairs. Made in England and donated by the Holman family and other generous contributors, the lift makes worship possible for many who might otherwise be unable to attend. After Pastor Leaverton’s retirement in late 2015 Immanuel was served with sincerity for several months by Intentional Interim Rev. Janice Johnson, then, for a more extended period, by Intentional Interim Rev. Linda Rose, who serves us as of this writing with Christ-centered sermons, good humor, and conscientious pastoral care. As we approach our triple anniversary--120 years as an organized congregation, 100 years in our current church building, and 500 years since Luther’s nailing of the “95 Theses” on the church door in Wittenberg-- Immanuel has instituted a call committee to search for a pastor to help write our next chapter of worship.

Looking back over more than a century of worship it is difficult to differ with Isabelle Johnson in highlighting several areas where Immanuel Lutheran has been uniquely strong. She singled out the Immanuel Lutheran Church Women (now Faith Circle and formerly Ladies’ Aid and “Kvinde Forening”) for their energy and productivity and ever-faithful service in every crisis.

Further, Isabelle referred to Immanuel as a “singing church,” a church with a rich musical tradition. Lutheranism has always been well known in this area, having counted as members some of the world’s greatest composers (Bach and Handel, for instance) and having a rich, liturgical mode of worship, much of it sung by the congregation. This tradition continues today and blooms particularly brightly at Christmas and Easter with choir services, skilled organists, instrumental music, and caroling. She pointed out that past church organists were often pastor’s wives, first members of the Madson family, then highly trained musicians such as Olivia Gilbertson, Gladys Hovland, and Inga Aadland.

More recently, organist Irv Solstad retired during Pastor Sider’s time at Immanuel, being replaced by Sandy Verschoot who serves to this day, along with Dan Aadland, choir director since the early 1980’s. And so, the church they called Immanuel (“God with Us”), sings, worships, and prays that its first 120 years of will be followed through the 21st Century and beyond with dedication to fulfilling its mission as formally stated: “Immanuel Lutheran Church invites all people into the community of Jesus Christ, equipping them to be disciples and sending them forth to serve and witness in Jesus’ name.”

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Immanuel Lutheran Church FAQs

Question: Where is Immanuel Lutheran Church located?
Answer: Immanuel Lutheran Church is located at 301 S Montana Ave, Absarokee, Montana.

Question: Who is Immanuel Lutheran Church's pastor?
Answer: Immanuel Lutheran Church's pastor is Reverend Jakob Schumacher.

Question: What time is service at Immanuel Lutheran Church?
Answer: ​Worship Service 10:30 am Bible Study 9:00 am​ Where ​we sing the faith, live the faith, and pass on the faith

Question: What is Immanuel Lutheran Church's Facebook page?
Answer: https://www.facebook.com/Immanuel-Lutheran-Church-Absarokee-Montana-234061029941503/

Question: What is Immanuel Lutheran Church's website?
Answer: http://www.immanuelinabsarokee.org/

Question: What denominaiton is Immanuel Lutheran Church?
Answer: Immanuel Lutheran Church belongs to Evangelical Lutheran denomination and is affiliated with Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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Dear God, help my unbelief. When I'm in pain, I forget that you care about me. I forget that you have helped me through my trials. I forget that you hold me in your arms to keep me safe. I forget that you are feeling my pain with me. I forget that you love me, I forget that I am important to you. Show me your presence - let me feel your enveloping love. Heal my hurting soul. Thank you for staying with me even in my unbelief.
Immanuel Lutheran Church listing was last updated on the 24th of July, 2018
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