WILLOW CITY Families from Willow City and the surrounding area will gather Sunday in St. Paul Lutheran Church, Willow City, to hold a final worship service, a potluck dinner and a public farewell closing.

The days of needing extra seating space for the large attendance at services are over.

"It's kind of a sad thing, but reality is there," Anna Biberdorf, a longtime member of the church, said. "We don't have the members any more and the full congregation finally decided we would have to close and join other congregations."

Biberdorf said she had been a member of the church since she was 10 or 11 years old. She was confirmed and married in the Willow City church. Her and her husband's children were baptized and confirmed there.

First service

The first worship service was conducted by the Rev. William Ditzen in the early 1920s when people gathered in the Fred Kitzman home in Willow City. St. Paul Lutheran, a "daughter" church of Immanuel Willow Creek seven miles west of Willow City, was then organized.

Services were later held in the Presbyterian church and Norwegian church.

Historical information about the church was provided to The Minot Daily News by Marylyn L. Diebold, a longtime member of the Willow City church.

In that information, the Rev. A.H. Teyler wrote, "As early as 1925, the wish had been expressed to organize a congregation in Willow City, and seeing the desirability and necessity of such a move, I encouraged but did not hurry it."

"As the Methodist and Presbyterian churches had amalgamated years ago and were using the Presbyterian church for their meetings, the Methodist building was to be razed and rebuilt at some distant place but could be bought for $500 as it stood (building, lot, no furniture, scorched and blackened by a recent fire caused by an overheated stove). I got in contact with the superintendent, Mr. Babcock at Minot at once, who gave me one week to decide whether or not we would accept this bargain. As it was fall and threshing time and no congregation was organized as yet in Willow City, we could not expect to get the people together to act on the offer," he added.

"Encouraged by a number of interested people, I decided to make the deal and made a down payment, using our children's savings and collect the money later from prospective members of Willow City and members of Immanuel, Willow Creek," he concluded.

Thus, in 1927, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed, and in January 1928 Theo Klebe, Emil Semler, Gustave Dumdai Sr., Werner Teyler, August Zimmerman, August Boettcher, Fred Ventske, Charles Durdel, Reinhold Marks and J.H. Wittmayer signed the constitution for the church.

A resolution to join the Missouri Synod was made and approved in 1934. Ten years later the church became self-supporting.

Projects

The congregation constructed a basement in 1935, and also laid the cornerstone. These projects were carried out mainly through the efforts of the hard-working Lutheran Women's Missionary League.

The church purchased a Tower Music Sound System for the church in 1949 and for many years, sacred chime music played from the church belfry on Sunday mornings, replacing the sound of the usual belfry bell.

A $7,000 loan was secured by the church through the Church Extension Fund in 1954. The church was then enlarged and a new chancel area added.

St. Paul Church of Willow City joined with St. Paul of Rugby in October 1959 and became a dual parish. This arrangement continued until the present.

Sunday school

Sunday school classes at the church date back to the formation of the church in 1927. Records show that more than 70 children were enrolled during the 1950-1960 years. The church's 50th anniversary booklet gives an enrollment of more than 40 students. In 2002, the enrollment dwindled to 13. Those children also attended vacation Bible school in the summer.

Sunday school at the church concluded in 2006, when the last of its Sunday school children were confirmed.

Throughout the years, The Lutheran Women's Missionary League has been a powerful Gospel witnessing tool.

In 1992, the church purchased hand chimes and people from the congregation learned to play them. These chimes added special music to the Easter and Christmas worship services and during other special gatherings.

The church was more than a place to worship.

Lutheran Braille Workers established a work center in the basement of the church in November 1980. People from other churches in the community joined church members to prepare material for sightless people around the world. The group met there until 1992 when it moved to Our Savior Lutheran Church, Bottineau.

Avonne Gessner, of Bottineau, one of the founding members of the Lutheran Braille Workers, said the nondenominational group has grown to about 35 volunteer members who meet the first two Tuesdays of every month. Two work sessions are held each day.

Sadly, like many other rural and small-town churches, it has completed its mission. The doors will close, and its members will worship elsewhere. The chimes will no longer be heard.

Memories

Leo Wittmayer would bring a comfortable cushion to church with him. "I'll be bringing that pillow with me when I attend services in other churches too," he said with a bit of laughter.

"I traveled so many places while I was in the military and also when I was teaching," Wittmayer said. "When I come to church I want to relax and I do that best when I'm sitting on my own pillow."

The Rev. Phillip Hannemann, the present pastor, hopes to travel from Rugby to Willow City to continue a monthly public Bible study.

"The (sound) system had been operating beautifully and provided joyous sounds for the community during the Christmas season," Diebold said. "Late this summer after one of the church services I noticed a rubbery smell when I was counting the offering money. The system was probably burned out by lightning.

"The sound went down with the church," she added.

As for the building, there are no specific plans for it right now.

"If I had the money, I'd probably buy it right now a for nominal fee if I had the means to heat it," Diebold said.

"With every ending, there's a new beginning," she said. "We will grieve but we will go on."