Members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kasson have been celebrating its
heritage all year in recognition of its 150th Anniversary. To honor this milestone,
“Past Pastors” have been invited to preach during their Legacy Sundays (3rd
Sunday of each month), a special Anniversary Service was held in April to
commemorate the Incorporation in 1876, and now this coming Sunday,
September 20, there will be a special Celebration Service where Bishop Regina
Hassanally will preach. This service will be filled with music, including an organ
solo, handbells, brass quartet, flute, violin, cello, as well as the Senior Choir
premiering the commissioned piece “Your Steadfast Love” by Matthew Culloton.
This piece honors the past and inspires the future. In addition to the special
service, a brunch will be served and many fun activities will be held on the church
lawn to kick off the youth programming. Various history items are on display and
also commemorative items and history books are for sale. A festive gala featuring
dinner and live music will be held for the congregation the evening before the
special service.
St. John’s began its history when six families living in Kasson requested to start
their own church at the annual meeting of West St. Olaf congregation of Hayfield,
MN, in February, 1876. They wanted to worship in the area where they were
living. The request was approved and St. John’s was incorporated on April 3 rd ,
1876. The records show that Pastor J.A. Thorsen was the Pastor for the new
congregation for three years in addition to the parishes of East St. Olaf, West St.
Olaf, Hayfield Evanger and another in Rochester. At the beginning, members met
over stores, only men were in leadership positions, and the services were in
Norwegian.
By 1903, there were 23 families belonging to the congregation and it was this year
that St. John’s purchased the church belonging to the Danish Baptists for $1,000.
This building was located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 5th Street NW in Kasson.
Later in 1916, the congregation voted to build a new church. The old church was
sold to Andrew Beaver and moved off the lot. The second church was dedicated
on August 26th, 1917.
When St. John’s first formed, sharing a Pastor was common. It wasn’t until 1921
when Pastor Mikkel Lono served for five years. When Pastor Thorvald E. Moen
arrived on May 1st, 1928, he provided stability for many years as he served until
1956. Another long-term Pastor, Pastor Curtis H. Johnson, was installed on
August 17th, 1961, and served 36 years. Several years after his arrival, the third
church was built in 1963-1964 on donated land where St. John’s currently stands.
The last service in the old church was in April 1964, and afterwards the
congregation held a procession to the current location. The membership grew
and in 1992, renovation of the current church included a new kitchen, remodeling
the office areas and library, increasing the narthex area, and adding to the Sunday
School wing with additional restrooms.
The current pastors include Senior Pastor John Weisenburger, who began in 2022,
part-time Associate Pastor Kristen Schlauderaff, and Intern Pastor Kirby Chilson.
Preparation for the 150 th Anniversary began in the Fall of 2024. There have been
many sub-groups involved in planning all aspects of the anniversary activities.
In addition to our Anniversary Service, St. John’s members are gearing up for their
annual Lutefisk Dinner which will be October 22nd. This dinner has been served
since the early 1930’s.
