I got to wondering the other day when the congregation of Chariton's First Lutheran Church, launched as the Swedish Lutheran Church in 1869, made the official switch to English from the native language of its peoples and pastors.
The question was inspired by a couple of young men, one Swedish and the other a native of Iceland, who live in Copenhagen and communicate with each other at home in both Icelandic and Swedish, when out in public in their adopted homeland, in Danish --- and in near pitch-perfect English when it's necessary or useful for them to do so.
Most red-blooded Americans swoon at the thought of multilingualism --- and some become downright angry.
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So far as the Chariton congregation is concerned, the great decision apparently was made during a congregational meeting in early January, 1929, and was reported upon as follows in The Chariton Leader of Jan. 8, 1929:
A NEW DEPARTURE
Services at Lutheran Church to be in English Language
There is an end to all things and there comes a time for change whether we really desire it or not. Ever since the Swedish church was organized in Chariton there had been the regular preaching in the Swedish language. At first all the services were in the Swedish tongue, but as the younger folks came on one of the services on Sunday was in English. Recently it was decided at an official meeting that both Sunday morning and evening preaching was to be in the English language, but a Swedish language service will be arranged at another hour of the day --- or during the week. No doubt some of the older members regret this innovation, but cheerfully acquiesce. Again this proves the old law of change. The congregation welcomes everybody who desires to attend.
I think I detect the conciliatory voice of a pastor in this brief news release and would be willing to bet that some older members of the congregation did not go quite so cheerfully into that brave new world of exclusively English liturgy, music and preaching.
But the key here probably is the line, "the congregation welcomes everybody who desires to attend." Swedish Lutheran, now First Lutheran, remains a lively congregation --- affiliated with the ELCA and with members of various backgrounds and ancestry. Its 1903 building (above) still stands, but the congregation itself has moved to a new church building elsewhere in Chariton. Some Swedish language services continued into the 1930s, but were discontinued as those for whom Swedish was a native language gradually passed to their rewards.
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Elsewhere in Chariton in 1929, however, a bastion of all things Swedish firmly resisted this innovation --- the Swedish Mission church at the intersection of North 13th Street and Braden Avenue, located in a smaller building now occupied by a Ukrainian Pentecostal group.
Chariton's Mission Covenant Church traced its origins to 1878, when the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden, a Swedish Reformed free church, was organized by Swedes unhappy with the official (Lutheran) Church of Sweden.
The Swedish Mission and Swedish Lutheran churches were on speaking terms in Chariton --- and occasionally held joint services on special occasions. But in this instance, perhaps thinking it might steal a sheep or two, the Mission church began to advertise, "all who understand Swedish are welcome" rather than as their Lutheran counterparts did, "all are welcome."
The nomenclature of the Mission church changed as the years passed. By the 1940s, "Swedish" had for the most part been dropped as the congregation tried to broaden its base and the name Mission Covenant was used. The denomination now is known as the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Chariton's Mission Covenant church folded during the early 1950s and, in 1954, the church building and parsonage were sold to the Christian Union denomination and the Rev. Pearl Sams and his family moved to Chariton to serve the new congregation. That, however, is beyond the scope of this brief exploration of Swedish Lutherans and the Swedish language.
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