Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Sedro Wooley, Wash.)

As early as 1903, Pastor B. S. Nystrom from Bethsaida in nearby LaConner came to Sedro Woolley and conducted services in the homes of interested Swedish settlers. By 1910 it was clear that Sedro Woolley was ready for a church. Augustana student David A. Knock was present at the organizational meeting on October 5, 1910, when 14 adults and 11 children helped bring this new church into being. A Ladies’ Aid had organized even earlier. Services were held in the Sedro Woolley Presbyterian Church at first. In the spring of 1911, the old Catholic Church was purchased for $1,600. In 1922 Swedish was dropped as the official language, although there were Swedish services, in addition to English, until 1933. The church was nearly destroyed by fire in 1938. The depression made it difficult to pay the pastor. Students helped and so did the pastor of Salem in Mount Vernon. The forties brought better times and new growth. By 1954 an “Expansion Committee” was formed and in 1955 a three-acre tract was purchased on Wicker Road. On September 11, 1960 the present church was dedicated. More expansion followed with a remodeled parish hall, an Educational Unit and a new parsonage.