Peace Lutheran Church (Astoria, Or.)

Germans, Finns and Swedes; the Suomi synod, Augustana and ULCA; buildings of frame, concrete and brick – all these plus faith and hope, patience and hard work, and more than one hundred years, went into the making of what is now Peace Lutheran in Astoria. There were also leaders like veteran missionary Peter Carlson in 1880, young Seminary graduate J. J. Hoikka in 1883, and Pastor G. K. Andeen in 1929, plus many others who preceeded and prayed, organized and merged the various congregations that are a part of the history of Peace. The predecessor churches, known as Old First, Memorial, Finnish, and Trinity all have their own distinctive histories and traits. Some 700 baptized and 560 confirmed members make up this congregation of several previous congregations and synods, including a German congregation organized in 1870. It is one of Oregon’s oldest Lutheran congregations and it stands as a beacon of faith on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the mighty Columbia River.