Bethel Lutheran Church (Firth, Idaho)

A small group of Swedish immigrants met in Basalt, Idaho on April 27, 1898 and organized Bethel Lutheran Church. Services were held in homes, other available spaces, and a schoolhouse in Shelley for a time. In 1911 a small white church, with bell tower and tall steeple, was built. A few years later a parsonage was added next to the church. For many years services were conducted in Swedish. In the early 1920s, English came to be used exclusively.

A new church was dedicated April 28, 1957. Through the dedicated efforts of members and friends, the mortgage was retired only ten years later. In 1973 Bethel celebrated its 75th Anniversary with the dedication of a bell tower to house the bell from the old church.

From the guide to the Bethel Lutheran Church, Firth, Idaho, Records, 1898-2012, (Pacific Lutheran University)