Bishop Sartison and Pastor Ehrhardt with the Time Capsule, just before it was buried on church property

1997 was a focal point of celebration at St. John’s. In the one year, the members of the church could celebrate both the 130th anniversary of the founding of the congregation, and the 100th anniversary of the building of the present church building.  The opportunity was not to be missed, and it wasn’t. Under the vision “Reaching Up to Christ and Out to Others,” it seemed as if the entire year was devoted to celebration in one form or another. A Luther Chorale Service, Winter Fun Days and Lenten and Easter Observations filled the first part of the year. With the coming of warmer weather, the 130th anniversary of the Congregation was marked on April 27th. The Reverend Susan Johnson, Assistant to Bishop Huras of Eastern Synod and currently our National Bishop, led the two services that morning.

May 17th and 18th saw a two‑day homecoming to St. John’s. On Saturday afternoon, visitors were treated to an open house at the Church. A photo gallery, displays of historical artifacts and personal memorabilia, and tours of the church and grounds were available. Former Pastors of St. John’s conducted services on the 18th, at both 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Pastor Ehrhardt conducted the 11:00 AM service, which featured an Affirmation of Baptism.  The buffet dinner that evening was well attended. Reverend Dr. Oscar Cole Arnal, Professor of Historical Theology at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, was the after dinner guest speaker.

Pastor Ehrhardt and Bishop Huras welcome Bishop Brendan O’Brien

Both an old‑fashioned family church picnic and a strawberry social marked June and July. September 28th was the day on which anniversary services were held to commemorate the building of our church. The Right Reverend Dr. William D. Huras, Bishop of Eastern Synod, conducted the services, assisted by Pastor Ehrhardt. A special guest was Bishop Brendan O’Brian, Roman Catholic Bishop for the City of Pembroke. The 11:00 AM service was followed by a buffet luncheon.

Two main activities were held in October. An Oktoberfest was held in Luther Hall on the 17th of the month. On the evening of the 25th, a Special Evening Church Service was conducted by the Most Reverend Telmor G. Sartison, the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Following this service, a Time Capsule containing items of significance to the Anniversary Year was buried on the Church property. This capsule will be opened in 2047, the 180th anniversary of St. John’s. We were pleased to have as a guest our Member of Parliament, Mr. Hec Clouthier. Advent and Christmas activities rounded out the 130th anniversary year.

The Time Capsule and it’s Attendants!