BEAR CREEK — An 1875 church in Bear Creek is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a special hymn festival led by a Lawrence University graduate who has family ties to the congregation.
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Trinity Lutheran Church began in a log cabin with just 28 founders signing the charter.
Now, it’s a congregation that welcomes hundreds of attendees each week.
“It’s humbling in many ways, but it’s also quite an honor,” Dr. Steven Hoffman, organ player for the celebration, said. “Especially having family connections here ... it’s coming home to family in many ways ... and to expand that into a celebration of the congregation’s history, occasions like that are tremendously special.”
Hoffman, who has been playing the organ for more than 30 years after honing his skills at Lawrence University, led the anniversary hymn festival.
The celebration features congregational singing centered around the theme of the Trinity — God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
“Through music we can sing the word of God, we can sing back to God what he says to us through his word,” Hoffman said.
For some members, the church represents a multigenerational connection to their faith and community.
“When I found out my great-grandfather was a founding member, I was amazed. This is a legacy — an amazing legacy that we all share,” Sarah Smith, whose family has been attending Trinity Lutheran for seven generations, said.
The church’s history reflects its growth in the community. After outgrowing its original log cabin, the congregation built a new structure and then, in 1960, constructed the current church building across the street.
Hoffman is also preparing another hymn festival for his childhood church in New London, planned for this fall.
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