| OCR Text |
Show Page 39<br><br> years, when Providence indicated that it should be opened for further mission work. In March, 1894, Miss Parsons opened an industrial school, teaching wood-carving, scroll-work, sewing and fancy work, with temperance and Bible teaching, including a weekly prayer-meeting. Classes have been large. A hearty we1come has been given to the work and worker, extending many little courtesies, and tokens of substantial interest. It is expected soon to occupy larg- [PHOTO: MISS EMMA F. PARSONS.] er quarters, and a more central location. The mission is now established in its new quarters, in a very favorable quarter. Services are held every Sunday evening, Superintendent Adams preaching part of the time. The Mapleton Mission, four miles southeast of Springville, was opened July, 1895. It has had a summer Sunday-school, and other work substantially as at Springville. It has a large school and is increasing.<br><br> SCANDINAVIAN WORK IN UTAH.<br><br> Methodist. Many of the Utah people are immigrants from the Scandinavian Peninsula, and comprise Norwegians, Danes and Swedes. Some communities are almost entirely Scandinavian, there being very large settlements of them in the counties of Cache, San Pete and Box Elder, besides the large admixture found in the larger cities of Salt Lake, Ogden and Provo. It was thought wise by the Methodist Episcopal church in 1882 to open work among these people, and P. A. H. Franklin, a convert from Mormonism, was appointed to open work in Salt Lake City in 1883. The following appointments were made by Bishop Isaac W. Wiley at the conference held at Provo: First Norwegian church, Salt Lake City-Martinus Nelson. San Pete Valley circuit-Peter A. H. Franklin. Salt Lake Norwegian school-Martinus Nelson, principal; Miss E. L. Anderson, assistant. At the next conference there was reported a membership of forty-four, and an enrollment in the school of one hundred and four. This work continued to grow until it was made a separate Methodist district in 1888, with Martinus Nelson presiding elder, and in 1892 was separated entirely from the Utah Mission and made a part of the Western Norwegian and Danish Mission conference, which included, besides Utah, the territory covered by California, Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho. Up to and including 1892 there were the following preachers engaged: M. Nelson, P. A. H. Franklin, H. N. Staalberg, Martin Anderson, E. E. Mork, Henry Johnson, N. Christopherson, O. Christensen, Hans Hammer, Nils L. Hansen, Johan M. Hanson, C. J. Heckner, Nils P. Johnsen, Lars Olsen, P. A. Paulsen. They had churches in Salt Lake, Hyrum, Provo, Richfield, Ephraim, Spring City, Mt. Pleasant, Spanish Fork, Moroni, Santaquin and Levan. Since then they have erected a church at Brigham City, and have had a few additional men, as O. O, Twede, P. N. Melby, O. Halvorsen, F. Hermans, P. M. Ellefsen, and O. Arvesen. At present there are five preachers: O. O. Twede, at Richfield and Elsinore, where work was begun ten years ago by Martin Anderson. Good church buildings are at both these points, and the work is encouraging, especially among the young people and the children. On the Ephraim circuit is P. M. Ellefsen. The work in San Pete is hard, but is looking up at present, having good congregations in every place. On this circuit there are four preaching places, viz.: Ephraim, Spring City, Mt. Pleasant and Moroni, and there are good Sunday-schools at each place. O. Arveson is traveling the Provo circuit, having four preaching places, also, Provo, Spanish Fork, Santaquin and Levan. There are neat chapels at each place. The work was begun nearly eleven years ago by the present presiding elder. Francis Hermans, pastor of the work in Salt Lake City, is doing a good work among the Scandinavian people. The work on the Brigham City and the Hyrum circuits is in the care of presiding elder Mork, who says: "Our work here is up hill, but we have faith in God and expect great things during the year. Our hands are full, but God's grace is sufficient for every day. Praise his holy name!" <br><br>Salt Lake City.<br><br> In the summer of 1882 Bishop J. F. Hurst presided over the annual meeting of the Utah Mission in Salt Lake City, and at the request of Bishop C. H. Fowler, then one of the missionary secretaries, appointed Mr. P. A. H. Franklin, a convert from Mormonism, as the first Methodist missionary to Scandi- [PHOTO: F. HERMANS.] navians in Utah. The following year, Bishop Wiley appointed Rev. Martinus Nelson of Chicago Scandinavian missionary to Salt Lake City. Mr. Nelson entered upon his field of labor July 2, 1883, and shortly after the first Scandinavian Methodist class was organized and a church building erected in the east part of the city. Miss Emily L. Anderson begun a day school in a private house, which was afterward transferred to the church. By the aid of the Church Extension society and private donations, solicited largely by Mr. Franklin, a lot was purchased on Second East street and a handsome church erected in 1887, in memory of Judge J. E. D. Cory of Findley, O., whose widow gave $2000 for the building. Through the efforts of Bishop Wiley, the Woman's Home Missionary society became interested in the work, and Mr. Franklin was appointed their financial agent for Utah; he traveled in the East, raising funds for the work, and several school and church buildings were thus built by the society in various places in the Territory, and among them "Spencer Home" school in the rear of the church in Salt Lake City, where up till last year an efficient day school has been carried on. This school was considered no longer a necessity, as the public school system in the city is so good, and therefore a Deaconess was appointed in connection with this home instead of the teacher. When the new church on Second East street was built the building in the eastern part of the city was turned over to the American work, and has since been rebuilt, and is now known as Iliff chapel. This church has been served by the following pastors in succession: P. A. H. Franklin, Martinus Nelson, E. E. Mork, the present presiding elder of Utah district, West Norwegian and Danish Conference; Christian J. Heckner, Olaus Halvorsen and Francis Hermans, the present incumbent. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Hermans was transferred by Bishop Goodsell from the Norwegian and Danish Conference in the East and appointed to Salt Lake City. A good work has without doubt been carried on in connection with this church, but it has met with many vicissitudes. On Thanksgiving day, 1892, while the members were looking forward to a happy Thanksgiving festival in the evening, the church caught fire in the afternoon and burned down, and thus left the congregation without a place of worship. But by the efforts of Rev. M. Nelson, and the Church Extension Society again coming to the rescue, the church was soon rebuilt, and in May, the following year, the rebuilt church was again dedicated. The membership of the church at present is very small, owing much to the migratory state of the population, all being working people and compelled to move about from place to place to seek a livelihood; when the last crisis came a good many returned East in hope to better their condition. The Sunday-school work is the most encouraging part, and is going forward, giving the pastor some hope of success, and, indeed, the present rising generation is the great hope of the church in Utah. The present pastor is now serving the church the third year, and he feels that he has more hold upon the people than ever before, and more encouragement for a successful year than any of the previous, and he is determined in God's name to go forward, looking to heaven for help and strength. FRANCIS HERMANS. |
