About Salem Lutheran Church Moline - ELCA

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The Salem Lutheran congregation of Moline, Illinois, organized on July 23, 1908, was an auxiliary Sunday School of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church, now known as the First Lutheran Church, in their South Chapel.

This Sunday school was a very successful venture and in time the parents of the children attending made the request that a congregation be formed and a church built on the “bluffs”. Salem’s former pastor, Rev. W. X. Magnuson, states that he visited this Sunday school in 1904 or 1906, when a seminary student,

Alfred Trued, was in charge.

The Mission Board of the Illinois Conference, having been made cognizant of the potentials in South Moline, engaged the services of Seminary Student Carl G. Longberg to make a canvass. His favorable report to the Board caused the conference to call the Rev. C.J. Youngberg, pastor at Manistree, Michigan.

Pastor Youngberg and his family moved to Moline the first part of June in 1908 for the purpose of

organizing a congregation in South Moline. After some preliminary work a meeting was held in the South Chapel on July 23, 1908, and the business of organization was transacted.

Translated from the Swedish, the minutes of that meeting are here recorded:

“Minutes of the organization meeting held in South Moline on July 23, 1908. God’s grace and peace. Rev. Youngberg took up the matter of organizing a congregation. A motion was made and passed that this congregation shall be know by the name:

The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Salem Church in Moline, Illinois.

Some over fifty people had signified their intention of joining the congregation. A motion was made and carried that the congregation unanimously adopt the synodical constitution

and that the congregation be incorporated according to the laws of the State of Illinois.

A motion was made and passed that three deacons and three trustees be elected to serve to the end of the year. Upon motion the meeting was adjourned. The session was closed with song and prayer.”

C.J. Youngberg, chairman, Oscar Anderson, secretary. Approved by Conrad Esping and Hilding Ardahl, trustees.

  Salem Lutheran Church is a group of people called by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, changed into new beings by Christ’s spirit and made children of God together with other believers throughout the world. Our purpose is to let this new life be revealed in all our words and deeds, and to let others know about this new life that can be received from the Lord. We seek to share Christ’s peace by welcoming, praising, nurturing and serving. To fulfill this purpose we need to worship, learn, witness, serve and support the work of God in the world. We encourage and invite others to participate with us in this mission. All that we do should be to the glory of God.