Central Lutheran Church sits among farm fields halfway between Fairfax and Franklin, Minnesota.
Rev. Hanson, right, looks over some seed during a visit to the farm of one of his church members and neighbors, Louis Boyum, in this photo from a magazine feature on the rural pastor in 1947.
Rev. Johnson, right, talks farm problems with a farmer-parishioner in 1949.
The first grade Sunday school class at Central Lutheran Church in 1955-56 included Joan, Renee, Beverly, James, Dennis and Nancy. The class was taught by the wife of Rev. Hanson.
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Early members of the Hauge Church gather at Rev. Hanson's farm for a summer picnic.
The Ladies Aid group raised money with their 10-cent meeting dues to purchase the altar painting in 1891. The wife of Rev. Thomas Hanson took up the effort of securing funds for a pipe organ. She canvassed the congregation, going from house to house by horse and buggy.
Bulletin boards at Central Lutheran serve as scrapbooks of church events, including 1970s youth trips to camp in Montana.
Prayers on the Prairie is a regular feature of the Tri-State Neighbor, taking the place of the Crop Watchers report during the winter season. If you have a suggestion for a rural church to feature here, contact editor Janelle Atyeo at janelle.atyeo@lee.net.
Janelle Atyeo
Editor
