A Brief History of Siloa

A daughter of the Salem congregation at Dalbo MN, Siloa was organized May 26, 1891, by a group of thirty Swedish immigrants who had settled in the Maple Ridge community.
By the summer of 1892, a simple wooden frame church building had been built. All of the work was done by members of the congregation.
During the early years of the congregation, services were conducted every third Sunday in the afternoon by the pastor from Salem. Special communion services were held three or four times a year in the mornings.
The pastor, J.P. Leaf, was paid from free will offerings, usually only $30 to $50 a year. In addition he received cords of stovewood donated by members of the congregation for his use at the parsonage at Salem.
By 1901 the church had an organ. The organist received $15 a year plus the proceeds of two offerings. Another staff person in the early years of the church was a janitor. He was responsible for the care of the church building and property. He received 10 to 15 dollars a year plus one or two offerings, and he was allowed to have the hay from the church yard.
The period of 1910 to 1920 saw many improvements in the church building. First a sacristy was added. Then a partial basement was excavated under the church and a furnace was installed. In 1917, the church front with the two entrances, tower and steeple was added. The stained glass windows were also installed at this time.




Whenever improvements in the church were planned, the Church Council would "make a friendly request to the Ladies Aid" for help with funding. There is not evidence that the Ladies ever refused!
Before the annex was built in 1952, all events of the church were held in the sanctuary. Sunday School classes met wherever a corner was available. Having a fellowship hall was a great boon to the church and the Sunday School. Ground was broken for the annex in May and it was able to be used (unfinished)for Confirmation Sunday in July.
A major event for the congregation occurred in 1982 when the councils of both Siloa and Salem felt that each could be better served by having its own minister. Thus a new era began when Pastor Terry Frovik became the first pastor that Siloa had on its own, apart from Salem.
Pastors of Siloa Lutheran Church (shared with Salem): John P. Leif, 1891-1897; Erick J. Peterson, 1897-1901; A.F. Nelson, 1901-1906; J. Albert Johnson, 1907-1923; P.E. Bergstrom, 1923-1933; Herman Soderberg, 1935-1938; Gustav Lund, 1938-1945; Albert Jackson, 1968-1975; Paul Schlauderaff, 1976-1982. Pastors of Siloa alone: Terry Frovik, 1983-1988; Richard Wehrs, 1989-1991; Michael Wittkamper, 1992-1998; M. James Hougen, 2000-2003, Dave Johnson 2003-2005, David Beety 2005-2008, Timothy Savarese 2008-2010, Interim Delwayne Hahn 2010, Del Schnaidt 2011 to 2013, Interim Dave Everett 2013 to 2014, Interim Dan Olson 2014 to 2019, Mary Fiel 2019 to current.






Statement of Mission:
We, God's children of Siloa Lutheran Church, choose to hold in our hearts and minds this statement of mission; to live our lives in response to the redemptive love of God, shown to us in Jesus Christ, and as disciples, to follow Jesus' teachings in care and respect of God's creation and all people.
As God gives us grace, we will strive to be a caring congregation, actively nurturing and supporting each other, seeking in our worship together to develop Christian faith and hope. We will strive to be a welcoming and constructive community of shared Christian integrity.
With God's help, we will be active in worship, communicating and encouraging a welcoming atmosphere, praying for one another and supportive of our youth, shut-ins and our larger church. We will strive to spread God's word of love in every way we can.