June 22nd, 18, 18 members of First Baptist Church across town were given given letters of transfer to form the first Swedish Baptist church.

That's us.

two days later, they met in a home for their first worship service.

There's a pictorial history of the church right by the bookstore over there inside on the wall. We'll leave it up for some time so you can walk by and see some of it.

The first pastor John... walk by and see some of it.

The first pastor, John Ring, who's called the next year,

or I think later that same year,

had been in imprisoned in Sweden for his faith and came to the states looking for

the privilege to do what we're doing right here.

And he became the pastor of the first Swedish Baptist

church.

The first building was built three years later. If you go down seven and take a ride on 12th and notice

the Douglas Company, that's where the church sat, the first church in 1874. 1885 it burned down and God

mercifully opened the door a few blocks away here just the old part there not that little

square part where the sign is that was built in 1914. That was the second Congregational Church. They

were moving out. They sold to set building for $13,500. So there's been some inflation evidently.

1890 I mentioned

Olin Minnie Hanson went out.

1914, that building went up, 1955, the middle building went up, 1991, the sanctuary went up. The church reached its heyday of size anyway in the

1928 to 1947 under Anton Scholin, 1,200 members of so.

And during his time, the language shifted

from Swedish to English, and the name was changed from First

...