Our Savior's Lutheran Church (Cranfills Gap, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Cranfills Gap, Texas
Cranfills Gap is a city located in Bosque County in Central Texas. The population was 335 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cranfills Gap is located at ....
in an unincorporated community known as Norse, Texas.
History
The congregation for Our Savior's Lutheran Church was organized on June 14, 1869 by Norwegian Settlers of Bosque County, TexasBosque County, Texas
Bosque County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through...
. The church itself was constructed between 1875 and 1885. As the congregation grew, it became necessary to build another church in the western part of the Norwegian immigrant settlement. That church, St. Olaf Kirke
St. Olaf Kirke
St. Olaf Kirke, commonly referred to as The Rock Church, is a small Lutheran church located outside of Cranfills Gap, Texas, United States, in an unincorporated rural community known as Norse, Texas.-Background:...
, started as an extension of the Our Savior's Lutheran congregation upon completion of the church in 1886, but eventually became an independent congregation in 1902.
Cleng Peerson
Cleng Peerson was a Norwegian-American pioneer who led the first group of Norwegians to emigrate to the United States, traveling on the Norwegian sloop Restauration.-Background:...
, considered to be the "father" of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Recently a monument was constructed just outside of the church's cemetery recognizing the 17 original Norwegian
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
settlers of Bosque County
Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through...
.
Recent history
Our Savior's Lutheran Church continues to be used for regular church services. The current pastor is the Rev. Ruth E. Hetland. The congregation consists of nearly 300 members and is currently affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
.