Church History

Prior to 1917 a movement had been started to establish a Dan­ish colony in a promising place in Wyoming. One of the priorities was to have a place of worship. The Northern Wyoming Land Company from whom the Danes bought land agreed to donate one dollar per acre of the land sold to church members. This money could be used for a pastor sal­ary or to purchase lots for a church building. Two lots on the comer of Burritt and Hart Streets were purchased for $500. The basement was completed in 1920.

Niels Nielsen wrote, "It was with joy and thanks to God for His goodness and many blessings that a place of worship has been completed. It was decided to have dedication services on De­cember 12, 1920 and to have three days of mission meetings."

Because of the drought in 1919, inflated land prices and fall­ing crop prices after WW1, ap­proximately seventy-five percent of the Danish families left, leav­ing only a small group of seven families to carry on.

Things were at a standstill for many years. Membership dropped to 44 in 1931. Because the majority of the original con­gregation were immigrants from Denmark, services were con­ducted in Danish and English until 1934.

When Reverend Jensen left in 1934 he advised the congre­gation to contact the Augustana Lutheran Pastor in Sheridan to see if some assistance could be secured. After meeting with Rev­erend Lofgren, arrangements were made for him to come ev­ery Sunday afternoon for ser­vices. He also came for Luther league and Ladies' Aid once each month. maintaining this schedule for nine years. During this time new interest was cre­ated. In 1943 St. Luke's officially joined the Augustana Synod. On May 23, 1948 the upstairs was dedicated St Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church. In June 2000 an addition was completed. 13 Pastors have served at St. Luke's in its 86 years, and it has been affiliated with three different synods. The church continues to grow. In 2005, St. Luke's Lutheran Church offers two services, has an active vocal and hand bell choir, a men's prayer group and two women's Bible studies. Weekly Bible studies are offered three times each week. There are Sunday School classes for children through adults. Confirmation classes are also held weekly through the school year.

St. Luke's congregation has been blessed with a rich history, a past testifying to sacrifice, dedi­cation and commitment. As such, it is an inheritor of a price­less gift, the gift of a church which witnesses to the love and care of Christ on whom it was built and truly lives our vision statement of: