A guest book along with a cache of postcards that give a brief history of the church is housed in a weatherproof enclosure beside the church.
"Norwegian Lutheran services were held as early as 1904, and in 1910 the Bethesda Norwegian Lutheran congregation was organized. In 1912, Martin Johnson, a carpenter from South Dakota, was retained to construct Bethesda Lutheran Church with the assistance of the congregation. Situated on an open parcel, the graceful steeple of this church can be seen for miles across the flat prairie landscape. Modernized in 1928 with a concrete basement and furnace, the church served the surrounding rural community for church services, weddings, funerals, meetings and bazaars. Many of the area's first settlers rest in the cemetery, which is located at the rear of the church. Because of a steadily diminishing congregation, Bethesda Lutheran Church closed in 1973."
Visitors are welcome to take a postcard as a souvenir.
The church was restored in 2020.
Photographed near Milestone, Saskatchewan on June 23, 2023.
Good to see these beautiful churches being preserved. There are too many that are not.
ReplyDeleteBethesda Lutheran is in very nice condition and certainly worth a visit. (There are also two one-arch bowstring bridges in the area.)
DeleteWonderful that it has been restored and such an impressive sight in the flat landscape surrounding it.
ReplyDeleteLast time I saw the church was before it was restored...much nicer now.
DeleteFine blog...the shot from viewpoint of markers in mowed grass..very fine..tks
ReplyDeleteThanks David. Both the church and cemetery are well cared for.
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