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By Alan and Arlene Syverson
“We grew up near one another,” according to Alan, “In small towns in Southern Minnesota. It wasn’t until my service in WWII that we eventually met. I served for four years. Most of my time was spent in the South Pacific as a member of the 24th Division Infantry. While I was away, Arlene became friends with my sister. It was through her that we started writing letters to one another.
Arlene nodded, “After he returned from the South Pacific we married and moved to Stillwater where Alan worked in the trades. It was 1945 when we first started to attend Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 6th and Myrtle. It’s hard to imagine it’s been over 60 years. We raised 4 boys here at Our Savior’s. I remember when every service ended with the hymn, ‘On My Heart Imprint Thine Image.’ Did you know that at one time there was a parsonage? As I recall, it sat at the West end of the church parking lot. Pastor Glen Carlson was the only one to ever occupy the residence.”
They both agreed that Our Savior’s has a rich tradition of bringing community and congregation together. “Like most church’s, we hosted bake sales and Lutefisk dinners. But the most unique thing we did was of course the pickles. We had a garden on some land that was owned by Henry Amundson in what is now the Oak Glen Golf Course. We use to sell the cucumbers to Gedney’s for pickles. That was pretty unusual.”
“Over the years, we’ve served in many ways, including Congregational President, choir, head usher, and a whole host of women’s groups. That’s a part of the great tradition of this church. There are so many opportunities to serve and with each opportunity you get to meet new people in the congregation and become closer to some of those you already know. Then, of course, your church community becomes the same community in your life outside of church. Even though the church has grown and changed over the years, we see that tradition today. Especially with all of the young families and children that have joined our congregation in just the past few years. It’s a wonderful thing to see such a tradition continue.”
We are Alan and Arlene Syverson. Thank you for letting us share our story.
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