About Us
About This Congregation
This congregation was established in 1874 by immigrant settlers largely from the Setesdahl area of Norway. The saints of God at Bygland Lutheran have been making Christ known in the Red River Valley for 128 years. Our congregation is part of the NW Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We have a membership of 215 baptized souls in about 100 households. We have a good mix of elderly, middle-aged and young families. Our worship style is fairly traditional, although we enjoy using a variety of liturgies and hymns. The worship schedule alternates each week between 9 and 11 a.m., and during the summer months between 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. The reason for the alternating schedule is that Bygland Lutheran is together in a parish relationship with Fisher Lutheran. It's the way these congregations seek to be fair and equitable with each other. Both are served by Pastor Carl E. Anderson who was called here in 1981. The parsonage is located at 210 2nd Street in Fisher (218-891-4735).
About The Community
The congregation is located in the open country, surrounded by beautiful farm land, between Fisher and East Grand Forks. Fisher has experienced some growth over the past 6 to 8 years, even though there are not many businesses left in town. New apartments and town houses have been built. Fisher's convenient location between Crookston and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks insures its future as a bedroom community if nothing else. It offers small town peace and quiet, its own school (K-12), and a good place to raise children, and it is close to the employment opportunities of some larger cities. East Grand Forks is just 7 miles North of the Bygland Church. It, along with Grand Forks, ND, suffered a severe flood in the spring of 1997, but has rebounded in a remarkable way and come back better than ever. Many new homes plus two new schools have been built on the South end of the city following the flood. The city has been growing to the South, which may bode well for the future of the Bygland Congregation.