A Very Brief History of Bethel's Origins and Locations

Bethel's early formation came out of a Swedish Lutheran Ladies Aid which first met May 1, 1905, with Catechist Peter Dahlquist, who had been sent to Bemidji from a Swedish Lutheran Church. The official birth date was January 8, 1908, at which time the church adopted the name Den Svenska Lutherska Bethel Forsamlanger. The church began with a membership of about 73.

Through the years Bethel Lutheran Church has had several name changes and three national church bodies have been in Bethel's history. From 1910 to 2000 Bethel resided in downtown Bemidji, with the first church located at 6th and American Avenue. In 1952 Bethel moved to 5th and Irvine Avenue into a remodeled Munsingwear factory building. The congregation added a new sanctuary to this building in 1976. Twenty-one years later, in 1997, the congregation decided to relocate. After obtaining land three miles north of its 5th & Irvine location, groundbreaking took place on Sunday, June 20, 1999 and construction started soon afterward. On Palm Sunday, April 16, 2000 we began our worship service at the 5th and Irvine location and then proceeded in an automobile caravan to the new church building at 5232 Irvine Avenue to complete the worship service.