Written by Phil Wala
In 1962, Curt Carlson donated 48 acres of land near Annandale, on Lake Sylvia, to Hennepin Church, to be used as a camp and retreat center. Hennepin Church’s Koinonia Retreat Center operated on that site from 1965 to 2021. In 1990 a video was produced marking the center’s 25th anniversary. In the video you will see interviews with Curt Carlson, former pastors and staff members Chester Pennington, Glenn Martin, Connie Carothers, and David Tyler Scoates, and many others beloved members who built, operated, or simply enjoyed Koinonia.
To view this 22-minute video, click the image below. [Note: Video quality is poor at times (especially when showing still photos); the original recording was on a VHS videocassette.]
1874 (October 10)
Newspapers across the state are covering the Methodist Conference and verdict rendered on the charges filed against Rev. J. Chaffee. This example comes from the Worthington Advance. The committee found Chaffee not guilty of the most serious charges, but guilty of two counts of “imprudent and unministerial” conduct. The guilty verdicts were overturned on appeal, and the sentence – a “mild reproof” – was never executed.
1889 (October 10)
The Minneapolis Tribune heralds the arrival of nationally-renowned preacher Dr. Otis H. Tiffany as pastor of Hennepin Avenue Church. They estimate his age to be “about 60.” He was actually 64.
1901 (October 11)
Hennepin Avenue Church says good-bye to pastor Charles Bayard Mitchell, and welcomes Simeon D. Hutsinpiller as its new pastor. (Minneapolis Journal)
1912 (October 10)
Hennepin Avenue Church has merged with Fowler Methodist Church, and the combined congregations are meeting in the Fowler building while the new cathedral on Lyndale and Groveland is under construction. Meanwhile, the old “red brick church” building at 10th and Hennepin has been sold to automobile dealer H. E. Pence who intends to use it as an auditorium.
In order to find a name for this new auditorium, Pence runs an ad in the Minneapolis Tribune offering a prize for the winning name. To see the name that Pence chose as the contest winner, see page 79 of Aspire!, the newly-released book about the history of Hennepin Church.
1989 (October 8)
Laura Farnam, long-time Hennepin Church member and grand-daughter of Hennepin Church pioneer Rev. James F. Chaffee, has died at the age of 98. She is seen here (seated in wheelchair) at the ceremony marking the church’s 100th anniversary in October 1975.
On March 3, 1971, Farnam sat down for a recorded interview with church members Rae Cramer and Fran Hess to discuss the early days of Hennepin Church. To read a transcript of that interview (which ends abruptly when the tape ran out), click here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VPP7T-qP_GQK4IT3afik2fibMBSwF0H3/view?usp=drive_link
