Home
Repairs Under Way on Original Swede Bend Church
MANSON, IA (December 22, 2004) - The building that housed the first
Evangelical Covenant Church congregation is currently under repair,
according to the executive director of
the Covenant camp where the building is now located.
The Swede Bend Church in Iowa, noted as the place where the first
Covenant church was located, was relocated from Swede Bend in 1976 and
has been part of the campus of Twin Lakes Christian Center (TLCC) since
that time. Joel Rude, who has served as TLCC executive director for 14
years, says the building is used for summer worship services, noting
that some funds already have been raised to support general maintenance
efforts. (The accompanying photo of the church building was taken two
years ago.)
Next winter, in preparation for the 50th anniversary of TLCC, the center
had planned on full refurbishing. However, the process was speeded up so
that the building can be used much sooner. New floor joists have already
been installed and a new floor surface will
be set down – board by board – by volunteers in the coming weeks.
"We've been working at shoring up the floor of the building for several
years," said Rude. "A lot of the original infrastructure was rotting.
Some of that infrastructure included the original logs from the 1861
church floor. They were found to be unsafe due to dry rot and the floor
was sagging in several spots."
TLCC has been in existence for 48 years. John Bengston, superintendent
for what was then the Iowa Conference, was a key catalyst for the camp's
beginnings and a number of volunteers were also integral to the effort.
Volunteers ran the camp for several years until Eldon "Bud" Johnson (now
a parishioner at First Covenant Church) took over full-time operations
of the camp with his wife, Pauline. Johnson played a key role in getting
the Swede Bend Church building moved onto the TLCC campus. The building
has been a valuable part of programming as locals and nearby Covenant
churches have attended
events there.
The Twin Lakes camp will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
building's being moved on campus, along with its 50th anniversary
celebration, during special events July 7-9, 2006. The weekend
celebration will occur at the end of a one-week family camp and staff
reunion, says Rude.
Last year, TLCC served 1,820 people through its own camps, retreats and
events, along with another 5,770 through hosting guest group camps,
retreats and events. A small but dedicated team of volunteers has formed
a Development Committee for the purpose of raising funds for short-term
and long-range projects, as well as
operating expenses, notes Rude.
This winter, TLCC is taking advantage of a unique toboggan chute, one of
the only ones in the region. The chute comes out of a wooden silo and
propels children and adults at high speeds onto the frozen North Twin
Lake. The chute is also open to the public on certain days in January
and February – information can be found on the TLCC website at
www.twinlakescc.com.
Along with the repairs to the Swede Bend Church building, TLCC has been
involved in significant site planning in recent years to better use its
60-acre campus. The camp has been able to establish good rapport with
its local community by helping with various planning sessions. Expansion
of a local highway should help access to the camp and TLCC is also
considering installation and beautification efforts of a recreation
trail surrounding its grounds and an area around the lake the camp
accesses for activities.
To learn more about the needs of the TLCC Swede Bend Church building
project, call Rude at 712-297-7714 or email him at joel@twinlakescc.com.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
Share this page on facebook
