The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1977, Síða 10

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
AUTUMN 1977
THE RIVERTON CHURCH, 1877 - 1977
Thordis Thompson
To celebrate a centennial is to cele-
brate an achievement. An organization
that survived through the poverty and
isolation of colonial years deserves to
be honored in this hundredth year of its
existence. The people who came from
Iceland in 1876 had a real and vital
concern for their religion, and in most
homes there was some person who con-
ducted scripture readings and instruct-
ed the children. As soon as they had
built their log homes and the small-pox
epidemic had waned, they organized
their district councils and at a meeting
early in 1877 discussed the importance
of establishing some form of Lutheran
church worship in the colony. At a
meeting at Icelandic River on April
27-28 the people declared themselves
in favor of securing the services of a
pastor, and appointed a committee to
deal with the matter. Halldor Briem was
chairman and Thorgrimur Jonsson sec-
retary. A call was sent to the Rev. Jon
Bjarnason in Minneapolis. There were
five prospective church organizations
represented - Braedrasofnudur,
Mikley (Big Island) Breiduvik (Hnausa)
Gimli and Vidines (Husavick). The let-
ter was signed by 130 “heads of house-
holds”, representing some 650 souls.
Rev. Bjarnason no doubt sensed that
this request was actually a call for help
from a people in an isolated and lonely
settlement. He made a trip to the area
in July, and after returning to his home,
sent a letter accepting the call to New
Iceland. He arrived in Winnipeg accom-
panied by his wife on October 28,
1877, and travelled throughout the
colony, holding church services, coun-
cil meetings, and organizing Sunday
schools. The couple stayed at the home
of John Taylor that first winter. During
his service in New Iceland the con-
gregations were never able to pay the
$600 promised as annual salary. At the
most he received $400 a year, but the
couple did have, after the first winter,
a “roomy and pleasant house” at Gimli,
near the present location of Betel. The
horse and carriage promised for travel-
ling never materialized, and most of
Rev. Bjarnason’s trips through his
parish were made on foot, usually ac-
companied by his dear wife, Fru Lara.
The religious dissension in 1878-79
and the flooding of the Lake in 1879-80,
led, in those years, to a general exodus
from the colony to Dakota and to Win-
nipeg and other parts of Manitoba. With
nearly 3/4 of the population gone the
church organizations were greatly weak-
ened and unable to maintain a minister.
Rev. Bjarnason resigned in the fall of 18
79 and returned to Iceland. Halldor
Briem, now an ordained minister, served
the needs of the area, but he left the
colony in 1881.
Late in 1884 Rev. Bjarnason returned
to Canada to serve the growing Icelandic
congregation in Winnipeg. He made a
trip to his former parish and was
pleased and astounded at the progress
made. At an outdoor service at Mod-
ruvelli he begged his listeners to re-
organize their church, and promised an
occasional visit. At a meeting following
the service, plans were made and a
council elected. The chief officers were
Johann Briem, president, and Thor-