Swedish Lutheran Zion Church (aka Zion Lutheran Church) was organized in 1905 and has been celebrating its centennial year with a variety of events in 2005. The celebration concluded with Reformation Sunday, October 30, when AFLC President Pastor Robert Lee brought the Sunday morning message at the 10am worship service. A potluck fellowship meal followed.
The worship service was remarkable for several reasons. A hymn inspired by Martin Luther's “Out of the Deep I Cry to Thee” was composed for the service by Zion's organist, Dr. Michael Coleman. Elements of an English version of the original Swedish liturgy, used by the first congregation a hundred years ago, was used in the centennial service. And then, Pastor Lee preached a sermon commemorating Zion's one-hundred years in Silverhill. He is the chief representative of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC) which embraces a number of Scandinavian churches in its membership, remnants of the Lutheran church “brought from the Old Country” over a hundred years ago. At the conclusion of the service Pastor Lee gave the benediction to the congregation in Swedish.
The AFLC is the fourth largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. Founded with about 40 Lutheran Free Church congregations, which opted out of the American Lutheran Church merger in 1962, it has grown to more than 260 congregations in 27 different states and 3 Canadian provinces. It is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, on a campus that includes the Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Association Free Lutheran Theological School and Seminary. AFLC growth continues wherever there is interest in autonomous free and living Lutheran congregations.
