We Go Way Back
On a cold January day in 1889, a small group of pioneering Norwegian immigrants who were unhappy with religious dogma, orthodoxy and absolutism, convened at Johan Kolstad’s home in Underwood with a vision and a plan. They were determined to establish a new, liberal church where people were welcome to explore new religious philosophies in their new land.
They called this new church, Den Fri Kristne Menighed, or The Free Christian Congregation.
Our earliest days
Inspired by the teachings of Norwegian Unitarian minister, activist and poet/author Kristofer Nagel Janson (1841-1917), who came and spoke in Underwood twice in 1888, the members of Den Fri Kristne Menighed held their first services inside their own homes as well as at the local blacksmith shop, above the general store, and at Union Hall, which would later become the church building.
Janson, who is now commonly recognized as the historical founder of the Norwegian Unitarian Church, was a persuasive religious reformer who championed free thinking and urged people to love one another and fight for what is good. He organized and led Free Christian churches in Minneapolis and Hanska, Minn., and another in Hudson, Wisc. in the 1880s and was, generally speaking, revered by liberal progressives and denounced by the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod, whose orthodoxy he often decried in his writings. He returned to Underwood six more times in the 1890s to speak at the newly established church.
Our church building
Members of Den Fri Kristne Menighed continued to meet in makeshift locales for 15 years before eventually finding their forever home in a simple, square wooden building along the main thoroughfare in Underwood. Then known as Union Hall, the building was constructed in 1889 and put up for public auction in 1904, at which time the church purchased it for $300.
There have been remodeling projects and additions put onto the building over the decades, but to this day, the bones of Union Hall still stand as part of the church’s main structure. The church consists of two stories today, with a kitchen, dining area, bathrooms, office, coat closet and more on the ground level and a sanctuary and casual congregating area upstairs. Thanks to a generous bequest to the church by Francis Ellison in 2004, the building has an elevator and is entirely accessible.
The church also owns the neighboring apartment building, Sverdrup Suites, and uses the nearest apartment as a space for religious education and family activities as well as meetings and other occasional events. The additional apartments are rented out as a source of income for the church.
Norwegian to English, and a new name
Until 1915, services were conducted exclusively in Norwegian. They alternated between Norwegian and English for several years after that, and in 1924, the church’s annual meeting was conducted in English for the first time.
The church’s name remained Den Fri Kristne Menighed until 1965, when members voted to change the name to the Unitarian Church of Underwood. The new name clearly indicated a Unitarian affiliation and dispelled misunderstandings about the “Free Christian” label, which may have led some people to believe that no financial support was expected.
Our church leaders
For decades before becoming lay-led, our church was served by an assigned minister. John Brauti, who served the Unitarian Society in Fergus Falls, was our first resident minister, in 1891. Soon after that, Amandus Norman, who was Kristofer Janson’s protégé, lectured and assisted at our church. Due to the difficulties of maintaining a permanent minister at a small rural church, our ministers were often obtained through minister-sharing arrangements with other area congregations. Some were Unitarian ministers while others were liberal-minded ministers from other faith traditions, including Lutheran, Presbyterian and Congregational. Today, our church is not led by a minister but by church member Celebrants, an initiative that began in 2010.
Notably, women held leadership roles at our church from the very beginning, serving as board members, religious education leaders, musicians and more – a tradition that continues to this day. Women had voting rights at our church from the first meeting in 1889, some 30 years before women were legally granted the right to vote in the U.S. If it weren’t for the efforts of women members, in fact, our church would likely not be here today. In 1909, during an era of great uncertainty about the church’s future, and amid discussions about selling the church building, a Women’s Alliance group was formed. The group organized and held harvest auctions, bazaars and community dinners to raise money, making significant financial contributions to the church. They also eventually purchased the house next door to the church for use as a parsonage, taking it upon themselves to make the payments, maintain the house, and turn rental income over to the church treasury.
Sunday mornings in-person
10 a.m.
206 North Main Street
Underwood, MN 56586
Online via Zoom
Attend by phone