Vang Lutheran Church was established by Norwegian immigrants in Goodhue, Rice, and Dakota Counties of Minnesota. The current church was built in 1896 and provided services in Norwegian through the late 1920s. Designed by Olaf Hanson, Vang Lutheran represents a unique combination of space and light reflective of Hanson’s own experience of silent worship as a deaf American. The church features many elements that are classically representative of Norwegian, and more generally Scandinavian, churches across the region, including carving on the pulpit and altar and a Christus statue above the altar.   

As a rural “open country” church, Vang’s community is spread out over a number of towns within a 15-20 mile radius. The congregation is particularly well known for its outreach in the area of food insecurity, building the “Growing Connections Garden” on church land, which in recent years has donated over 1,000 lbs of produce annually to local food pantries. The food outreach ministry also uses garden produce and donated food to make frozen meals which are stored in the church basement and given to those in need of a meal and a visit. The annual Vang Lutefisk Dinner is a popular community event offering Norwegian food and fellowship.  

A National Fund grant of $100,000 with at least $100,000 in matching funds to be raised by its congregation will support structurally stabilization of Vang Lutheran Church’s steeple and bell tower, which has deteriorated due to water infiltration.  

Vang Lutheran Church by Bernadette Ann Photography

First Church in Oberlin