The Story of Christ Lutheran Church
An ELCA congregation in Ferndale, Washington

A SEED IS PLANTED
In August 1965, Pastor Don Cornell of Zion Lutheran Church just outside Ferndale, Washington, contacted Reverend Harry Sorenson, the Northwest Regional Director of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) Division of American Missions, about the population growth taking place in nearby Ferndale.1 Pastor Cornell mentioned that he had already spoken with several members of Zion’s church council about the possibility of Zion taking part in the development of a new congregation in town.

A few months later, the ALC obtained from the coordinating committee of the three major national Lutheran church denominations—American Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church of America, and Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod—permission to begin a congregation in Ferndale. In November of 1965, Pastor Cornell met with property owners Ernest “Ernie” and Inez Johnson to make a one-dollar good faith deposit on a 4.2-acre property, a former sheep pasture at the corner of Vista Drive and East Seamount Drive. A year later, on December 11, 1966, Zion’s congregational vote established its role in a two-point parish.2

A CONGREGATION EMERGES
A steering committee quickly formed, holding its first meeting on April 11, 1967, at the home of Erv and Adele Pfeiffer. Committee members included Ivald Jonson, Caroll Aust, Erv Pfeiffer, Jon Donnellan, Ernest (Ernie) Johnson, Jim Quist, Jim Jones, Jim Irwin, and Pastor Cornell. At this initial meeting, the name Christ Lutheran Church won out over approximately 25 proposed church names. Officers were selected on May 9: Erv Pfeiffer, chairman; Ernie Johnson, vice chair; Jon Donnellan, secretary.

Weekly meetings followed, to determine a building plan, an architect, lot preparation, parsonage, a time for worship, and forms of community outreach. At a June meeting, decisions made by the committee were approved by Reverend Sorenson. Architect and designer Ron Kaaland was contracted, and construction soon followed.

Meanwhile, worship began. Christ Lutheran Church (CLC) first worshipped on July 9, 1967, renting space for nearly a year in the American Legion Hall in downtown Ferndale.3 During this time and beyond, Zion Lutheran maintained its relationship with CLC by sharing financial responsibility; holding joint services during Lent, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; sharing their accompanist (Ilene Iverson); giving Zion members who lived in or close to Ferndale the option of joining CLC (Dorothy and Everett Dahl, Gladys and Ivald Jonson, Adele and Erv Pfeiffer, and Joanne and Jon Donnellan and their families were among those who switched to CLC); and hosting many joint social events such as potlucks. Women from both congregations formed Christ-Zion Lutheran Church Women (C-ZLCW), part of a national organization, and the youth groups (Luther Leagues) from both churches often held combined events.

Christ Lutheran Church became an official congregation of the American Lutheran Church (ALC) on its Organizational Sunday, October 22, 1967. Rev. Ed Fritschel, of Edison Lutheran Church in Bow, read the first lesson, Ephesians 2:13–22. Rev. O. B. Fjelstad, of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Everson, read the second lesson, John 12:33–21. Rev. Dr. S. C. Seifkes, bishop of the North Pacific District of the ALC, preached the sermon. Christ Lutheran Church had a mission and a purpose: to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ within our community.

The following excerpt from Pastor Cornell’s annual report of January 14, 1968, captures the energy of the congregation during this time:
There probably will never be another year in the life of Christ Lutheran Church in which so much is accomplished. From a steering committee and its work, there has emerged a congregation which is alive and witnessing to the Love of Christ in our community. As we look back over the months of 1967 one marvels at the emergence of the congregation as there is brought together a people who are willing, in Christ, to commit themselves to a venture such as this. But then, we are a people who live in the midst of the miraculous, namely the miracle of God’s Love.

THE CONGREGATION GROWS
Construction of the new church progressed through the first half of 1968. Many members volunteered their labors, helping choose paint colors, stain woodwork, lay tiles and carpet, and install a cross. In fact, the project helped gain at least a few new members as folks stopped by to offer their help and then stayed on.4 Dr. Earle H. Christenson crafted and gifted the altar and pulpit, and local Moles Mortuary donated candlesticks for the altar. Zion gifted us communion ware. Hard work produced a new sanctuary ready for occupancy, and the first service in the new building was held on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 1968.

CLC’s worship has included musical talent from the beginning. A choir first rehearsed on February 15, 1968, at Jon and Joanne Donnellan’s home. Joanne directed the choir for more than forty years and continues to offer her musical talent as violinist. Ilene Iverson, our first organist, was followed by Carolyn Jonson, Gary Norris, and Sue Gault. JoAnn Cornell led a youth choir for many years, and after many weekly practice sessions, she walked the kids to Pioneer Ridge, a nearby nursing home, to sing to its residents.

AND IT BLOOMS
Women’s roles at CLC quickly expanded. While no women served on the original steering committee, women did serve in teaching, education, social outreach, and of course, coffee hour roles. And they soon found additional roles. In 1970, Inez Johnson and Elizabeth Bishop became the first women elected to the church council. The council elected and later re-elected Sally Soderlund as its first female council president.

CLC soon supported myriad ministries. With most members consisting of young families, the Sunday School classes filled easily. Project Concern, a community food and clothing bank for low-income residents, was started in 1972 by CLC, run by local volunteers, and continues to this day.5 CLC instituted a preschool, which continues in full operation. The church added several benevolences in the budget. Vacation Bible School ran nearly every summer for the first fifty years. As well, our youth have been encouraged to attend Camp Lutherwood on Lake Samish, and we remain an active, member congregation of the camp.
After Pastor Cornell accepted a call to Saudi Arabia in 1974, Pastor Robert E. Johnson accepted a call to serve the two-point parish. In 1978, CLC sold the parsonage and created a housing allowance for the pastor.

AND IT KEEPS GROWING
Pastor Johnson and his wife, Jennifer, along with their three sons actively participated in the life of the church. Jennifer sang in the choir, offered Bible studies, and helped with children’s programs as the church continued to grow.

Circa 1980, Christ Lutheran received a large financial gift designated partly for a new organ and partly as seed money for completion of building goals. Larger and better facilities for the Sunday School and preschool took priority. In 1982, CLC remodeled the fellowship hall and added four new classrooms.

Plans followed, for completing the second phase of the original building plan, which included a new sanctuary, a small kitchen in the original office, and converting the original sanctuary into a new fellowship hall. Groundbreaking took place on April 29, 1984.

The first service in the new sanctuary was held on Easter Sunday 1986, a few weeks shy of the nineteenth anniversary of CLC’s first service in the American Legion Hall building. CLC then held a dedication for the new organ and the expanded building on the afternoon of Sunday, September 7, 1987, with music, readings, reflections, and song. Bishop of the North Pacific District of the American Lutheran Church Rev. Clifford Lunde preached, and Pastor Cornell and wife JoAnn traveled from Saudi Arabia to participate. Many other pastors from the Chuckanut Conference of Lutheran Churches also attended.

At the beginning of 1988, CLC became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America, and the Association in Evangelical Lutheran Churches all merged to form the ELCA. Also, with CLC’s continued growth, the two-point parish arrangement ended in 1989, and each of the two parishes called a pastor.

Pastor Eric P. Ranum accepted a call to serve CLC in January 1990. CLC experienced growth in membership and programs during Pastor Ranum’s leadership. In the fall of 1994, an additional worship service was added for families with small children and soon grew into a spirit-filled praise service. Other programs, such as the preschool, youth group, food bank, Bible studies, Sunday School, and Vacation Bible School continued to thrive and grow.

In 1998, Pastor Ranum accepted a call in Idaho. Pastor Don Cornell returned to serve as interim pastor until Pastor David E. Hustoft accepted a call to CLC. He came from Hawaii and served for a short term: November 1999–August 2001. Pastor Steve Nelson then served in the interim.

Pastor Philip E. Petrasek accepted a call in June 2003, and community outreach only grew under his leadership and passion for those in need. A meal program, Ferndale Community Meal, was established through the leadership of Cheryl Read and soon began serving twice-monthly meals; this ministry continued until sometime in 2020, when the pandemic forced its closure. In November 2009, Pastor Petrasek entered a well-deserved retirement. Pastor Chris Anderson served as interim pastor.

AND CHANGING
In March 2011, CLC extended a call to Pastor Jana Schofield. She began her ministry at CLC on July 1, 2011. Pastor Schofield ushered in a time of reorganization, growth, celebration, and continued outreach. The church was soon identified by the Northwest Washington Synod as one of the fastest growing congregations within the synod.

CLC raised $50,000 in a 2012–2015 campaign to help triple in size a homeless housing complex in Ferndale. CLC’s preschool underwent a structural reorganization in 2013, to become fully integrated as a ministry of the church. That same year, a Stephen Ministry was formed at CLC and has since expanded.
Around 2014, a Memorial Garden and Columbarium was established on the grounds. The landscaping was designed by member Gavin Gillespie. A labyrinth was added by one of our youths, Maclain Schapler, as part of his confirmation and Eagle Scout project.

In 2017, a year marking 500 years since the Reformation, CLC also celebrated 50 years of ministry. To honor both anniversaries, CLC held numerous informative and celebratory events throughout the year.

In 2018, after a period of study, discernment, and a capital campaign drive, the congregation began an extensive church remodel and expansion project. All areas of the building, apart from the sanctuary, were affected; the project included a new kitchen, fireside room, classrooms, four accessible single-stall restrooms, and an administrative office. An ELCA Mission Builder team, volunteers led by Tony Torretta, and the generous donations and pledges of our members helped make the project a success.

In September 2020, an impressive confirmation project of Ava Strissel was completed: the fundraising, purchase, and installation of an emergency generator at the church. CLC now serves as a backup shelter for Ferndale Severe Weather Shelter.

Throughout these years, the congregation addressed many social justice and theological issues. Adult education turned to such topics as Muslim-Christian dialogue, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), Indigenous history and relations, and more. Congregational approval was made for same-sex marriage ceremonies at our church. The display of a US flag in the sanctuary became the subject of much discussion. A team was formed to explore becoming a Reconciling In Christ (RIC) congregation.6 A land acknowledgement has been adopted and we’ve begun efforts toward establishing a relationship with our Lummi neighbors. We have also implemented alternative style gatherings, including a pre-pandemic worship service in the Fellowship Hall and a post-pandemic Pub Church.

CLC continues to help with many of the early established community services, some of which we helped found: Ferndale Food Bank (previously Project Concern), Other Bank (toiletries and household items for low-income residents), and until its recent closure due to the pandemic, the Ferndale Community Meal. We are also now involved in One Parish, One Prisoner, for the incarcerated; and Family Promise, for homeless families. We also support Interfaith Coalition, a local non-profit organization to assist the homeless. Our quilt group, which started decades ago, continues making quilts for Lutheran World Relief each year.

CLC quickly adjusted to the impacts of the pandemic. For example, many meetings and education sessions were held virtually. One positive outcome, of course, is our new YouTube channel, for expanding our ministry to those unable to attend in person.

Don Clausen, our new music director, joined CLC in December 2022, rekindling a robust music ministry.

Pastor Jana Schofield took a call to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Bellingham, Washington, in March 2023. Currently, Pastor Brian Stoffregen serves as our interim pastor and our Call Committee is hard at work selecting our next pastor.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Christ Lutheran Church has seen growth and change. We have met many challenges and enjoyed times of jubilee. During each season, through the cycles of growth and pruning and nurturing and change, the congregation holds onto faith in God’s plan for our ministry. Christ Lutheran remains committed to living in Christ and sharing God’s love with all people—and our story continues.

This history was compiled in January 2024 by charter member Nancy Söderlund Tupper, with the help of member recollections and various CLC documents, including an early history compiled by charter member Inez Johnson in 1992.

1 Pastor Cornell states that between 1960 and 1965 the number of Zion families living in or near Ferndale had quadrupled.

2 For more detailed information about the formation of Christ Lutheran Church, please refer to “A Remembrance: The Beginnings of the Ministry of Christ Lutheran Church,” a document written by Rev. Donald A. Cornell for the occasion of CLC’s 50th anniversary and now available through the CLC parish administrator. Also, a book written by Bob Ogmundson includes some of CLC’s history: Zion Lutheran Church: One Hundred Years of God’s Grace.

3 The former American Legion Hall building still exists on Main Street and currently houses a veterinarian clinic.

4 It’s been said that at least one family joined out of curiosity about this new, strangely designed, roundish building called a church.

5 Pastor Cornell notes that Project Concern was spearheaded by CLC member Sally Soderlund. Briefly housed at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Project Concern was then moved to United Church of Ferndale. It currently exists as Ferndale Food Bank and is located, along with the Other Bank, at the transit station on the east side of I-5.

6 The Reconciling In Christ work was paused when Pastor Schofield left CLC. The intention is to continue the effort.