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Crane Community Chapel |
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Charter Members People of Crane - Our Charter Members Honored CHARTER MEMBER SUNDAY Formation In the summer of 1945, after investing ten years of their lives to the work in Austin, Rev. Joe Matt, Sr. and his wife moved to Minneapolis to assume work at a Street Mission on Hennepin Avenue. Their son, Joe Matt, Jr. and his new bride, Della, assumed the leadership of the chapel without pay. He had graduated from Austin Junior College with a degree in accounting and was employed in the transportation department at Hormel. After completing a correspondence ministerial training course with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, Pastor Joe was ordained in 1951. That was also the year of another building addition that included a completed basement for more classrooms, kitchen, restrooms, and a soundproof nursery. Organization Recognition Rev. Joe Matt, Sr., and his wife Amanda, fulfilled the vision of establishing a Sunday School for the purpose of reaching the children of Crane Addition with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They became known for their compassion and caring for others. Their time of ministry here required tenacity and hard work from which they did not shrink. Amanda passed away 1961, and Rev. Joe Matt, Sr. died in 1969. Pastor Joe Matt, Jr. served the ministry of this church for 55 years, officially retiring in 1998. He is to be remembered for his innovative spirit, his work with youth camps, Youth for Christ, The Family Hour telecast, as police chaplain, the Gospel Fest, hospital visitation, and chemical dependency intervention. The church experienced expansion during his tenure of ministry. Pastor Joe continued to work full-time as an accountant in the transportation department at Hormel's until his retirement in 1987. Della Matt worked behind the scenes seeing to it that everything was cared for. Her gift of hospitality was evident to all. She entertained many guest speakers and musicians who came to minister at the church and on the telecast. Della taught Sunday School, participated in WMS, was faithful to the prayer ministry, played an important role on the telecast, and kept in touch with members of the congregation with an encouraging spirit. Pastor Joe and Della now reside in Zionsville, Indiana. Frank Burdick served as Sunday School superintendent for many, many years. One time his creativity prompted him to pin one dollar bills all over his suit as a fundraising gimmick to raise money for a Sunday School project. He, Earl Lennberg, and Pastor Joe spent many hours working on construction projects together and providing for the maintenance of the church facilities. Edna Burdick was an active member and did a lot of work behind the scenes. She served as a Sunday School teacher and was involved in the ministry of WMS. Upon Frank's retirement from Hormel's, the Burdick's moved to Arizona. We are uncertain of the date of Frank Burdick's death, but the last word received from Edna was in December of 2002. At that time she continued to reside in Arizona. Lewis Dunham was a committed layman. He used his musical talent in ministry. He played several different instruments and sang. Lewis passed away in 1979. Carolyn Dunham was also a very active participant in the ministries of the church. She presently resides at the Pickett Place Apartments in Austin. Earl Lennberg taught Sunday School for over 40 years. He and Pastor Joe would take several boys on overnight fishing trips to Albert Lea or camping trips to Spring Valley. As before mentioned, he worked on much of the church building proper and built many of the cabinets and storage units. He served as the church treasurer, Sunday School superintendent, and the men's club president, and was always faithful to attend prayer meetings. Della Matt said that he was Pastor Joe's "right hand man". His servant attitude is revealed by his own words as quoted in an interview by the Austin Daily Herald. He said, "You need to have people to become involved in their church to make it a better church. Young people and old people and everybody in between. That's what I did. I helped out Crane church." Bessie Lennberg also identified with the ministry to children by teaching the third graders for 35 years. She was also faithful to the prayer ministry. She and Earl always made "new comers" feel welcome and often visited the homes of those who attended church. Bessie continues to give God the glory for his goodness to both herself and Earl. She loves to share the hope she has in Christ. Earl went to be with the Lord in December of 2000. Bessie resides at the Pickett Place Apartments in Austin. George Walterman worked on the railroad. He and Viola lived in a small home next door to the church. They often opened their home to accommodate guests during Bible school and other special church events. George also helped a lot with the church property. He passed away in December of 1968. Viola Walterman was a school teacher and later worked in the clothing department at Younkers. She taught Sunday School, served as the Sunday School superintendent, the president of WMS, led women's Bible studies, and faithfully participated in the prayer ministry and WMS work days. She is to be recognized for an attitude of positive optimism. Viola presently resides at St. Mark's Apartments in Austin. Today her family wishes to acknowledge her servant heart by presenting an honorarium in her name. Her daughter Bev expresses the testimony of their family in these words: "[Our mother saw that we were involved in the life of the church.] Crane Chapel was one big family who loved each other. I remember teachers like Della and Bessie who taught truth, loved us, was always eager to share the week's happenings and pray for our concerns all week . . . The impact that Crane Chapel has had in our lives has allowed us to share Jesus in many places and in many ways. As God has blessed us it's only natural that we should give back a portion to the place where our roots began." Presentation Certificates
of Recognition Acknowledgement of honorarium given by Viola's family © 2005 Crane Community Chapel |