Events scheduled for 2012

Vespers Service conducted by area congregations.
Every Sunday, June -August, 7:00 pm

   June 3 - Pr. John Leaf, Interim at Peace Lutheran, Port Byron
   June 10 - Pr. Don Knowles, Calvary Lutheran, Moline
   June 17 - Chaplain Robert Hansen, Trinity Hospital, Rock Island
   June 24 - Pr. Wayne Melass-Swanson, Messiah Lutheran, Port Byron
   July 1 - Pr. Michael Lawyer, St. Paul Lutheran, Orion
   July 8 - Pr. Jan Veseth, Augustana Lutheran, Andover
   July 15 - Mr. John Califf, St. John's Lutheran, Rock Island
   July 22 -  Pr. Gwen Sefrhans, Messiah Lutheran, Aledo
   July 29 - Pr. Larry Conway, Trinity Lutheran, Moline
   Aug. 5 - Pr. Mark Laatsch, Calvary Lutheran, New Windsor
   Aug. 12 - To be announced
   Aug. 19 - Pr. Arthur Bergren, First Lutheran, Geneseo
   Aug. 26 - Pr. Randy Willers, Salem Lutheran, Moline

A free-will offering will be taken for the Jenny Lind Chapel. At 10:00 am, prior to the concert, light refreshments will be served in Luther Hall at the nearby Augustana Lutheran Church.

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The Jenny Lind Chapel is a memorial to Swedish settlers who came to America in 1849 to found a branch of the Swedish Lutheran Church under the leadership of Pastor Lars Paul Esbjörn.  He later became the first president of Augustana College.

It was a struggle for these pioneers to fund and build this chapel.  The congregation grew and in 1870 they built a new church in Andover.  The chapel was given its name in 1948 as it was presented to the Augustana Synod.

The Jenny Lind Chapel became the mother church for hundreds of other churches of the Augustana Lutheran Church in America.  This church body merged into the Lutheran Church in America in 1962 and is now a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  The Chapel is owned by the Northern Illinois Synod (ELCA).

The Chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places.  It houses a museum that offers exhibits of the early immigrant experience as well as audio and video presentations.  The cemetery adjacent to the Chapel is the resting place of the faithful including Jonas Swensson, the second president of the Augustana Synod. During the year the Chapel is visited not only by Swedes but also by people of many other nationalities interested in the immigration experience.

The Chapel hosts special events throughout the year including the annual Founders Day service in April, Sunday evening vespers at 7:00 pm during June, July and August, the Swedish Högmässa service in September, and the "Joy of Christmas" service.  Call Augustana Lutheran Church at 309-521-8127 for current schedule information.

To insure the continuation of the Chapel as an expression of the pioneer heritage of the Lutheran Church in the U.S., prayerfully consider a donation or estate gift to the Chapel. Please send your check to Jenny Lind Chapel, Augustana Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 157, Andover, IL 61233.  Make it payable to "Jenny Lind Chapel". You may also use your credit card or PayPal account to make a contribution to the Chapel's operating fund by clicking on this Donate button.  You will receive an email receipt.  Thank you!

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