Join the Friends of the Jenny Lind Chapel

                         Events scheduled for 2013

Andover Colonial Days Festival
Saturday, June 1 - Antique lawn and farm tractor show, Velie vehicle display, arts and crafts, food, fishing derby for kids, bagpipe band, talent show, pork chop supper, and concert by the Orion Community Band - Andover Lake Park and nearby sites including the Jenny Lind Chapel.

Sunday, June 2 -  Antique lawn and farm tractor show, arts & crafts, breakfast, outdoor community worship service at 9:00 am, and Salute to Veterans at 10:30 am - Andover Lake Park and nearby sites including the Jenny Lind Chapel.

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

   June 2 - Chaplain Kristen Glass Perez, Augustana Campus Ministry
   June 9 - Pr. Larry Conway, Trinity Lutheran, Moline
   June 16 - Pr. Jan Veseth, Augustana Lutheran, Andover
   June 23 - Pr. Randy Swanson, Cambridge Lutheran, Cambridge
   June 30 - Pr. Gwen Sefrhans, Messiah Lutheran, Aledo
   July 7 - Pr. Don Knowles, Calvary Lutheran, Moline
   July 14 - Pr. Mark Laatsch, Calvary Lutheran, New Windsor
   July 21 - Pr. Michael Lawyer, St. Paul Lutheran, Orion
   July 28 - Pr. Kate Morris, Trinity Lutheran, Moline
   August 4 - Pr. Robert Hansen, Trinity Hospital Chaplain, Rock Island
   August 11 - Pr. Janet Lepp, St. James Lutheran, Rock Island
   August 18 - Pr. Mike Clark, Grace Lutheran, Knoxville
   August 25 - Pr. Randy Willers, Salem Lutheran, Moline

Swedish Högmässa Service
Sunday, September 29, 4:00 pm
At this service the liturgy and music are in Swedish and the sermon is in English.

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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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