Photo by Deb Gau Sharri Van De Wiele points out some of the photos from past confirmation classes and other events at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Milroy. The display of photos and memorabilia was put together as part of the church’s 125th anniversary celebration.

MILROY — It’s a milestone year for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Milroy.

Church members are looking forward to celebrating their congregation’s 125th anniversary this weekend.

“We feel excited, and we feel blessed that we have an opportunity to celebrate,” said Sharri Van De Wiele, one of the committee members helping organize the celebration.

It was a blessing that the church has been able to stay active for over a century, she said.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Milroy will hold a gathering at 1 p.m. Sunday at the church, with a program and hymn sing at 1:30 p.m., and refreshments to follow.

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church had origins similar to many rural churches in southwest Minnesota, Van De Wiele said. When Our Savior’s was organized as a congregation in 1899, it didn’t have a church building. At first, gatherings like worship services, confirmation classes and meetings of the Ladies’ Aid group were held in homes, a church history said. In 1903, a church was built on land where Milroy’s city park is today.

Our Savior’s original location came with some drawbacks, however. The land was low, and prone to flooding, Van De Wiele said. In 1923, the church building was lifted and moved to a new site, across the street from the Milroy Public School.

“They put it on logs and rolled it across the street with horses,” she said. “If that isn’t ingenuity, I don’t know what is.”

Our Savior’s current church building was constructed in 1959, and the last service in the old church was held in March 1960. The congregation kept some pieces of church history, including a stained glass window and the altar painting from the original church building. A lighted stand was built for the stained glass window, and the altar painting was placed in the new church’s upstairs chapel.

Our Savior’s has also lasted through some severe weather events. According to the church history, either a tornado or strong straightline winds tore off part of the church’s roof the night of Aug. 4, 1979. It took months of repair work, but the building was restored.

Our Savior’s Lutheran has gone through organizational changes over the years, too. The congregation is small now, and today Our Savior’s is partnered with Trinity Lutheran Church in Lucan and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Redwood Falls. But current church members feel a sense of connection with their community, as well as excitement for the future, Van De Wiele said.

The congregation includes three families who have had five generations of members at Our Savior’s, and one family with six generations, the church history said.

Van De Wiele’s family has attended Our Savior’s Lutheran for five generations. She said she felt “a deep gratitude” to be part of a church with strong roots in the area community. The congregation’s founders went through a lot, she said.

“They didn’t give up,” Van De Wiele said. Even without a church building, she said, “They met in a schoolhouse, they met in homes. So many congregations started that way.”

While the congregation’s size has fluctuated over the years, it doesn’t mean Our Savior’s Lutheran can’t have a thriving congregation in the future, Van De Wiele said.

“We’re optimistic that we will be able to serve the Lord, our congregation and our community,” she said.