A group of Norwegian immigrants settled in the Fargo-Moorhead area in 1871. Many of them were living in tents located in the river town district. The first service for this group was held on October 4, 1872 by Rev. Niels T. Ylvisaker in a Moorhead home. The congregation named itself Moorhead Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation at that time and built their first church in 1874. They were forced to sell the building because of the financial hardship it caused and rent meeting facilities in Fargo. They changed their name another three times before landing on the current name. The congregation was finally able to build another church in 1895 on the corner of Roberts Street and Fourth Avenue North for $14,000. At this time their membership had grown from 31 to 283 people.[1]First LutheranChurch
Heather Brinkman, Digital History 2012
[1] First Lutheran Church. “History” 2009. web. Oct. 30, 2012 <http://www.flcfargo.org/aboutus/history>
