Moreland Lutheran Church

Moreland Lutheran Church (also spelled Moorland) was organized as the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Moreland on July 25, 1886 to serve Norwegian Lutheran residents in the Moreland neighborhood of Chicago. The congregation was admitted in to the Norwegian Augustana Synod in 1887.

Originally using rooms in private homes and the public school for services, the congregation rented an empty store at Lake Street and 51st Court in 1891. In 1891 the congregation purchased the lots at Lawler Avenue and Ferdinand Street. The church building (pictured below, before and after remodeling) on the new lots was completed in 1892.

In 1927 the congregation, faced with the need for additional space, purchased lots at Lotus Avenue and Huron Street, at 5443 W. Huron. On Palm Sunday, April 1, 1928, the new building (pictured at top) constructed at the site was dedicated.

Moreland Lutheran Church disbanded on November 24, 1974.

Original records
Original record books for Moreland Lutheran Church are located at the ELCA Region 5 Archives in Dubuque, Iowa. The ELCA Archives has microfilm available of Moreland's record books. Membership records from 1886 to 1931 and church minutes from 1886 to 1958 are available on ALC #405. Additionally, membership records from 1886 to 1974 are available on ALC reel #660, while church minutes from 1959 to 1974 are available on #661. The ELCA Archives has congregational histories and other materials from Moreland.

Sources
Moreland Lutheran Church in Chicago, Fifty Years for Christ, 1886-1936. (9.36MB PDF).