Peace Lutheran Church History
History
Peace Lutheran Church officially began its existence the second Sunday of January, 1982, but the planning began long before at Hope Lutheran Church of Bozeman. Several of the members of Hope Lutheran Church lived in the Belgrade area and together with the pastor of Hope felt a strong sense of need where these people lived. The members of Hope showed their faith in a future congregation in Belgrade by purchasing land, eventually for a new building for the new congregation.
From January 1982 until December 1982, the congregation met at the Belgrade Village Building. From December 1982 until January 1986, the meeting place was the basement of Valley Bank. The Peace Lutheran congregation met at the Catholic Church from January 1986 until September 1987. Mission Builders assisted congregational members in building Peace Lutheran Church. They were Caroll and JoAnn Hill, Brookings, SD; Bill and Mildred Hamann, LeMars, IA; Melford and Betty Johnson, Kenmare, ND; Wilbert and Rowena Boges, Blanco, TX; and Rueben Mayer, Gackle, ND.
Pastors of Peace
Pastor Herb Knutsen ~ January 1982 - October 1985
Pastor Joseph Belgum ~ February 1986 - July 1986
Intern Pastor Galen Sylvester ~ July 1986 - July 1987
Intern Pastor Bruce Rimmereld ~ September 1987 - August 1988
Intern Pastor Mark Reiner ~ September 1988 - August 1989
Pastor Greg Holler-Dinsmore ~ September 1989 - June 1994
Pastor William Duffey ~ August 1994 - Present
Pastor Robert Coughlin~ August 2011- Present
Notable Dates at Peace
January 1982 ~ First Service (second Sunday)
May 3, 1987 ~ Groundbreaking Ceremony
May 16, 1987 ~ Excavation begins
September 13, 1987 ~ First service in the new building
October 18, 1987 ~ Dedication of the new building
June 1992 ~ Groundbreaking of building addition
May 23, 1993 ~ Dedication of the building addition
September 1993 ~ Peace KinderKare daycare held at Peace
October 1997 ~ 10th anniversary of the building
December 2005 ~ Mortgage paid in full
August 2007 ~ Celebration of 25 years as a congregation and 20 years in the current building
February 21, 2010 ~ severed ties with ELCA and joined LCMC