Life in Christ Lutheran Church in Grand Marais is a small congregation with a large vision. The church recently purchased the former Pie Place property west of Grand Marais. On Saturday, May 18, the congregation held its last Sunday service at the Cook County Community Center. Parishioners then gathered at their new church home for a dedication service by Reverend Dean Rudloff.
After being a not-so-visible congregation for 16 years, the Life in Christ Lutheran Church has taken the bold step of becoming very visible, purchasing the former Pie Place restaurant property west of Grand Marais for its new home.
The seed was planted for this worship center in 1998, when Reverend Dean Rudloff and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, via Faith Lutheran Church in Silver Bay, reached out to people in Grand Marais. The church began meeting at the Cook County Community Center and eventually Reverend Dennis Schutte was installed as pastor, leading the church for several years.
Pastor Rudloff was installed as the pastor at Life in Christ in December 2011 and work continued to move the church from a few hours a week presence at the community center to a full presence in a church building on a piece of land.
The little congregation with a large vision gathered on Sunday, May 18, 2014 for the last time at the community center. When the service was over, members gathered the elements of worship—the temporary altar, the special case for hymnals, candles and Bibles— and drove to their new home at 2017 West Highway 61.
Top: Many hands made light work in the move. Kendra cheerfully carried in a stack of Bibles. Above: Pastor Rudloff at the church’s newly acquired altar. Right: Loren Leslie carries in the box used for years to transport hymnals.
After a blessing by Pastor Rudloff outside under brilliant blue skies, church members entered the former restaurant to take part in a brief dedication service in the sanctuary still under renovation.
Much work has been done already—the walls are freshly painted, a beautiful donated altar has been installed and new lighting is in place in the sanctuary. The ruts in the driveway have been filled and smoothed. But there is still much to be done.
In addition to finishing the sanctuary and narthex in the former restaurant, the church must decide what to do with the outlying buildings on the property. Some will be torn down, but church members are assessing others to see if they can be used.
“Every Sunday when worshipers arrive, they will see a little more progress,” said Pastor Rudloff over coffee after the dedication. “We will take it step-by-step to a finished project.”
The long-range plans are still being worked out, but Pastor Rudloff said, “We want this place to be part of a larger ministry.”
Life in Christ is working with Lutheran Island Camp in Henning, Minnesota and plans to welcome campers from that facility as well as others.
“Henning is 3½ hours away from us. We’re hoping people will make use of us on their wilderness trips. We see Grand Marais as a meeting point, a starting point, for not just the Gunflint Trail, but also the Sawbill Trail and the Arrowhead Trail.
“We’ll have sleeping quarters for people coming and going,” said Pastor Rudloff, noting that the worship center’s location is ideal, with the U.S. Forest Service right across the street for wilderness permits and Bear Track Outfitters right next door.
“It’s very usual for our church to have visitors from all over the United States. We want to be a church that serves them,” said Pastor Rudloff adding, “And we want to be a church that the community sees as a partner.”
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