The History of First Lutheran Church – Lloydminster

Reverend Herbert R. Brase

Reverend Herbert R. Brase was sent to Lloydminster by the Mission Board of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in the depths of the Great Depression – fall 1936 – to establish a Lutheran Congregation. He held his first service in the rented basement of the First Baptist Church. The congregation organized the First Lutheran Church of Lloydminster on December 10, 1939.

When it was decided in 1944 to build a Lutheran church, it was financially necessary to do it in stages. In 1945, the basement was completed and dedicated and the rest of the church on December 19, 1949. This was a great moment of joy followed by a great moment of sadness as only a few months later, Pastor Brase left the congregation.

The original First Lutheran Base Church

However, Pastor Brase returned in 1964 as a special guest for the 25th anniversary celebrations of First Lutheran Church. His contribution was further recognized in November 1974 by naming the new wing the “Brase Memorial Hall.” Almost nine years after this joyful occasion, the unthinkable happened. On Christmas eve 1983, the church and Brase hall were completely destroyed in a fire, later determined to be arson. Christmas services had to be held in the Anglican Church Hall. The congregation rebounded and dedicated the new First Lutheran Church on September 16, 1984.

From Bordering on Greatness: A History of Lloydminster’s First Century, by Franklin Lloyd Foster and Alan Grant Griffith.

The First Lutheran Church was completed in 1949. It was destroyed by fire in December 1983.