Unitarian Congregations and Preaching Stations

Vesturfarar

Stefan M. Jonasson, the current editor of Lögberg – Heimskringla in Winnipeg wrote an article called Icelandic Unitarian Chuches in North America that was published in the book, The Icelandic Unitarian Connection. It lists Unitarian congregations and preaching stations in N. America. Many Icelandic immigrants in Canada and the United States appreciated the Unitarian religion and if their number was high enough, they established a congregation. In less populated places they had preaching stations for visiting ministers. In some cases two congregations of different denominations established a federated church. The following list is based on Jonasson´s article.

Manitoba

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Winnipeg: First Unitarian congregation in N. America was established here in February, 1891.                                                                                                                                                                          Gimli: Congregation established in 1904.
Árnes: Congregation established 1909.
Hnausa: Congregation established 1909
Riverton: Federated church established 1925.
Hekla: Preaching station after 1891. Rev. Rögnvaldur Pétursson served there 1917-1922 and 1937-1939.
Árborg: Federated church established in 1923.
Mary Hill (near Lundar): Congregation established in 1908. Rev. Guðmundur Árnason served 1929-1943. During this period church building was moved to Lundar, congregation as well.
Lundar: Congregation established in 1931 but the church building at Mary Hill was moved there later.
Otto (Shoal Lake settlement): Congregation established 1909, sometimes called The Shoal Lake congregation. Rev. Guðmundur Árnason served there until 1943.
Oak Point: Two different dates of the establishing of congregation. Some say 1920 but Rev Philip Petursson felt 1930 was the year.
Hove (near Otto): Preaching station, Rev. Albert E. Kristjánsson served 1917-1926.
Piney (Pine Valley): Preaching station near 1899 established by Rev. Magnús Skaptason. Rev. Rögnvaldur Pétursson made regular visit to the settlement 1921-1940.
Vogar: Preaching station, Rev. Guðmundur Árnason served 1935-1943.
Reykjavík: Preaching station tied in with Vogar, Rev. Guðmundur Árnason served.
Steep Rock: Another small preaching station, Rev. Guðmundur Árnason served.
Selkirk: The Lutheran congregation was divided before the turn of the century. One part withdrew from the Lutheran Synod in 1892 to become Unitarian but a congregation was never established.
Víðines (Husawick): The Lutheran congregation withdrew from the Lutheran Synod in 1891 but rejoined it later. Quite a few joined the Gimli Unitarian congregation.

Saskatchewan

Wynyard: Stefan Jonasson says: “Wynyard was organized as the Quill Lake Church in 1906. An Icelandic New Theology congregation closely tied to the Winnipeg Tabernacle, the Quill Lake Church withdrew from the Lutheran Synod in 1910. The congregation was reorganized as the Wynyard Federated Church in 1921. The Wynyard Church was numerically the most important Icelandic Unitarian church behind the First Federated Church in Winnipeg.

Kandahar: Congregation established around 1920. Rev. Albert E. Kristjánsson served 1927-1928, Rev. Rögnvaldur Pétursson 1929-1936.

Kristnes (Foam Lake): Like Kandahar, congregation was established 1920. Rev. Albert and Rev. Rögnvaldur served there the same years as in Kandahar.

Grandy, Dafoe, Leslie: Preaching stations in all three settlements, ministers from Wynyard served.

United States

Blaine: Congregation established 1928. Rev. Albert E Kristjánsson served 1933-1943 and 1946-1949.

Seattle: Rev. Albert E. Kristjansson established the Icelandic Liberal Church or The Icelandic Liberal Unitarian Society in 1928. He served there 1928-1941.

Roseau: Rev. Magnús Skaptason established an Icelandic Unitarian church in 1899.

Minneota: Several families in the village and the nearby Lincoln and Lyon counties were served by visiting ministers but neither congregation nor preaching station was established.