Pastor Robert Nelson auctioneering at the annual Youth Spaghetti Dinner and Auction. The 2019 event is coming up on February 10.
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When the weather is bad out, as it was last week and may be again this week, it’s not unusual for area churches to cancel services. But Pastor Robert Nelson has never closed the Lake Viking Church on Sunday for the 12 years he’s been a pastor there.
“We’ve never closed, never missed,” he says. “If I go on vacation, there’s always somebody here to fill in.”
Sometimes the church, located on the east entrance to the lake, can seem a little vacant; one time only 10 or 15 people dared to venture out.
“That was the lowest number we’ve ever had,” Rev. Nelson says. “Last Sunday, after Saturday’s snow storm, only about 31 were able to make it to church.”
The congregation normally averages about 110-115 people. The smaller service has its advantages.
“Last Sunday we stayed in the dining area and had a very relaxed, intimate service,” he says. “We had an open-ended discussion on the scripture lesson and people were asking questions and making comments. We were able to go in-depth during the study because of the interaction. With a large service, we couldn’t do it like that. It was really nice and everyone really enjoyed it.”
Sometimes Lake Viking Church will cancel the Wednesday evening services because of bad weather, when it is too dark and dangerous to drive, especially for older members of the congregation.
Of course, Reverend Nelson doesn’t want anyone to get out on the roads during bad weather who isn’t comfortable with it.
“Use your own judgment and stay safe,” he says.
He lives about 8.5 miles away from the church on the other side of the lake on Highway KK. He has a four-wheel drive vehicle and comes through the “backside” of the lake to the church. It’s another six or seven miles to Gallatin.
Pastor Nelson says it’s important for people to always have a place to go to worship on Sunday; you never know who may show up or why.
“We had one Sunday, a terrible Sunday, years ago, when everybody else was closed, and a gentleman came to the church. He was having some family problems. I can’t reveal his personal story, but if we had not been opened … Well, he started coming to church because of that; even though it was bad out, we were open and we were here.”