Wesley Methodist Church

In 1871, Norwegian settlers began arriving in the Hillsboro, North Dakota area. Among them was Jonas Ostlund who worked as a Methodist missionary in a circuit of four to six places, holding regular services in the log huts and dugouts. In the fall of 1881 Reverend P. Jensen of St. Paul, Minnesota came to the Red River Vally and organized a group of twelve members and eight trial members in Hillsboro. In 1944 the Methodist Church at Caledonia dissolved and joined Wesley Methodist Church. In 1968 Wesley began sharing a minister with the First Congregational United Church and in 1972 their Sunday School classes were joined. Today they are the Hillsboro United Parish.

The Wesley Methodist Church records consists of the Epsworth League's publication Echo, and some Sunday School records. The Epsworth League Echo, which is in manuscript form, began publication in 1894. It was designed as a literary and religious publication with a mixture of articles and news notes in English and Norwegian. Of special note is the three-page manuscript describing the Hillsboro Community. The Sunday School records consist of various items including an issue of Hyrde Stemmen, the weekly Sunday School paper published in Norwegian-Danish in Chicago. The Record Book which covers the years 1917 to 1924 lists attendance and offerings at each Sunday School meeting. Finally there are the business meeting minutesof the Sunday School for 1929 to 1942 which also included some financial sheets.
 

Religion