Worshiping Around Lapskaus Blvd.
I grew up not far from Lapskaus Boulevard in Brooklyn. No that wasn’t it’s official name. Officially it was 8 th Avenue. It was the heart of the commercial heart of the Norwegian community. A stroll down this avenue felt no different than a stroll down a street in Norway. There were fish markets and bakeries, restaurants and bars and lots and lots of churches. There were several Norwegian congregations. Most were Lutheran of one sort or another. The Salvation Army had an officer straight from Norway. My own church, a Pentecostal church, had a pastor with a thick Norwegian accent who could switch from Norwegian to English without thinking. Our life centered on the church. It didn’t always have to our church, just THE church. My father liked to go to a good meeting. That meant if one of the Lutheran churches had someone special, or a special meeting he’d go for the service. If it were the Salvation Army, same thing. Everyone seemed to know Brother Johannesen. Then there was th...