Trinity Lutheran Church interior, Ortonville, MN, 1972

About this postcard

View down the center aisle of Trinity Lutheran Church in Ortonville, Minnesota, toward a chancel with crimson carpet, plain wooden pews, and an altar draped in red before a tall stained-glass window. Dark timber roof trusses and hanging lantern fixtures frame white walls, and a simple cross stands at the center of the altar. The card was sent by Pastor Martin Renner and members of the Missouri Synod congregation to a family in Big Stone City, South Dakota, after they had worshipped there; the printed schedule lists two Sunday services and a radio broadcast of the 11 o'clock service on KDIO. Ortonville sits near the South Dakota border by Big Stone Lake, and the note reflects the ordinary follow-up between a small-town congregation and visiting neighbors.