New Beginnings

Mount Olive Lutheran Church is a daughter congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church 
at 537 Grand Avenue, Billings,  Montana.   The first worship service was held at the Trinity Lutheran School at 2802 Belvedere 
Drive, Billings, Montana on February 22, 1959.  Reverend H.A. Wood was the first pastor and the first organist was Lois Wroge
Fehrmann. Ground breaking for the new church was in April 1960.  Dedication service for the new building was in September 1961. 
 
By Loris Tangvik March 31, 2008  
 Archivist: Loris Tangvik
As Billings grew in the late 1950s, many members of Trinity Lutheran Church foresaw the rapid expansion that was coming to west
Billings.  Those members living in the new subdivisions in west Billings dreamed of a “suburban” church in the
developing area.  Trinity Lutheran School had already been established on 10 acres in west Billings in 1958. Questions
abounded for the members of Trinity Lutheran Church:  Are we ready to do this? Do I want to be part
of it?  Do we want to do all that work to start another congregation?  Who would be our Pastor?  Where would we have
services?
In early February, 1959, 34 communicants and their families were granted a peaceful release from Trinity Lutheran Church to begin a mission
church in west Billings.  On February 22, 1959, the new congregation of Mount Olive held its’ first service at Trinity
Lutheran School, which was also on the “frontier” of 1959 Billings.   Soon a Pastor was called and a new organ
donated.  
This did not occur without some reservation and concern.  
By early 1960, it was clear that a larger space was needed for worship services. A building committee was established, plans made, ground
broken and soon the first phase of the new Mount Olive was in place on a few acres across from West High School at the corner of 24th Street and
St. Johns.  The location was identified by a consultant as an ideal location and provided enough room for future
expansion.  This first phase was essentially the current fellowship hall and the first floor of the current
education wing.
In 1962, Mount Olive opened a kindergarten.  By 1967, 83 children applied for the 53 available spots in the kindergarten.  When
both Trinity and Billings public schools started kindergarten in 1975, the Mount Olive kindergarten closed.
Within 5 years, Mount Olive’s congregation had a baptized membership of over 500 and a Sunday School with over 250 kids.  By 1967, the congregation was self-sufficient
and the Montana District removed its subsidy of the congregation.
From 1974 through 1978, numerous discussions surrounded the need for additional space for the growing congregation but failed to get enough
support to pursue.  By 1979, the congregation agreed that it had outgrown the original facility.  After many meetings and prayerful
consideration, a decision was made to add a new sanctuary and additional areas to support the growing congregational needs. 
Construction began in 1981 and culminated in May of 1982 with the addition of the current sanctuary and the
second story of the education wing.  A choir loft was added a year later and the office area was finished by spring of
1983.
In 1981, Trinity Lutheran School outgrew its building and moved preschool and kindergarten to Mount Olive.  By 1983, Mount Olive was home to 1st
and 2nd grade also.  This was a result of the Lutheran Interparish Education Association established in 1977,
to foster cooperation in developing Lutheran education in Billings 
During this busy time of the early 1980s, Mount Olive also provided the support to start a mission congregation of its own in the Billings Heights
(Our Savior), by calling a second Pastor for the mission start and eventually having 20 Mount Olive families serve as the nucleus of this new congregation.
None of the decisions associated with the growth of Mount Olive came easy and, in fact, proved extremely difficult for some.  But viewing the history of Mount Olive and
its growth provides the benefit of perspective on the road traveled.
Past Pastors: 
 

 Reverand Harold Wood, 1959-1968
  Reverand Albert Pullman, 1969-1978
 Reverand Stephen Biegel, 1981-1982 
 Reverand Robert Luinstra, 1979-1988
 Reverand MichaelEschelbach, 1985-1988
  Reverand Daniel Ondov, 1989-1990.
 Reverand Eugene Juergensen, 1992-2002

Past Vicars and Deaconess: 
 
Herbert Schumm,            1977-1978 
Timothy Rumsch,             1978-1979 
Michael Delancy,             1979-1980  
George Putnam,               1980-1981 
Carl Noble,                        1981-1982  
Kevin Hoogland                1982-1981 
David Carnahan                1983-1984  
Brian Bibler                       1984-1985 
Barr Chittick                      1985-1986  
Robert Clancy                   1986-1987
David Emmrich                 1987-1988 
John Pitcher                      1988-1989  
Gregory Sawyer                1989-1990 
Walter Snyder                   1990-1991  
Terry Wiley                        1991-1992 
Larry Rubeck                     1992-1993  
Albert Kasten                    1993-1994 
Daniel Berteau                  1994-1995  
Douglas Thompson          1995-1996 
James Haugen                   1996-1997  
George Draper                  1997-1998 
Kenneth Zoeller                1998-1999 
Ryan Wendt                       2002-2003  
David Warner                    2003-2004 
Jason Braaten                    2004-2005  
David Preus                        2005-2006 
Paul Nus                              2006-2007 
Russell Fitch                       2007-2008  
Michael Holmen               2008-2009 
John C. Preus                     2009-2010  
Michael Miller                   2010-2011  
 
Mount Olive Lutheran Deaconess 
Tressa Weyer                    2004-2005
Available photos from time of service
  Previous Vicar Michael Holmen
   Previous Vicar Russ Fitch
 

 
   Previous Vicar Paul Nuss 


 
  Previous Deaconess Weyer


  
  

  Previous Vicar David Preus

  Previous Vicar Jason Braaten

  Previous Vicar John C. Preus
 Previous Vicar Michael Miller