Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church

Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, built in 1913, is a Municipal Heritage Property in the R.M of Glenside No. 377, 26.5 kilometres northwest of Biggar. Located in the Twin Hill area, the two-hectare property features a simple wood-frame church and adjoining cemetery.

Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church is of heritage value as one of the oldest remaining buildings in the Rural Municipality. The church was built in 1913 as the meeting place of a Lutheran congregation that had formed the previous year. The building was the first Lutheran Church in the area and attracted the German-speaking settlers of the district who had come from Germany, Poland, Russia and the USA. Emmanuel members spoke, worshipped and kept their records in German into the 1950s when English became more prevalent. The church was used for regular services until 1963, and has subsequently been used for special services, weddings and funerals.

The church is also of heritage value as a landmark in the area. The gable-roof structure, characterized by the modesty and simplicity that is typical of Lutheran country churches in Saskatchewan, stands out due to its presence in its isolated, rural location. The tree-sheltered churchyard of the property includes a cemetery that was established in conjunction with the church.

Source:

R.M. of Glenside No. 377 Bylaw No. 2006-02.

The heritage value of Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church resides in the following character-defining elements:

-those elements of the church building related to its status as one of the oldest buildings in the municipality, such as its wood-frame construction, rectangular gable-roof form, and its plain interior with painted, tongue-and-groove wooden cladding;

-those elements of the property related to its landmark status, including the placement of the church on its original location, the relationship of the church to the adjoining cemetery, and the surrounding shelterbelt.