An early meeting, occurring in the fall of 1850, addressed the need for a Christian school and a place to worship with the arrival of these first Norwegian settlers to the Paint Creek area. The first recorded meeting was January 06, 1851. In March 1851 a meeting took place to organize a school district with Ole Larson as the first school teacher. Known as the Dalby schoolhouse, it was built and in use by November 1851. It was used for Church services, as well. The May 1852 record shows the first installment payment on 80 acres of land which had been placed in a land warrant for the congregation.
The first services were held July 1851 at the home of Thomas Anderson {aka Gronna}. Pastor C. L. Clausen, who was then located at Rock Prairie, WI, conducted these services. He traveled throughout Wisconsin and Iowa performing baptisms and marriages. The next pastor to visit Paint Creek was Pastor Nils Brandt. He traveled between Rock Prairie, WI and Paint Creek, Iowa from 1851 through 1853. The congregation sent a Letter of Call to Norway requesting a permanent pastor. The Rev. Ulrik Velhelm Koren answered the call arriving to preach New Year’s Day, 1854. A meeting in July 1855 determined the need to build a church which was taken into use prior to June 1857. Pastor Koren served until May 1862 when he returned to Norway. On February 05, 1859, it was decided to build a parsonage, however, it was not needed until July 1862 when Pastor O. J. Hjort arrived with his family.
Rev. Ove Jacob Hjort graduated from the Seminary at St. Louis, Missouri and became the first resident Pastor for the congregation in July 1862. The congregation had grown and divided into two churches, East and West.
Predestination controversy raged among the Norwegian Lutherans during 1880 and the Paint Creek congregations were not spared. A small minority broke away from the original two churches organizing their own congregations in 1887 having refused to become part of the Evangelical Church. They are known as the East and West Synod Lutheran churches.
To distinguish between the two original churches the prefix word ‘Old’ was added to the names ‘Old East Paint Creek and Old West Paint Creek Churches’
