Svein Olsen Strand Trinity Dates: 1879-1888 Born: March 19, 1852, in Aal, Hallingdal, Norway. Parents: Ole Olsen Strand and Astri Mekkelsdatter. Died: February 18, 1945 in Martin County, Minnesota. Buried: Wallingford, Emmet County, Iowa. Married: Gunnhild Clausen (daughter of Rev. Claus L. Clausen) in 1886. She died in 1941. Ordained: 1879. Came to America in 1873.
Dates and places of service:
1869 - 1871	Attended Asker Seminary near Oslo, Norway.
1871 - 1873	Teacher in Norway.
1873 - 1875	Teacher in a parish school.
1875 - 1876	Back in Norway.
1877 - 1879	Attended Augsburg Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1879 - 1894	Pastor for congregations in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota area including Brorson Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church (1879-1888).
1894 - 1896	Pastor for congregations in Hayfield, Minnesota area and supply pastor for Buffalo Center, Iowa.
1896 - 1897	Pastor for congregations in Dell, Minnesota area.
1898	Pastor for congregations in Westfield, Minnesota area.
1899 - 1900	Pastor for congregations in Estherville, Iowa area.
1900 - 1907	Pastor for congregations in Wallingford, Iowa area.
1907 - 1917	Teacher at Madison Lutheran Normal School in Madison, Minnesota.
1917 - 1945	Farmed near Wallingford, Iowa.

Pastor Strand was not popular among many of the Danes of Blooming Prairie Township. It was during his pastorate that the Danish Baptist Church of Clarks Grove, Minnesota set up a mission congregation just a mile from Brorson Lutheran. Many people left the Lutheran church to join with the Baptists in the 1880's. One of the reasons for this is possibly that the pastor of Brorson church was a Norwegian. The pastor of the Baptist church was J.S. Lunn, a Dane. It has been suggested that the Danes of the area found it hard to stay with the Norwegian pastor when a native Dane was preaching just down the road.

When the Nis Thimsen family left to join the Baptist church in 1885. In the remarks column in the church records it is stated that Mr. Thimsen has refused to have the children educated in the Christian teachings, so he is therefore "removed as a heathen". Strong words, but there was a severe rift between the Danish Lutheran and Danish Baptist churches of Blooming Prairie Township in the late 1880's.

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