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History of Covenant Retirement Communities

The recently published book Aging in Grace: The Growth of Covenant Retirement Communities 1886-2011 opens with a quote from Karl A. Olsson, Covenant theologian, historian and president of North Park from 1959 to 1970.

From a small mustard seed planted with love and hopefulness more than a century ago, a giant tree has come.  Now what matters is the vital essence of the tree, the life expressing itself in branch and leaf..., an unceasing outpouring of love in compassion and caring.

Into One Body...By the Cross, 1986

With this quote Olsson reflects on the work of the Evangelical Covenant Church which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2010.  Benevolent institutions, local churches and conferences started shortly after the denomination was formally organized in 1885.  The Northwest Conference, organized in 1884, celebrated its quasquicentennial in 2009. The Midwest Conference celebrated in 2010 and the Midwest Conference in 2011. 

Aging in Grace tells the story of the Covenant Church's tradition of benevolence beginning with the opening of the Home of Mercy in 1886 in the Bowmanville neighborhood of Chicago. Read more about the Home of Mercy in this earlier post.   The book traces the story of the Home of Mercy which grew to become the Covenant Home and goes on to tell about the fifteen other retirements homes and communities that have served the needs of aging Covenanters and many others across the country.   

Eloise Nelson, frequent researcher and friend of the Archives, spent many hours here gathering photographs to write the histories of several of the retirement communities for the book.  In coming blog posts we will feature some of the materials Eloise discovered that did not make it into the book.

 

 

 

Vinterny, 1965

Vinterny. Stockholm: Missionsförundets Förlag, 1965.

[Winter Anew. Stockholm: Covenant Church of Sweden, 1965.]

Vinterny was published by the Covenant Church of Sweden from 1904 to 1981.  The Christmas annual from 1965 featured stories of conversion, evangelism, revivals and mission work. Also included are religious poetry, an historical tale of early traveling preachers in the mountain areas of Sweden, and an article on the religious history of Swedish holidays.

The cover depicts the proverbial fox scurrying over the ice, as sung in Räven raskar över isen, a classic ring dance that is yet today danced around the Christmas tree. 

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

Barnens Julafton, 1949

Barnens Julafton. Stockholm: Svenska Missionsförbundets Förlag, 1949.

[The Children’s Christmas Eve. Stockholm: The Covenant Church of Sweden, 1949.]

Barnens Julafton was published by the Covenant Church of Sweden from 1924 to 1974.  This small illustrated pamphlet contains stories about a Sunday school Christmas party and about the act of giving and helping. The story of the birth of Christ is illustrated for children.  Another story tells of Covenant missionary Marcus Ch’eng and his work with Christians in China.   

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

Snöklockan, 1928

Snöklockan. Uppsala: J. A. Lindblads Förlag, 1928.

[Sleigh Bell. Uppsala: J. A. Lindblad Book Publisher, 1928.]

The Christmas magazine Snöklockan was published from 1903 to 1959 mainly in Uppsala, initially by Hellström’s publishing company and then by Lindblad.  This religious and non-commercial annual featured stories for adults and children.  The cover of this 1928 issue features a watercolor with the likeness of 19^th century Swedish opera star Jenny Lind.  This cover, like the 1928 cover of Julfrid, is painted by the popular Christmas artist Jenny Nyström.  

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012.  

 

Julfrid, 1928

Julfrid: Jultidning för Alla. Jönköping: Halls Förlag, 1928.

[Christmas Peace: A Christmas Magazine for Everyone.] 

Julfrid was published by Halls Publishing Company in Jönköping from 1897 to 1974.  Herman Teodor Halls, who started the local newspaper Jönköpings-Posten in 1865, founded his publishing company in 1863.  The company published Bibles, hymnals and evangelical literature until 1993.  The Christmas annual Julfrid was strictly non-commercial and non-denominational and featured religious poetry, hymns, and articles of historical and contemporary Christmas themes. The cover art on this 1928 issue is drawn by popular painter and illustrator Jenny Nyström (1854-1946) who is known for creating the classic Swedish jultomte (Christmas gnome) seen often on Christmas cards and magazine covers.

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

Värmländsk Julglädje, 1971

Värmländsk Julglädje. Värmland: Värmlands Läns Blindförening, 1971.

[Christmas Joy in Värmland. Värmland: Värmland County Association for the Blind, 1971]

The Association for the Blind in the western county of Värmland published the Christmas annual Värmländsk Julglädje to promote and raise money for the association. Articles on Värmlands history and culture accompany poetry, songs sheets, and the annual crossword puzzle.  The annual was printed from 1937 until 1988 when it ended production due to rising costs and waning interest.  In 2007 Värmländsk Julglädje was revived as an audio book on CD, with authors, musicians and other personalities from Värmland recording segments, many of them in the dialect of the region.

An interesting feature in 1971 issue ia an article about a cross country ski trip for visually impaired skiers. It tells of twelve blind skiers and four seeing skiers, who took a day-long ski trip though the Jämtland landscape. 

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012.  

 

Julpost, 1961

Julpost. Stockholm: Postmännens Semesterhem och Understödsfond, 1961.

[Christmas Mail. Stockholm: Postal Service Benefits Fund, 1961.]

Julpost was published by the Swedish postal union for the support of their vacation and benefits fund.  The 1961 cover art entitled Madonna, by glass artist Sven Palmqvist, was engraved in 1942.  The issue featured an article and many photographs of works by Palmquist who lived from 1904 to 1984 and became one of the great Swedish glass artists of the 20^th century.  He spent much of his career designing for the Swedish company Orrefors Glassworks where his inventive methods of forming glass were internationally acclaimed.

Other articles in the 1961 issue of Julpost recount pilgrimages to the holy land, announce a new postal service helicopter that reached communities on remote Nordic islands, and share poetry by Bo Bergman about a snow covered Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old city.

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

God Jul! 1907

God Jul! Hälsning från Kristliga Föreningen af Unge Män i Stockholm Stockholm: C. E. Fritzes Bokförlags Aktiebolag, 1907.

[A Merry Christmas! A Greeting from the Young Men’s Christian Association of Stockholm. Stockholm: C. E. Fritzes Book Publishing Company, 1907.]

God Jul! was published from 1895 to 1912 by the Stockholm YMCA and featured stories and photographs of mission work to Japan and India as well as religious poetry and essays.  The cover shows a snow covered tree in the foreground and the city of Stockholm in the background.

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

Barnens Julkalender, 1908

Barnens Julkalender. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Veckoblad Pub. Co., 1908.

[The Children’s Christmas Annual. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Weekly Pub. Co., 1908.]

This children’s Christmas serial was published from 1900 through, earliest, 1910 by the newspaper Minneapolis Veckoblad.  Much like the Covenant Anatola and the Lutheran Vid Juletid, the Barnens Julkalender featured short stories, bible stories, poetry and games. The cover illustration recalls a family's early Christmas morning sleigh ride to the traditional church service known as julotta.

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012. 

 

Julbrasan, 1950

Julbrasan.  Chicago: Svenska Amerikanaren Tribunen, 1950.

[The Christmas Hearth. Chicago: Swedish American Tribune, 1950.]

The midcentury Swedish language Christmas magazine Julbrasan was published by the Chicago Swedish American Newspaper Company under the direction of editor E. Einar Anderson. The cover was designed by Fernborg Studio in Chicago.  This issue featured nine pages of winter and Christmas photographs from contemporary Sweden and a reflection on beloved Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf ten years after her death.  There is also a short mystery story called Den Stora Julklappsstölden, a playful who-done-it about stolen Christmas presents.

The Christmas magazine shown above is part of the exhibition Jul and Yule: Swedish and Swedish-American Christmas Serials on display outside the Archives in the lower level of Brandel Library through February 2012.