Irwin and Constance Bjelland papers, 1946-1977

Collection

Identifier: MSS-Miss-5

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Bjelland papers spans one box and dates between 1946 and 1977.

The Newsletters folder dates between 1949, when the Bjellands went to the Philippines, to 1976. These newsletters updated their donors and partners about their ministry.

The rest of the collection contains primarily correspondence. Other materials in these dated folders consist of financial information, receipts, and medical bills from 1974.

Dates

1946 - 1977

Creator

Bjelland, Irwin, 1920-1992 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for researcher use.

Biographical Note

Irwin Oscar Bjelland and Constance Lindblom were born in 1920 and 1922, respectively, both in North Dakota. Irwin graduated from Bethel Seminary in 1947. Connie attended Bethel, then Mounds Midway School or Nursing, graduating in 1946. Irwin and Connie married in 1946, and later had children John, Margaret, James, Dorothy, and Timothy. They were designated to become missionaries in China, but political upheaval shifted their location to the Philippines, where they served from 1949 to 1974 on the Island of Cebu. In 1976, Irwin began as associate pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Galesburg, Illinois. Irwin died in 1992, and Connie in 2005. They are buried in Standchfield, Minnesota.