1907, with the arrival of Salvation Army Captain Hilda Kansanen and Lieutenant Miina Rasi, who rented a hall on Mahoning Street, big enough to hold 50 persons, that faith got a strong start. Meetings were held every evening, and every evening the hall was full. This lasted for almost a decade, but when the two leaders were assigned to other communities activity subsided very rapidly.

More permanent groups were born in the 1920s, the first of them being the Apostolic Lutheran congregation founded in 1924 with 29 members. A few of these were still active in the 1950s, but no new members were recruited. This congregation was served for many years by Pastor Niilo Saastamoinen, a former Synod member, although there were also frequent visits from pastors from other communities.

A Congregational church was started in 1926 by a group of 6 persons, who elected Peter Hill to be their chairman. Support grew slowly, to a membership of about 30 in two years. Services were held at the Episcopal Church, and hopes of building a church of their own never materialized. Funds continued to be raised, however, in the fashion of other similar organizations, with bazaars and raffles, concerts and other events, particularly useful during the depression years, for the members "were able to forget the misery brought by the bad times," as the minutes of the meetings in the early 1930s frequently read. One formal auxiliary existed from the very beginning, a sewing circle meeting twice a month. Teachers at the Sunday school have been John Aho and Peter Hill, while Martha Väänänen has been choir director. The first pastor, serving for the first half of 1926, was Andrew Ojala, who was succeeded by Pastor Muhonen (1926-29) and Johannes Väänänen (1930-42.) With ill health forcing the latter's resignation, the congregation went on for a year without a pastor and then expired altogether. The Hibbing parish also included the congregations of Sax, Zim, Little Swan and Kelsey.

Temperance Work: Organized temperance activity began a year before the Holy Trinity church was organized. The 19 men who were present for the founding meeting in 1895 indicated their motivation clearly: "Lawlessness and drunkenness prevail unimpeded, from the village officials down to the lumberjacks in the surrounding areas . . . The Finns, with grief in their hearts, have observed this and, with the ideals they cherish, and the zeal and love they hold for their fellow Finns, are here determined to take practical steps to correct the situation." Officers were elected: Kalle Nissilä (Charles Nissi) chairman; Alex Nisula,

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