Axel Tjernlund

1916

    Axel Tjernlund was born on August 9, 1854 in Galstrom, Medelpad, Sweden.  He accepted the Lord in the winter of 1872, in Svartvik.  Was baptized on August 17, 1873, at Mariners' Temple, New York, New York  He attended Bethel Theological Seminary in 1877 - 1880.  He graduated in 1880.  He was a student pastor in LaPorte, Indiana, Rockford Illinois, Sister Bay, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois.  He was ordained on May 16, 1880 in Chicago, Illinois.  He was a Pastor in Boston,  St Paul, Denver, Worcester Massachusetts.  In 1908 he served as a missionary in Colorado for the Baptist General Conference.  After he served as pastor in Great Falls, Montana and Portland, Oregon.  

    The membership of Temple included eight ordained ministers by the mid-teens, one of whom was Rev. Axel Tjernlund.  He was known as one of the denomination's leading preachers, and had settled with his family in Portland in 1912 after leaving Great Falls, Montana.  He and his wife Sigrid, were received into the fellowship of what is now Temple Baptist Church on December 12, 1912, by letter.  In 1914 he served as Secretary at the Denver Sanitarium.  In March, 1916 when Pastor Linden moved to Chicago, Rev Tjernlund was asked to served as interim pastor at Temple.  During this time, the church had been praying for revival and names of those who had become worldly and unspiritual were dropped from the membership.  After leaving Temple, Rev. Tjernlund served as interim pastor in Firth, Idaho.  After being bedridden for almost two years Rev. Tjernlund went to be with the Lord on July 22, 1920. 

     Pastor Tjernlund was the father of Helen Tjernlund, Temple's choir director and organist for many years.

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:3  KJV