home > get connected > 40th Anniversary
What was it like on September 10, 1967 as a group of Christians gathered in the gymnasium of Wilson Elementary School to worship for the very first time? Were there going to be enough chairs for everyone? and would visitors enjoy Pastor Swenson’s sermon? Will this new Lutheran mission church get off the ground? These were probably a few questions the charter members asked that crisp fall day.
It’s hard to imagine those beginning moments of our church’s history when there was no building, few teachers for Sunday school, three members in the Catechism class, and scarce resources to fund future dreams.
As we reflect upon the past 40 years, it is evident that God’s grace has provided our needs. This month we gather to celebrate and give thanks to God for four decades of ministry in the heart of Andover!
Think for a moment…how many people have been nurtured through forty years of Sunday School and Vacation Bible School? Consider the joy in the hundreds of weddings and baptisms that have occurred and the sad and difficult times when we’ve said “good bye” to our dear friends and family members at funerals. Imagine all the counseling, encouraging, supporting, and challenging which have been offered through staff, circles, small groups, and mission teams. In each ministry God’s grace has been there...
Sunday School began on October 1, 1967 with 60 children...the first children cared for at Golden Rule Daycare are old enough to have their children enrolled...summer worship services kicked off at Ramblin’ Rum Campground on May 26, 1974...Viet Nam Vo Von Hat Family ministry started 1975...the Grace Quilters began sewing beautiful quilts for those in need in the early 80’s...Grace In Motion youth liturgical dance team brought a unique expression to worship...the Parking Lot Skateboard ministry reached out to the young at heart...Grace opened their doors to host students from Crooked Lake Elementary School when mold was discovered in their building...youth and adult mission trips have traveled throughout the United States, Mexico and Tanzania...thousands of dollars in coins have blessed those with special needs through our Noisy Offerings...helping hands teamed to construct homes for Habitat For Humanity...hungry mouths within our community have been fed through the Family Table Meal and the May All Be Fed Food Pantry...Our Savior’s Homeless Shelter and El Shaddai ministry began...Grace4Tanzania has sent bicycles, clothes, school supplies and other items to those in Africa...flood victims received house-hold items and gift cards to rebuild their lives...over 80,000 meals have been packed and sent to hungry children around the world through Feed My Starving Children.
Another tangible sign of God’s grace has been the gift of our church home which took five phases to complete. The first phase began forty years ago when Grace was surrounded by farm fields. This year marks the completion of the portable classrooms and a renovation program. Today we are surrounded by a bustling community.
Indeed God has placed us in the heart of Andover to be a ministry of His grace.
40th Anniversary story, ABC Newspapers »