Our History

Our First Church 1927 – 1929

The seed was planted here. Sunday School services were held on March 27, 1927, and the first worship service was held on Palm Sunday, April 10, 1927. The building was small and the group was small, both the power of the Holy Spirit was great. Two years later a move was made to Linden and Highview to what was affectionately called the “basement church.” …and grow we did, both spiritually and in number. 1946 – 88 members, 1947 – 97 members and in 1950 – 158 members

Still growing

February 12, 1950 a new church building was dedicated. However our growth showed a need for larger facilities and ground was purchased at Linden and Shelbourne for a future site. In 1970 this mortgage was burned and plans were made to build a new house of worship. Membership in 1966 was 498.

Our Present Building

Ground breaking was on October 24, 1971. In the fall of 1973 the new house of worship at Linden and Shelbourne was dedicated to the glory of God.

Today at HNLC

We are proud to announce that we have a mix of modern and classic aesthetics.  Our cozy sanctuary is a mix of old and new.  Starting with the center of our place of worship, we place Christ, the cross and alter, as we would place Christ in center of our lives.  Around the room, the walls tell the story of His life through glass windows that depict scenes from the bible.  Early morning visitors are treated with the sunlight from our two story high beautiful stain glass window of Christ and the resurrection.

In 2013 we upgraded to Fiber Optic network connection and every weekend we stream live audio and video from our services.  With these upgrades we added internet connectivity to every room of the church and we have our own server / computer farm.  As this website is hosted on site, so also we do all video and audio broadcasts.  During any service we have 4-5 volunteers manning the sound board, the video mixer, and the projection system for displaying words for songs.

First Service

First service or traditional service, is a service that dates back to the years of the early church.  Here the music is accompanied by an electric organ or piano and people sing songs that were written to those instruments of that time.  During this service the pastor(s) and elders wear robes.  The robe, among other things, helps emphasize the office of the pastor and de-emphasize the personality of the man in the pulpit. Sometimes it’s hard to be led in worship by an elder or pastor who is a good friend or a peer or even (especially) one who is younger. To help us get over this feeling, the church in general, and the Reformed church in particular, has historically placed special robes on her ministers when they conduct worship. This helps the people to remember that it is not just good ol’ Jeff Meyers up there; rather, it is God’s appointed minister leading us into God’s presence and speaking God’s Word to us.  You are welcome to come dressed in formal or semi formal attire and join us for an uplifting worship experience.

Celebration Service

Second Sunday morning service, celebration service, hosts a more modern atmosphere.  We have a band of musicians that play songs that one would find on the christian radio.  The band consists of a drum set, keyboard, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and additional instruments from week to week.  If you have a instrument and feel like playing, let our band leader know.  People come dressed in jeans or khakis.  This is a relaxed service and we encourage people to clap and stand up to give God His praise.  🙂

 

Please contact our Church Secretary if you have a story to tell or pictures related to the history of Holy Nativity Lutheran Church.