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03/30/2019 12:00 AMTo kick off our 70th Anniversary celebration, The Lutheran Church of Madison, located at 9 Britton Lane, will be holding an Open House for the community on Saturday, April 6, from 3-5 p.m., to showcase our renovated facility and featuring displays that highlight the church’s programs and activities. The church offers Saturday and Sunday services, as well as select weekday and contemporary services; Bible classes for children and adults; community outreach, mission work, fellowship fun, Women’s Guild, prayer groups and more.
As far as is known, the first Lutheran church in Madison, The Evangelical Immanuel Lutheran Church, was started in 1903 to serve the German Lutheran families living in the area known as the Woods District, at the intersection of Horse Pond and Green Hill Roads. In 1936, the church was disbanded, leaving the Shoreline area without a Lutheran church.
During the summer of 1949, an area canvass determined that a sufficiently large Lutheran nucleus (including a few former members of The Evangelical Immanuel Lutheran Church) existed in Madison to start a new Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. On November 20, 1949, the first regularly scheduled and continuing service was held in the former chapel of the Congregational Church on School St., and 13 people of Lutheran background became the first members of The Lutheran Church of Madison. Early worship services moved between the American Legion Hall and the Lee’s Academy.
In August 1952, Stanley G. Macholz was ordained and installed as the first permanent pastor of the Madison Church. Planning for building a new church soon began and the George C. Field Company of Madison started construction in early 1955. On August 28, 1955, members had their final Valedictory Service at the Lee’s Academy and marched across the Green to dedicate their new church. A total of 704 people attended the four services of dedication.
By this time, the fledgling church had grown from the 13 founding members to a membership of 43 communicants, and Sunday School membership had increased from the original 12 children to 35. In December 1957, Pastor Macholz left to accept a Call to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Bristol.
Rev. F. Richard Benken accepted a Call and was installed on Trinity Sunday, June 1, 1958, as the second called pastor of the Madison Church. With the ongoing growth of the church body, the facilities for social affairs and for Sunday School classes became increasingly limited. In 1970, the George C. Field Construction Company (owned by Herb Clark) constructed a new fellowship hall and Sunday School wing at the rear of the church, plus a major revision of the existing building. After serving 39 years as the shepherd of The Lutheran Church of Madison, Pastor Benken retired on July 1, 1997.
On February 15, 1998, Rev. Volker S. Heide was installed as the third called pastor of The Lutheran Church of Madison. He celebrated his 20th year with the congregation in 2018. We moved forward into the new millennium with plans to enlarge and renovate the existing facility. Architect Duo Dickinson from Madison designed a new addition and renovations, and Paul Torcellini of Waverly Builders in Branford was the builder on the project.
The renovated facility, dedicated in March 2007, included a new Sanctuary with expanded worship space; larger permanent space for the Nursery School and Sunday School programs; and conversion of the existing Sanctuary to a Fellowship Hall, allowing for new member activities and for community outreach.
In 2011, the church dedicated a 134-square-foot mosaic tile art piece, designed and fabricated by the Center for Liturgical Art (CLA) at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, which was installed on the wall behind the altar. Depicting water in the shape of a wave, it evokes a feeling of peace and serenity, and the church’s proximity to the sea makes it feel especially appropriate. The mosaic, with the title of “Water of Life,” is complemented by a verse from the 23rd Psalm “…He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul…”
And this year—70 years since those 13 dedicated Lutherans bonded together to establish a Mission Church in Madison—The Lutheran Church of Madison has much to celebrate. The idea for an extended celebration arose from a desire to spread the Gospel, to reach out to the community as well as to our own members, to raise our visibility in the community, and to enjoy Christian fellowship with one another…and to celebrate and have fun!
We invite the community to join us as we celebrate this special anniversary with several community events. Plans are to:
• host a Community Open House on April 6
• host an organ concert, featuring Ben Henderson from the Eastman School of Music, on July 17
• hold a “Worship Night Under the Stars” service, with a band, on the church lawn on August 21
Come and join us on Saturday, April 6, from 3-5 p.m. for our Community Open House. Popcorn and soft drinks will be served, and a children’s area will feature crafts.
All are invited to “pop in” and check us out!