100 YEARS OF FAITH THAT WORKS→
BUILDING OUR PATH →
The congregation of our church began with a gathering of forty people on July 3, 1921, at the Odd Fellows Hall on 44th Street and France Avenue South. It was officially organized as Morningside English Evangelical Lutheran Church on February 17, 1922. In May of 1925, the congregation changed its name to Lake Harriet Lutheran Church and relocated to a newly purchased church home at 44th St. and York Ave. S. Later, in 1949, the congregation reorganized as Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd and moved to its current location at 48th and France on January 8, 1950.
OUR HISTORY →
1919 - Survey conducted to assess the need for a congregation.
1921 - First Sunday School and Service led by Reverend F. C. Norman.
1922 - Congregation established as Morningside English Evangelical Lutheran Church, meeting at a hall on 44th St. and France Ave. S.
1925 - Congregation purchased a new church home at 44th and York Ave. S. and reorganized as Lake Harriet Lutheran Church.
1942 - Plans made for a new church building, with eight lots purchased at 48th and France.
1949 - Plans for the new church adopted, ground broken at 48th & France, and the congregation reorganized as Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.
1950 - First service held in the "not-quite-completed" church building on France Avenue.
1957 - Approval granted for construction of an Educational Wing.
1958 - Dedication services held for the new Education Wing.
1964 - Dedication services held for the second addition, including the Choir Room and narthex.
1970 - Dedication of the Reuter pipe organ.
1972 - 50th-anniversary observance, with artworks photographed and interpreted for the booklet, Visual Voices.
1990 - Construction began on kitchen improvements/upgrades.
1995 - Dedication of the France Avenue addition and renovation, allowing the church to face France Avenue.
1997 - 75th-anniversary observance.
2011 - Initiative launched to upgrade church facilities, focusing on the south parking lot entrance and other improvements.
2014 - Final design and construction documents prepared, fundraising commenced.
2015 - Ground-breaking ceremony held in May, with construction beginning. The upgraded facility, including the Foundation Bridge, dedicated in December.
2022- Year long celebration of our congregation’s 100th year.
