Our Beginnings
In 1964, the Lutheran Church in America
(LCA) Mission Board sent Rev. Jay Tichenor, a recently
ordained pastor, to establish a church in the Town of Clay near the
rapidly growing development of Bayberry. The new congregation began
meeting for worship at the Flamingo Bowling Alley on September 27, 1964.
The official date of organization was
May 23,
1965. At that time, the 98 charter members issued a call to Pastor
Tichenor. He was installed on October 10, 1965, with plans to erect a
church at 7570 Oswego Road. Ground breaking for the 175 capacity
sanctuary was held on November 7, 1965.
Our First Building
The first model of the church at 7570 Oswego Road showed the basic
structure and plans to expand with purchase of land next door. The
facility would eventually contain a large fellowship area and Sunday
School wing.
The growing church, located next door to
Friendly's Restaurant, became fondly known as "St. Friendly's." As more
education space was needed, modular units provided temporary space.
With the surrounding land
already developed, the congregation needed a new expansion site.
In January 1987, a task force, together
with representatives from the Upstate New York Synod, purchased land
three miles north of the present facility on Oswego Road and made plans
to build a new structure.
(Note: The remodel of the original
church at the site of 7570 Oswego Road is now housed by the Minuteman
Press. The original beams of the sanctuary can be seen inside their
facility.)
Our Current Facility
The current site, 8278 Oswego Road, was chosen because of the outreach
opportunities to the growth potential in the towns of Clay and
Lysander, as well as southern Oswego County.
1991 - 2001
Dedication events were held November 23 - 24, 1991. Within ten years,
the Sunday School had grown so large that every available space was
being used. The "Growing Our Kids' Future" financial campaign funded
additional education space that was dedicated in October 2001.
2006 and Beyond
The congregation remains friendly and mission focused, not only in the
surrounding community, but in support of a variety of projects away
from "home." Other areas of strength can be seen in the youth ministry
and music programs, as well as a community service attitude permeating
most ministry groups.
Our Leaders
Throughout our history, we have been served by many pastors, each
leaving his own unique contribution to our congregation:
