Home >> About us >> History of Woodbury Lutheran
The seed that would become Woodbury Lutheran was planted in 1965, when the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod purchased five acres in the Township of Woodbury
for the purpose of starting a mission church. Pastor Paul Pfotenhauer and
wife Rhoda were called to lead the new church in 1967. Pfotenhauer was a
young pastor from Ottawa, Canada, with a “lot of enthusiasm for evangelism,” according
to early church members. Church legend has it that he would “chase
down moving vans” to be the first to welcome people to the growing
village of Woodbury.
Today, 35 years after the church charter was signed and six years after Pfotenhauer’s retirement, Woodbury Lutheran has 3500 members and is led by Senior Pastor Dean Nadasdy, the second senior pastor in the church’s history.
Woodbury Lutheran Mission held its first worship service on November 5, 1967, in Royal Oaks Elementary School with 140 people in attendance. When the charter was signed two months later, the church had 95 charter members and 70 children enrolled in Sunday School. Population in Woodbury was 5,000 and rapid growth was expected as young families moved into the new neighborhoods of Royal Oaks and Park Hills.
The original parsonage on Coachwood Road, just a block from the church, was a hub of activity. Sunday evening Bible studies, building committee meetings and social gatherings gave vitality to the young congregation, which moved into its $215,000 worship/education building on Afton Road in the fall of 1969.
The first sanctuary was intended to serve as a fellowship hall when a “permanent” structure was built. This “temporary” facility served worshippers for 25 years until the long-awaited, copper-clad worship center was built in 1993. Just a few short years later, the original sanctuary was again called upon to serve as worship space, and Sunday morning contemporary Genesis worship continues there today.
Since its humble beginnings, the church continues to serve as a community gathering place. Community meetings in the church number in the hundreds each month, including many traditional 12-step groups, Boy Scouts, dance classes, non-denominational Bible studies, and special events sponsored by community, government and school organizations. The Community Food Shelf occupies space in the lower level.
Church-sponsored services for the community continue to increase as well. “We have a rich history of caring for those in need as we share our faith in Jesus Christ,” explains Pastor Nadasdy. “We still care deeply about the lost, those who don’t know Jesus, the poor, and the hurting.” The hiring of Pastor Marlin Harris last year as Director of Pastoral Care and Ben Griffin this year as Pastor for Outreach and Missions has added resources to support Christian witness and cares ministries. Programs for members and the community include support groups for those in job transition; several groups for people with ongoing health challenges; divorce recovery; grief recovery; Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-step group; and services for adults and children with disabilities and their caregivers.
What’s next for Woodbury Lutheran? “We’re currently developing options for a second site,” according to Nadasdy. “The growth of our congregation and our ability to serve community needs is limited in this building. This second site will meet the needs of growing areas of Woodbury in the same way this site has been so important to residents in the surrounding neighborhood for 35 years. We want to always be a gathering place for the community, a sanctuary from real world struggles and a place of hope.”