History

What it Means to be Lutheran

The Lutheran Church of the Messiah has a long history of growth and involvement in the Atlanta community. We share the values and vision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (www.elca.org), and we are committed to building our spiritual community through Christ’s love and grace.

History of Our Church

January 17, 1932
Seventeen members of the only United Lutheran Church in America congregation in Atlanta, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, decided that a second Lutheran congregation was needed to meet the needs of the growing Metropolitan Community. The following Sunday the congregation was formally organized with 19 members. Worship was held in an Episcopal Church on Boulevard Drive in the Kirkwood Section of Atlanta.

May 13, 1932
The congregation was legally incorporated.

March 1933
The congregation was admitted to the Georgia-Alabama Synod, ULCA, and purchased property at 1969 Boulevard Drive. All of this was done under the leadership of a dedicated layman, Charles H. Stieglitz.

Rev. George F. Hart (1935-1940)

1935
Two lots were purchased on Howard Street. The first floor of the house on the property served as worship space until a small chapel was completed in 1936 on the vacant lot. Membership on November 1 was 83.

Rev. J. Milton Frick (1940-1944)

1941
A parsonage was purchased on Whitefoord Avenue.

Rev. Dermon A. Sox (1944-1954)

August 1946
The same month the mortgage on the Howard Street property was paid off, the congregation voted to move to Decatur.

December 1946
The Howard Street property was sold, and the congregation worshipped at the Clairmont Elementary School on Erie Avenue in Decatur.

August 15, 1949
Groundbreaking for our present chapel was held. It was opposed by nearby residents who worried that the small group of "strange" Lutherans would operate a filling station in order to subsidize their church. At that time Decatur's zoning laws made no distinction between businesses and churches.

Rev. Cecil W. Carpenter (1954-1978)

September 1957
The mortgage was paid off, which made the construction of the education building a possibility.

1959
Education building was dedicated.

Rev. George W. Fisher (1978-1980)

1979
The office area connecting the chapel and education building was completed.

Rev. Haco W. von Hacke (1982- )

Today
The Lutheran Church of the Messiah continues to evolve with a record of community participation and caring as we embrace the challenges of the new millennium. The church has trained numerous individuals in yearlong internship, all who are now in the ordained ministry of the church.