Our Church
"But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not fear, only believe.'"
Mark 5:36
Hello and Welcome to the Lutheran* Church in San Bernardino!
*We are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
We are presently two congregations (Lutheran Church of Our Savior and Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church) in the process of becoming one.
These two congregations together have been serving San Bernardino for almost 150 years combined and now are becoming one to be able to continue to serve the greater area of San Bernardino for another 150 years or however long God calls us to be here. It is a challenging yet exciting time!
Our Christian vision for living as the church is simple:
“Following Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, we love and serve God and our neighbors.”
Together in Christ, we worship, learn, serve and share together in Christ’s name.
We want you to know who we are and what we are about.
But,
We equally want to know who you are and what you are all about!
We listen and learn from each other as we seek to figure out this faith thing called faith together.
About Our Congregation
What do we Value & Who are we?
Currently our oldest member is 100 years old and our youngest member is under 1 year old.
We value:
young people in worship
the power of prayer
questions and doubts
the importance of ongoing faith growth
the time of our volunteers
the gifts of God’s people
each other as a faith family
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people
inter-generational connections and life long learning
We are:
a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
imperfect, yet set apart for the work of Christ
messy, yet cleaned by the blood of Christ
sinners, yet saints
ambassadors for Christ, and also sons and daughters of God
loved just the way we are
October 1st, 1944 - First Worship Service in a renovated home on 2760 “D” Street.
May, 1945 - Officially organized as an American Lutheran Church.
April 7th, 1946 - Dedication of New Chapel at 30th and “G” Streets.
February, 1948 - First Parsonage Completed.
April 17, 1948 - Groundbreaking for New Sanctuary.
May 28, 1950 - Laying of Cornerstone.
March 30, 1952 - Dedication of New Sanctuary.
April 3, 1955 - Dedication of a new Education Unit and Parsonage.
1964 - Became member of the American Lutheran Church.
Sept. 24, 1964 - Church Planning Committee takes tour for a new Church site.
August 28, 1966 - Last Service at LCOS, 30th and “G” Street.
February 27, 1966 - Groundbreaking at New Site Parish Hall, 5050 N. Sierra Way.
September 1966 - Parish Hall completed.
October 30, 1966 - Laying of New Cornerstone for Sanctuary.
January 29, 1967 - Dedication of New Sanctuary and Parish Hall.
June 20, 1976 - Dedication of New Addition: Offices, Library and Nursery.
December 19, 1978 - Installation of Stained Glass Windows.
March 20, 1988 - Groundbreaking for New Education Unit.
October 29, 1989 - Dedication of new Visser-Rowland Pipe Organ.
1991 - Became a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
May 21, 1995 - Celebration of its 50th Anniversary.
April 22, 2001 - Dedication of Friendship Center.
September 21, 2008 - Groundbreaking for Renovation.
September 13, 2009 - First worship in renovated sanctuary..
October 18, 2009 - Dedication of renovated facilities.
June 6, 2010 - Celebration of 65th Anniversary of the Congregation.
To the left are Pastors Hall, Caudill, Hoffman, and Holtz at our 65th Anniversary celebration.
The following is a list of Pastors that have served our Church and their dates of service.
1945-1947 The Rev. Elmer E. Christiansen
1948-1952 The Rev. Theodore T. Brueckner
1953-1964 The Rev. Elmer H. Doerring
1964-1971 The Rev. Lester H. Hoffmann
1971-1991 The Rev. Kenneth T. Caudill
1989-1993 The Rev. Mark A. Bankson, Associate Pastor
1992-1998 The Rev. Eugene R. Holtz
1993-1997 The Rev. Michael Stolts
1999-2010 The Rev. Elwood “Woody” Hall
2012-2019 The Rev. Scottie Lloyd
We believe that:
there is one God, who is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
the one God is Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Sustainer, Savior, Lover
the one God comes to us more than we come to God
the one God raised Jesus from the dead
the one God rules over all life and all death
Jesus is alive and present with us through the Holy Spirit
Jesus loves and forgives freely, without prejudice
Jesus calls us to live and love radically and gracefully
Sacraments
Lutheran Christians recognize two actions that are sacramental:
Holy Baptism: We believe that when Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he meant what he said. Therefore we believe that baptism is for all, regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.
Through baptism, God sets apart God’s children to spread the Word of God and share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. That gift is open to everyone.
Holy Communion: We believe that when Jesus said, “This is my body,” and, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood,” he meant what he said. Lutheran Christians believe that the bread we eat and the wine we drink during worship is truly the body and blood of Christ.
We also believe that this gift is freely given to all. Any who wish to receive the body and blood of Christ is welcome. You do not need to be a member of this church, nor do you even need to be Lutheran to receive this gift. We simply prefer that you are a baptized Christian.
For those who prefer, we offer a gluten free bread option for the body of Christ.
We offer wine or grape juice for the blood of Christ.
We believe that the sacrament is no less effective if only one of the elements is consumed.