Our Saviour Lutheran Church
Richmond BC

Lutherans are the oldest protestant denomination. Martin Luther (1483-1546) never intended to start a new church but only to renew the church of his day.

We speak of ourselves as Christians first and Lutherans second, which means that we have much in common with other Christian Churches while we have a unique perspective shaped by Luther’s discoveries and 500 years of history as Lutheran church.

At the core of our belief is that God always makes the first move. As God created us, God also loved us before we were made, before we were born, and before we began asking about God. God’s love and grace are the foundation for our asking about God and our faith in God. And like in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) God is always ready to embrace us even before we are.

And so we know that even wanting to know God is a gift and that all goodness in our life is a sign of God’s blessing. The practice of our faith in worship, witness, and serving others is our response to God’s reaching out.

We believe that the central event of our salvation was Jesus’s death on the cross and his resurrection. In taking on our humanity by being born a child, living among us, and dying on the cross God made visible that his love knows no limits and that God is present in all our humanity including where we would least expect God.

In Jesus’s offering of himself on the cross and in his resurrection we find forgiveness, life and salvation. God is present in Word, in the sacraments, in the communion of believers, in our neighbour, and in all blessings we receive. We believe that God is continually planning new things with us so we must not stand still but be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that God speaks to us through the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, that in the witness of the scriptures we meet God.

There are more than 70 million Lutheran Christians worldwide, 66 million are represented by the Lutheran World Federation.

Our congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada ‘s largest Lutheran denomination.

As Lutherans we are grateful for our specific calling but we know we are not alone but belong to the communion of all God’s people. We have a special relationship with The Anglican Church of Canada. Through the Waterloo Declaration we recognize that we fully share in Christ’s ministry. We know ourselves as part of the church of Christ that encompasses all Christians and in the sense in which our worship, theology, and practice are rooted in the faith and traditions of the apostles.

We welcome any other questions you may have. Questions are welcome, as are you.

 

http://www.oursaviour.ca  

 

We are easy to find: On the east side of Number 4 Road, just south of Westminster Highway.  

Our building is wheelchair accessible.  

We have worshipped together as a congregation for fifty years. The article below, about our beginnings and history, was written September 26, 1999, for our 40th Anniversary Celebration. We recently celebrated our 50th Anniversary with a banquet celebration of memories, faith, and friendship, and a special worship service.

In The Beginning ….

Throughout the years many people have been a part of this congregation. We are grateful for all those who have worked in faithfulness to preserve the mission of this congregation proclaiming God’s love in Jesus Christ.

In June 1958, the American Lutheran Church approved Richmond, BC, as the location for a new congregation to be established under the “Package Mission” program. Funds were made available to purchase land and house, build a new church, and call a pastor. The location of this new mission, Our Savior Lutheran Church, was 8080 Francis Road.

Construction of the church began in October 1958, completed and dedicated July 12, 1959, the same date which services began in the new chapel with 135 baptised charter members.

Throughout the years, Our Saviour’s has ministered to the needs of this community, at times a struggling congregation. In 1987 a congregational decision was made to sell the property and relocate to our present site, 6340 No.4 Road. With an active Building Committee, a vibrant congregation, a stewardship program, and the funds realized from the sale of 8080 Francis, dreams for a new worship home were formulated and the rest is history.

Construction began April 17, 1988. Our first worship service was held in the Fellowship Hall on September 4, 1988, an incredible feat! Our sanctuary seats 255 people with overflow seating for another 100. The Chancel furnishings including the mahogany crucifix, altar, lectern, credence table, and baptismal font were the creation of Ernst Schwidder, then Professor of Art and Design of Pacific Lutheran University, Seattle. We enjoy individual classrooms for our Sunday school and house a Childcare Centre and a Preschool.

On February 4, 1989, our name changed to Our Saviour, as a new constitution was accepted. October 21, 1990, two years after moving in, the wonderful stained glass windows, designed by Mark Eric Gulsrud of Tacoma, Washington, were dedicated. The cost of $42,000 was raised primarily by donations from individual congregants.

As we remember the past, we seek to be faithful to God as we navigate the present, and look forward to the future. While the roots of our denomination are in 16th century Europe, we are a church open to and welcoming all because God welcomes all.