Faith Lutheran Church, Hopkinsville, Kentucky 405 Sheila Drive, Hopkinsville, Kentucky 42240 Rev. Michael Croom (270) 885-3969  -  faithlutheran.hky@att.net

History of Faith Lutheran Church

This account of the history of Faith Lutheran Church is a listing of our blessings. Our beginning An area mission program A church in Hopkinsville Growth and the Christian Life Center Our pastors

Home Next page Hymn: "Built On The Rock"   Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24 NIV)

Our Beginning

The story of Faith Lutheran Church is a story of hard work and dedication. Our church owes all that it enjoys today to the blessings of God, to the dedication of leaders and workers, and to the faithful use of Word and Sacrament.

Lutheran worship services were held in our area before the establishment of local congregations. Lutheran chaplains, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, provided the ministry to Lutherans in both Clarksville, Tennessee, and Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

An Area Mission Program

Plans for the establishment of a Lutheran church in Hopkinsville were initiated in 1958 when the Committee on Missions and Church Extension of the Western District called the Rev. Harold Tessmann to develop a mission program in the Clarksville-Hopkinsville area.

A number of Lutherans from Hopkinsville took an active part in organizing Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville in 1959. Several families from Hopkinsville made the weekly trip to Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville for several years, while the next step of organizing a Lutheran church in Hopkinsville was being planned.

A Congregation in Hopkinsville

Then, in January of 1961, a group of Lutherans in Hopkinsville met with Pastor Tessmann, the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Clarksville, to discuss the probability of a congregation in Hopkinsville. Pastor Tessmann reported that the Committee on Missions of the Western District had approved the formation of a Lutheran Mission in Hopkinsville.

Our first worship service was held on February 19, 1961, in the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Hopkinsville. Faith Lutheran Church was formally received as a Congregation of Synod on January 7, 1962. In April of 1962, a call was extended to Pastor Arthur Lossner to serve as pastor. Pastor Lossner accepted the call and was installed as the first pastor of Faith Lutheran Church on June 17, 1962.

The purchase of Faith Lutheran Church's present property took place in 1961. Ground breaking services took place in June, 1963. The Service of Dedication was held on January 26, 1964..

Growth and The Christian Life Center

Under God's blessing, our membership and attendance increased to the point that more space was needed! God brought together all that was needed to make a building project possible. Under the leadership of Pastor James Redmann, President Mike MacDowell, Building Committee Chairman David Heisterberg, and Properties Chairman Jay Watson, construction of the Christian Life Center began in August of 1999.

The Laborers For Christ, an LCMS mission group of retired building professionals, supervised the construction and provided expertise as well as their own labor. Many dedicated members of the congregation donated their time and talents, working with the Laborers, and the building of the new wing progressed rapidly.

Dedication of the Christian Life Center was held on Sunday, February 27, 2000, at 2:30 p.m. This event was an occasion of thanksgiving and celebration.

The Christian Life Center contains classrooms, storerooms, a nursery, a library, and additional restrooms. As we look to the future, many possibilities exist for the use of this facility.

We continue to explore many different ways of sharing the Gospel and reaching out to our community. This website, first posted in April, 1999, is also part of our ongoing mission of making and nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Pastors

Pastors who have served God's people at Faith Lutheran Church are:
 

Harold Tessmann -- 1961-1962

Arthur Lossner -- 1962-1973

Donald Glass -- 1973-1979

Ronald Bogenschneider -- 1979-1990

James Redmann -- 1991-2010

Michael Croom -- 2010-present

Faith Lutheran Church
405 Sheila Drive
Hopkinsville, KY 42240