Grace Lutheran Church commemorated its 100th year on Sunday morning with a special service, music and a look at the church’s rich history.
Pastor Sarah Stadler-Ammon, the current pastor of Grace Lutheran, said many of the church’s former members were present to help honor the special day for the congregation.
Former pastors Bill Dowling and Roger Thompson, former diaconal minister Ardie Senft and Bishop Steve Talmage spoke at worship. Additionally, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was present to speak at the beginning of worship, Stadler-Ammon said.
The celebration began at 7:30 a.m. in Hope Hall with the usual pancake breakfast free to anyone in the community. Following that was a viewing of the photographic history of the church in North Room. Worship began in the Sanctuary at 10 a.m.
“Normally we have two services on Sunday, a contemporary service and a traditional service, and this is going to be a blend of both,” Stadler-Ammon said before the worship. “It’s going to be organ and the choir and the bell choir and we’re going to have brass players. We’re also going to have the Praise Band playing. It’ll be fun.”
The congregation officially formed on Feb. 22, 1914. Grace Lutheran was the first Lutheran church in Phoenix and in all of Arizona. Lutheran members in California took note of Phoenix’s growth in 1911, and they wanted to establish a Lutheran presence in the city.
Stadler-Ammon said the Lutherans recruited a pastor to start the church and they purchased the lot on Third Street in 1925 after renting in different buildings.
Grace Lutheran is considered to be the mother church of six other congregations across the Phoenix area, Stadler-Ammon said.
After the worship, the church hosted a catered lunch with a slideshow of photos. Three pastoral interns spoke at lunch among others and then docents provided an open house for those unfamiliar with the building and its history.
Lastly, the Valley Chamber Chorale sang selections by Lutheran composers.
Stadler-Ammon said she values the members of the church because of their commitment to the church and community. Every Sunday morning the church holds a free pancake breakfast for the homeless, an event that has been happening since the 1980s.
“They get that just because people are homeless doesn’t mean that they are any different,” she said. “We all struggle with stuff, when people are homeless it’s just that their struggles are more visible because they don’t have houses to cover them up.”
Nancy Tickle, a member of the church, first came to Grace Lutheran 14 years ago with her husband.
“My husband had been a member of this church. But after he died, I decided that I’d come back,” she said.
After her in-laws were gone, Tickle said she decided to come back to Grace Lutheran because it felt like home.
Barbara Buta has been a member for 20 years. She said the people are the core of the church.
“The choir is number one because I sing in the choir naturally,” Buta said. “The church is the people. That’s how I look at it and that’s how I live.”
Beverly Zannos, another longtime member, started attending the church as a young girl in 1945. She continued to come back throughout her life and she said she loves the sense of community the church provides.
“My favorite part of the church is the people,” Zannos said. “We have a wonderful outreach to so many. We are truly a family.”
Stadler-Ammon said the church is extremely diverse and welcoming in terms of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and that’s why people from all over the Valley keep coming back after all these years.
“These people are so resilient and hopeful and committed,” Stadler-Ammon said. “The people here dig in and they walk that Christian walk like nobody else I’ve ever seen. Their faith is not just about what they believe. They want to live it out. They feel more comfortable showing the love of God rather than preaching.”
Contact the reporter at jckemper@asu.edu
