Community Lutheran Church South Burlington VT

Community Lutheran Church has been sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in South Burlington, Vermont since 1951. We are a member of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.

Yes, we are open! Please join us for weekly worship in-person at 8:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Pastor also records weekly messages for home-use. In addition, consider joining us on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. beginning May 5 for an eight-week Bible study course on the Old Testament concluding with Evening Prayer.

 

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In the fall of 1947, Lutheran families in the Burlington area realized the need for a place of worship to practice their faith. Lutherans from the University of Vermont and from the surrounding Burlington areas met to organize weekly Lutheran church services. The All-Saint Chapel at the Rotary in Burlington served as the site for the Lutheran Sunday services, which were initially conducted by the elders.

In the summer of 1948, Reverend William Jensen answered the call as pastor of the newly formed Lutheran congregation. Since no permanent place of worship had been found, Sunday worship services were held in the cafeteria of the Central School, a public elementary school on Williston Road.

Since Pastor Jensen was called away in 1950, the Reverend Albert Glock accepted the call to serve the Lutheran congregation. Lutheran church services continued to be held at Central School.

The plan to build a Lutheran church was finally realized with the purchase of farmland on Williston Road in South Burlington. Members of the Lutheran church community distributed fliers throughout the Burlington area to welcome folks to worship with them at the “Drive-in Church”. In March of 1951, members of the congregation erected a large cross on the site of the future Lutheran church. Shortly thereafter, church services were held out in the open on that newly purchased land. Easter Sunday, March 25, 1951, marked the official organization of the church. Worshipers drove to the site of the future Community Lutheran Church, where they were greeted by a small, portable organ and a temporary altar, both of which stood on an elevated platform from which the pastor also held the sermon. This arrangement assured that all congregants could clearly see, hear, and partake in the worship service while remaining seated in their vehicles. Although some roaming cows could not resist the lovely sound of the organ, ushers quickly led them away.

On April 27, 1952, eighty-three members of the congregation signed the Charter. Within days, the congregation hired the architectural firm Wittier and Goodrich to design the church building and supervise its construction. With the ground breaking not taking place until October, the growing congregation moved its worship services to Grange Hall in Essex Junction. It took only six months for the momentous occasion to arrive. On June 7, 1953, the dedication service for Community Lutheran Church took place at 4:00 p.m.

As membership at Community Lutheran Church grew, so did the need for a Sunday school, where children could learn the Word of God. Moreover, the congregation saw it necessary to build a parsonage for Pastor Harm and his family. By the end of 1953, a total of 253 children attended Sunday school at CLC. A year later, plans to build a parsonage were approved. 1954 was a year of growing and rejoicing, a time to welcome all Lutherans in the greater Burlington area to worship together under one roof. During that time, The Lutheran Witness featured Community Lutheran Church on its cover.

With the enrollment of Sunday school children increasing, ground was broken once more for an addition to the education wing of the church. However, the church’s classrooms were not only used on Sundays. As it turned out, South Burlington’s public school system was in dire need of elementary classrooms, and Community Lutheran Church, located in South Burlington, came to the rescue by consenting to the use of its classrooms.

In the year 2005, church services at CLC had to be moved to the Friendship Hall because a new sanctuary was being constructed. The new sanctuary was dedicated on March 26, 2006, and is the sanctuary used for worship today.

Pastors Who Have Served Community Lutheran Church

June 1948 to September 1950: Rev. William Jensen

September 1950 to September 1951: Rev. Albert Glock

September 1951 to November 1951: Rev. Norman Brauer, interim Pastor

November 1951 to July 1960: Rev. Rudolph Harm

July 1960 to October 1961: Rev. Edbert Dunker, interim Pastor

November 1961 to October 1985: Rev. Martin Dienst

September 1984 to September 1985: Rev. Larry Rabon, Associate Pastor

Oct. 1985 to 2000: Rev. Larry Rabon

2000 to 2012: Rev. Jefrey Jensen

August 2013 to present: Rev. Matthew Rasmussen