The English Evangelical Lutheran Church of Our Savior was established in early 1915 in Port Washington as an independent, English-speaking congregation at a time when many Lutherans were rooted in the immigrant cultures of the Lutheran territories in Northern Europe. Our church mothers and fathers intentionally sought to serve the entire Cow Neck peninsula while maintaining a distinctive Lutheran identity and style. The congregation has served thousands of girls, boys, women and men over the years, welcoming all from different denominational backgrounds.
After our founding in 1915, the congregation began renting space at 12 South Washington Street. Almost immediately, plans were developed to provide Christian education for the children of the members, and steps were taken to organize a Sunday School. Classes took place at 2:30 o'clock every Sunday afternoon. The first children baptised in the new congregation were Muriel Anita Gross and John Lewis Huber, taking place at the Sunday evening service on Dcember 5th, 1915. The first organist for the church was Miss Georgianna Bulling of Whitestone, Queens. The congregation continued to worship at 12 South Washington Street until moving to a new storefront chapel on 182 Main Street on January 14th 1917, as pictured below:
The storefront building was rented, and become know as the English Lutheran Chapel. It was furnished through the generosity of Mr. Theodore Lamprecht. Many fond memories came from times in the Chapel, including the founding of the Men's Club in late 1917.
However, with the congregation growing, the congregation began to consider the purchase of a property where they could build a proper church building. By 1921, as pictured below, the congregation moved to our current location at 12 Franklin Avenue, and built the first Church building and parsonage on the property.
With continued growth, the worship center was expanded on the property in 1925, as seen in the picture immediately below.
In 1962, the two-level Fellowship Hall was added, and later named for the Rev. Mr. Henry von Schlichten, pastor from 1943 to 1974, as seen below. The picture below shows the renovation that added the two-level Fellowship Hall, later named for the Rev. Mr. Henry von Schlichten, pastor from 1943 to 1974.
On June 1st, 2013, the congregation celebrated the completion of our newest renovation to the Church building (see below), which more closely reflects the needs of the current congregation, our friends and the greater Port Washington community needs. On the first Thursday of every month, we host a Personal Care and Paper Pantry for those in need.
