Our History

From the beginning, Lord of Life Lutheran Church in The Woodlands has been a place that fosters meaningful relationships with a diverse body of believers. Our community has evolved, but God’s love for us continues to be evident in our worship, in our fellowship, in our witness, and in our commitment to serve others.

As a Community With the Community

Lord of Life’s history of growth intertwines closely with the development of The Woodlands, which was founded in 1974 soon after the church was established.

The congregation first started meeting in 1969 as a mission church of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). The official charter for Lord of Life Lutheran Church was signed in May 1970, and the church’s first building was completed in 1972 on property located at the intersection of Robinson Road and Interstate 45 North. After several years of worshiping as a congregation in Oak Ridge North, the church approved the purchase of land for a new permanent building in the “new” Village of Panther Creek in The Woodlands. Groundbreaking at this location took place in January 1979. When the new church building was dedicated in September of that year, Lord of Life became the first liturgical church established in The Woodlands.

Over the next decade, our congregation grew, keeping pace with the rapid expansion of The Woodlands, and reaching over 500 baptized members. In 1988, the congregation voted to join the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Under the calling of “God’s work. Our hands,” the church extended and enhanced outreach programs to reach the growing needs of the community we serve.

Also in the 1980s, as part of the effort to serve our community, Lord of Life began hosting an annual Pig Roast to raise money to help those in need. This was held initially to help some members of the community meet significant health care costs. The event continues today, with all proceeds going to the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund. These funds now provide more than $35,000 annually in emergency assistance to our neighbors in The Woodlands, Montgomery County, and Greater Houston.

A Growing Ministry

As the growth of The Woodlands and Lord of Life continued, the congregation approved an expansion and renovation of the church building. In January 1993, groundbreaking took place to increase the facility from 8,000 square feet to over 17,000 square feet, including a new sanctuary. On Palm Sunday in 1994, Lord of Life members processed from the old sanctuary (now our Fellowship Hall) and worshiped for the first time in our current sanctuary.

Later that year, Lord of Life established the Gebert Mission Outreach Fund, with an annual golf tournament as its major fundraiser. Thanks to the success of this event, and the continued generosity of the congregation, the Gebert Mission in Outreach Endowment Fund now distributes over $30,000 annually in grants to partner organizations locally and globally.

In 1995, as the needs of the community continued to grow, Lord of Life opened Kids of the Kingdom Preschool, initially two days a week for 60 children. Today Kids of the Kingdom provides high-quality educational opportunities four days a week for children aged 18 months to 5 years. This preschool is highly regarded in The Woodlands community and remains Lord of Life’s biggest outreach.

Growing Faithfully

Serving our neighbors around the world continued to be central to Lord of Life’s ministry as the Hands of Faith Fair Trade Ministry got its start in 2005. What began with fair trade coffee sales to church members grew in 2017 to a Hands of Faith Fair Trade store, housed in a church classroom. This growing ministry, run completely by volunteers, now has its own storefront, and sells items from over 40 countries. The Hands of Faith Fair Trade Store is a proud member of the Fair Trade Federation and is the only storefront Federation member in the Houston area.

Moving Forward

Through the years, Lord of Life has sought to be a Spirit-led community of active believers. In pursuit of that work, in 2020, Lord of Life leadership redefined our Mission, Vision, and Values statements, which continue to guide us as we create our path forward.

Guided by the Spirit, Lord of Life continues to connect with God and one another. Our Faith Community Nurse leads our efforts to ensure that we care for one another physically and emotionally. A midweek evening meal, started to feed families heading to choir practice, has expanded to welcome all who can attend and now feeds more than 75 people each week. We worship together, pray together, and do life together. We reach out to meet the needs of our community and make our space available for local partners including AA, Scouts, and many others. (Lord of Life is the only chartering body in The Woodlands that offers a complete Scouts BSA program for families from kindergarten through age 21.)

These efforts, and many many more, feed our mission to “connect, celebrate, and serve in God’s love.”

This Is Us

At Lord of Life, we have much to be grateful for in our history as a place for living out our vision that all have life through the love of Christ. And as Martin Luther said in the 16th century, we are not yet done:

This life therefore is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road.