History of St. Michael Lutheran Church
St. Michael Lutheran Church was formed in 1968 when St. Mark Lutheran Church in Price’s Fork and New St. Peter Lutheran Church on Glade Road voted to merge. The newly formed congregation decided to build on a site which was the home of the first Lutheran Church west of the Alleghany Mountains in Virginia in the late 1700’s. The previous congregation on the site, which was known at various times as St. Michael and St. Peter, closed in 1885 and despite the fact that there is a historic cemetery on the property, the land remained vacant until construction began for the new congregation. Drawing on the history of the site, the newly formed congregation chose the name St. Michael Lutheran Church. Although St. Michael is a fairly young congregation, we give thanks for the long history of Lutheran ministry on our site.
St. Michael’s witness to the good news of Jesus Christ has been marked by excellence in education and music, a passion for community and a strong outreach ministry. From Sunday School to Vacation Bible School to Youth Night, St. Michael provides opportunities for the people of God to learn more about their faith and God’s word through study and discussion. Music has been a wonderful way for God’s love to be expressed and experienced through congregational singing, our Adult Choir and Youth Chimes Choir. Throughout the years, the congregation has enjoyed gathering for community and fellowship events like the Easter Sunrise Breakfast, congregational potlucks and the annual Birthday Dinner. Each event offers the opportunity for fellowship and delicious food. In addition to strengthening the community at St. Michael through fellowship, the congregation has also looked for ways to share God’s love in the world. The Community Thanksgiving Meal started in 1997 and has fed over 1200. The Justice and Mercy Fund has provided thousands of dollars to help people in need with power bills and rent and the school supply collection provides assistance each year to students in our area. God has richly blessed the people and ministry of St. Michael. We look forward to the opportunities for ministries and the blessings that are before us as we continue to follow Jesus.
More information on St. Michael’s History:
- A Legacy of Ministry: A history of the earliest churches on the site of St. Michael, beginning in the mid-1700s.
- An 11-minute video on the history of St. Michael Lutheran, compiled and narrated by Burn Gross
- The Church Record of St. Michael Lutheran Church, 1796-1885. This document contains additional details on the early history of the churches located on our site, including baptismal, communicant, and confirmation records. The original book was put together by Clovis Linkous in 1983 and includes sections which were translated from German into English. The document is now searchable, so you can easily look for a relative. Note: This is a large file which may not load quickly on slower connections.
