High above us, a steeple points towards the heavens. This is Luther Memorial Church. Today, let’s uncover the story of this Lutheran church in Minneapolis.
Luther Memorial Church Lca is a Lutheran church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is located in Hennepin County. The church’s denomination is Lutheran. You can find it in the 55412 zip code area.
Luther Memorial Church encourages you to meet in person. They worship Jesus Christ and are nourished by God’s Word. They are fed at the Lord’s Table. Worship happens every Sunday morning at 10 am. If you cannot make it to the sanctuary, you can livestream their in-person worship services every Sunday.
Luther Memorial Church in Madison, Wisconsin originated in 1905. It started as a ministry to University of Wisconsin students. It became the first Lutheran church in Madison to offer all services in English. In 1907, some people chartered Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The congregation initially rented space in Gates of Heaven Synagogue. The early congregation consisted largely of UW students and staff. In 1907, the congregation started the Lutheran Campus Center.
In 1915, the congregation had a chapel built. It could seat 300 people. The Madison architect firm of Louis Claude & Edward Starck designed it. The building is now the Churchkey Bar & Grill. They intended it to eventually be a Sunday school building. It was meant to accompany the large church they planned to build next door. The congregation moved worship to the building. They were the first Lutheran congregation in Madison to hold only English services. In 1918, they changed the congregation’s name. It became Luther Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In 1920, the congregation commissioned Claude & Starck to design a larger church building. It was modeled on European cathedrals. The architects designed a Neogothic-style building. It had a vertical emphasis, pointing toward heaven. The front of the building facing University Avenue is 100 feet tall. It is symmetric with rectangular columns and buttresses flanking the main entrance. Above the entrance, is a large stained glass window set in stone frames. Above that, a stone cross tops the peak of the gable. The walls are coursed buff-colored limestone from Colfax. They are trimmed with Bedford limestone. A transept wing extends from the back of the main nave on each side. A square chimes tower rises behind the southwest transept wing. Inside, the nave is 150 feet long. It was designed to seat 1650 people. The stained glass was designed by the Gaytee Stained Glass Company of Minneapolis. The curved trusses supporting the roof are steel. They are covered with plaster and then painted to look like wood.
Construction began in May 1921. The Wisconsin Construction Company was the general contractor. The new church was dedicated October 28, 1923. The education building was added in 1957-59. Madison architect Reginald Stehr designed it. The main building was designated as a Madison Landmark in 2011. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
Luther Memorial’s worship has a traditional liturgy. Holy Communion happens every Sunday and on other holy days. A service of morning prayer is also held each weekday morning online. Services also feature hymns and classical music.
The music program is led by Andrew Schaeffer. He has served as the director of music since 2018. Three pipe organs are used in worship. They include a 56 rank Austin pipe organ, a Steere tracker organ, and a Bedient portative organ. The church hosts the winter choral concerts presented by UW-Madison’s choirs each December. Luther Memorial has twice been a venue for concerts by the St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig.
The congregation embraces its location. It involves students in all parts of church life. Luther Memorial is also one of three covenant congregations. These are in partnership with the Lutheran Campus Center next door.