The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is a Lutheran church in midtown Atlanta, Georgia. The congregation was founded in the city in 1903, with the current building constructed in 1952.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer | |
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Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer | |
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Lutheran Church of the Redeemer Lutheran Church of the Redeemer | |
33°46′28″N 84°23′03″W / 33.774525°N 84.384209°W | |
Location | 731 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, Georgia 30308 |
Denomination | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
Website | www |
History | |
Founded | March 15, 1903 |
Dedication | September 7, 1952 |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | Harold E. Wagoner |
Style | Gothic |
Completed | 1952 |
Administration | |
Synod | Southeastern Synod |
Clergy | |
Assistant priest(s) | Ruth Hamilton Jonathan Trapp Ronald Bonner |
Senior pastor(s) | Mark H. Larson |
The church was originally founded with 39 charter members on March 15, 1903, as the first English-speaking Lutheran congregation in Atlanta (St. John's Lutheran Church, founded in 1869 as a German-speaking church, was the first Lutheran church in Atlanta).[1][2][3] The congregation originally held service at a local YMCA.[4] The first church building was constructed in 1905 near the Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta.[5] The congregation experienced significant growth during World War I as many members of St. John's became members of Redeemer due to anti-German sentiment.[6]
In 1937, the congregation moved to its current location at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Fourth Street in midtown Atlanta, near Saint Mark Methodist Church.[5] This building was nicknamed the "Church of the Lighted Window" because it had a large stained glass window featuring the Good Shepherd facing Peachtree Street.[7] The current building, a gothic structure built primarily of Tennessee quartzite and Indiana limestone, was constructed in 1952 and was designed by Harold E. Wagoner, a notable ecclesiastical architect.[5] The building's dedication occurred on September 7 of that year.[8] In 2002, the church dedicated a new pipe organ built by Orgues Létourneau Limitée: the Opus 80.[9]
Early in its history, Redeemer became affiliated with the United Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the South.[1] Through a series of church unions, Redeemer is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is the largest congregation within the church's Southeastern Synod.[5][10] In 2015, Timothy Smith, the senior priest at Redeemer, was elected bishop of the North Carolina Synod of the ELCA, replacing retiring bishop Leonard Bolick.[11][12]
External images | |
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Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1919 | |
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, circa 1937–1952 |