The following was written by Daniel Nystrom in April of 1998. With permission, in 2005, it was updated by Pastor Rick Nelson.

 

Everything has a beginning, and the nature of that beginning shapes the future of an organization. It also usually produces a special reason for existence.

The Arizona Republic reported in 1971 that the Presley Company was developing a large, 2010-acre area of valley farms and desert lands just south of the eastern end of the South Mountains, with a view to establishing a community of 23,000 population in 8,400 homes. This new community, eventually to be known as Ahwatukee Foothills, actually had its beginning as a single “Ranch House” of 17 room, 7 bathrooms and 4 fireplaces, built in 1921 as a winter residence for a Chicago family. Named Casa de Suenos (“House of Dreams” in Spanish), it was later renamed Ahwatukee, a Crow Indian word which, roughly translated means, “Place of Many Dreams”.

The Mountain View Lutheran Church was organized as a congregation on December 7, 1975, the same year the original Ahwatukee “Ranch House” was demolished. The new congregation thus became in a special way a new “Place of Many Dreams” from its very beginning.

Rev. Kenneth Johnson had begun conducting Lutheran worship services in 1974 in the Kyrene School. The Lutheran Church established this new mission work in America to help meet the spiritual needs of a new and rapidly growing community. Since the very first worship service, as the pioneer congregation in a new pioneer community, the Mountain View Lutheran Church has shared with its community in bringing many dreams of the area residents to reality. It has established a community preschool and a senior citizen’s center. It started a Sunday school for the few children then living in the early Ahwatukee area. It strove to become a truly Lutheran church, yet with an interdenominational appeal. It has successfully mingled the liturgical and non-liturgical approaches in its worship life. It has attracted members from a multitude of denominational backgrounds and appealed to the unchurched as well.

Mountain View Lutheran Church set out from the very beginning to sponsor support groups for almost every community social need. It has lent its facilities to other beginning Christian congregations. Ahwatukee Roman Catholic, Baptist, and other denominational parishes had their first beginnings with worship services in Mountain View facilities. Blood mobiles, health fairs, a full-time parish nurse, exercise and fitness programs, health clinics, a senior-care center, were also to become part of the congregation’s programs. Such community services have developed as part of the beginning dreams to make Mountain View Lutheran Church a servant to the community.

An average of almost 80 people had been in attendance at weekly worship services during 1975 in the Kyrene School when Pastor Johnson called the first congregational meeting to order on December 7, 1975 for the purpose of organizing the new Mountain View Lutheran Church. A congregational constitution was adopted at that meeting and a church council of 12 was elected. Application was made for membership in the Pacific Southwest Synod of the Lutheran church in America. The newly elected church council was then authorized to meet with the synod president for the purpose of calling a pastor for the new church. Charter members at the time of organization totaled 133.

At a special congregational meeting on February 8, 1976 the Rev. Kenneth Johnson was unanimously called to be Mountain View’s first full time pastor. A budget of $34,425 was adopted for the year 1976, and the Division for Mission in North America was sent a request for $900.00 per month assistance for the year. Pastor Kenneth Johnson was installed as the first full time pastor of the new Mountain View Lutheran Church in early March 1976.

From the very beginning, an urgency was felt for the parish to find and purchase land for the building of a first unit as its worship center. The Kyrene School, the only place available for the worship services, was actually in Tempe and not centrally located for Ahwatukee residents, nor would it continue to be available for many more months. Warner Road was then a narrow two-lane street. Large potholes at Warner and Priest as well as other areas near the Kyrene School filled with water after every rain. Two “feeder lots” adjacent to and across the road from the school hosted a fly population that often exceeded the number of worshipers on a Sunday morning. The school was not air-conditioned. Worshipers waved their fans to both keep cool and keep the flies away from their faces.

Property with a central location and high visibility was envisioned. It was noted that the Mountain View Lutheran Church was then the only congregation in Ahwatukee, and it therefore had a special challenge to meet in a centrally located and easily accessible church site. Two sites seemed to be available: 51st and Cheyenne and 48th and Elliott. Shortly afterwards the present 48th and Cheyenne plot became viable as a choice.

Efforts began in early 1976 to have a site selection committee study the various options, to have an architect draw preliminary building plans, and to strive for a capital fund drive that would be completed so ground breaking could be set for May 1977. Things began to move along rapidly.

The March 18, 1976 church council minutes noted that an average worship attendance during the previous month was now over 100 per Sunday.

A Zone Concept, with a captain in each area of the growing community was adopted to help keep awareness of new residents, illnesses and special needs of the church members and the community.

The search for suitable land led to the selection of the plot at 48th street and Cheyenne. Purchase of this present property was approved at an August 1, 1976 meeting of the congregation. Purchase price was $88,400. The urgent need for a building of its own was again reflected in the 1976 year-end report given to the congregation by Pastor Johnson. Worship attendance was up 15% over 1975. Net growth of membership in that year had increased 38%. A strong women’s program had two circles, and an active youth program had been started.

The 1977 budget set at $39,340, included the sum of $6,550 for foreign and local mission work. The congregation’s concern with such benevolence work was further reflected in the budget where $50 was given to the new All Saints Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee and the next month at its monthly meeting the church council voted to approve a gift of $25 to help a little girl in the new school whose condition had been brought to their attention. Subsequent council minutes some months later note $50 given to shepherd of the Hills church in flagstaff and $100 to Lutheran Social Ministry. Small amounts, to be sure, but they reflected a great interest in others in the community and surrounding territory and continued to be part of the “dream” for a true community church.

From the beginning Mountain View has depended on volunteers from its membership and the community. By 1977 there were 39 areas of activity available for volunteer work, including the Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and confirmation classes, ushering, greeters, choirs, the altar guild, a church library, at retreats, working with couples, seniors and parents, in publicity, sports activities, social concerns, and the like. Soon care of its own building and property, landscaping, parking lot and all that entails would be added to the list of projects available for volunteer work. Ground breaking for the first unit of the new church could now be set for early 1977. The lowest bid for the new building was $10,000 over budget, but the congregation decided to accept the bid. A loan of $237,000 was obtained from the board of Missions of the LCA in Minneapolis at 1% interest which would gradually increase to 3% by 1980. Ground breaking was set for March 21, 1977.

The 1978 budget that was adopted by the congregation came to $58,650, including $13,130 toward the new building, $4,500 for missions and $2,650 for local community work. The council minutes for early 1978 notes that the weekly order for “Celebrate”, the worship insert in the Sunday worship bulletin, had been increased to 150 per Sunday to accommodate the growing worship attendance.

Before the new building was even completed a request came to use the facilities as the site for a community preschool. Action on that request was deferred as completion of the new building had been delayed. The facility was finally finished on December 11, 1977. This first unit included a multipurpose sanctuary, fellowship area, offices, kitchen and nursery. A member couple donated the first organ.

The Zone Plan continued to work well in the care and concern the congregation had for both its own members and the community at large. By the end of 1977, Mountain View Lutheran was serving 215 baptized members plus a new and growing category of seniors and winter visitors. Over 400 people attended the three Christmas services in the new building that December of 1977.

Within five years a new educational building was to be added to the church campus. The present sanctuary was to be added in 1985. Ten years later in 1995 additions to that sanctuary as well as to the original unit and to the educational building were to further enhance the ability of Mountain View Lutheran Church to serve the community and its members.

Average worship attendance during 1978 was about 50% over 1977. Sunday school attendance was still small, however, with a total of only about 50 and was a concern to the church council and pastor. Part of the reason, no doubt, was because in the beginning Ahwatukee was developing primarily as a retirement community.

A budget for the year 1979 was set at $70,532. Average weekly worship attendance was now over 200. A big step was taken when, in March 1979, a decision was made by the congregation to become self-supporting after December 31, 1979. In April of this year the church voted to sponsor a Vietnamese family. A new organ was purchased and choir robes ordered. The congregation approved the Ahwatukee Preschool of Mountain View Lutheran Church on June 19th and a new playground was added.

The Ahwatukee Preschool was established as a community service program open to all 3-and 4-year old children. Religious doctrine was not intended as a part of the school objectives though Christian holidays, stories and general prayer were included as part of the program. The school is a non-profit arm of the church. All established fees were kept as low as possible to go for teachers salaries, supplies and janitorial services with the church providing the facilities and utilities as part of its support. The Preschool committee consists of the Sr. pastor, school director, 2 members of the church and 2 members from the community.

This was also the year that the church decided to enter a float in the Ahwatukee community Easter parade. This annual event began in 1976. Three church library shelves of the church are now filled with well over a dozen trophies that have been won by floats place in that parade during the 1980s and 90s, most of them for 1st place.

Pastor Kenneth Johnson resigned as of January 31st, 1980. He had served the church for over five years. In Pastor Johnson’s last annual report to the congregation, dated January 20, 1980, he mentioned there were now 381 baptized members (316 confirmed), and that the congregation now had very active Jr. High and High School groups and had started a young adult group. Two Cub Scout and 1 Brownie group meet weekly at the church, average worship attendance in 1979 had been 218. Pastor Johnson had conducted 15 weddings and 7 funerals during that year, and effective January 1, 1980 Mountain View had become self-supporting. The church had reached a new level of activity from which to build its growing future and realize fruition of more dreams. The “mission” pastor and first full-time leader of the fledgling congregation were now ready to turn over congregational work to someone else. Pastor Johnson would be sorely missed but his place was soon to be taken by excellent new leadership. Rev. Ed Naylor was appointed as interim pastor while the search for a new pastor was undertaken.

At a special meeting of the congregation on March 23, 1980, Pastor Donald P. Schneider was called to be the second pastor of Mountain View Lutheran Church. It was fortunate that he was able to accept and arrive in Ahwatukee to be in the new leadership by early May. Schneider graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary of St. Paul, MN. He had been a mission developer and pastor of churches in California since his ordination in 1956.

Two worship services each Sunday, at 8:30 and 10:00 AM, showed steady growth. Interestingly, the earlier service led the latter in total attendance at this time by about 30%. Sunday school attendance, however, was still very small with less than 30 average per Sunday. In October 1980 there were 11 in the confirmation class. The Adult Fellowship held its first meeting with 25 attending. Pastor Schneider had visited 90% of the congregation. Two softball teams with 30 participants had been started.

Pastor Schneider’s year-end report to the congregation for the year 1980 indicated that the Sunrise Baptist Church was now worshiping each Sunday afternoon in the Mountain View facilities. Both a Vacation Bible School and a Sunday school picnic were planned for the coming year. The Phoenix South Community Mental Health center was using the church nursery each week, Monday through Thursday from 4 PM to 8 PM for counseling services. The Guadalupe Co-op had been given a $200 donation. The Preschool classes, meeting every weekday morning were now full. The congregation’s community emphasis was being continued. The 1981 budget was set at $97,435. Weekly workshop attendance had almost doubled in 4 years, from 108 average in 1977 to 201 average in 1980.

By March 1981 attendance at the 10 AM service had caught up with the 8:30 service average. In June 1981 Pastor Schneider reported the total average attendance totaled 279 per Sunday. At one of the council meetings in early 1981 Pastor Schneider summarized his activities for the past month, stating that he had called on 23 members, made 24 hospital calls, made 43 visitor follow-up calls, conducted 12 counseling sessions, attended 32 meetings and performed one wedding and 1 funeral. Add eight sermons for the month and four children’s sermons plus a myriad of phone calls, church office visits and the like, and it isn’t hard to believe the new pastor was being kept busy.

Interesting sidelights coming from church council minutes during the early month of 1981 mentioned the discontinuing of the closing song sung to the tune of Edelweiss at the end of each worship service, because of legal copyright implications. Palm branches and 350 miniature crosses were to be purchased for the 1981 Palm Sunday services. And a long cord was to be put on the office telephone so the phone could be placed in the hall during council meetings (and presumably not bother the meeting with its ringing).

The method of examination given confirmation students just prior to their confirmation Sunday, was outlined in the October 13th, 1981, council minutes. Pastor Schneider individually introduced the students to the council at that meeting and the pastor then asked them various biblical questions, which they were to answer. Then, as the minutes indicated, they were excused.

The 1981 Thanksgiving offering of over $900 went to the Navajo Lutheran Missions and the Sunshine Acres Children’s Home…476 persons attended the Christmas Eve services that year (100 more than in 1980).

By the time of the annual meeting of the congregation on January 31, 1982, plans were underway for a new educational building. The members agreed that, if the church could raise $95,000 in gifts, personal loans and reserves, the council should begin definite plans for such a new building. The baptized membership now stood at 376. A budget for 1982 of $109,648, with $7,700 for overseas missions and $600 for local social service needs, was adopted. In addition to the budgeted amounts over $2000 had been given locally for various non-budgeted needs during 1981.

Pastor Schneider’s report for the year 1981 indicated that the church now had both a youth and adult choir director. The practice of introducing visitors at worship services had begun. Church facilities were being used by AA, Parent’s Study Program, Al-Anon, South Phoenix Health Associates Counseling Program and the Ahwatukee Newcomer’s organization. During the year there had been 14 Baptisms, the pastor had made 188 hospital and shut-in calls, conducted 1 funeral and 11 weddings. Sixty-seven children had attended the first Vacation Bible School.

The cost of a new educational building had been estimated at approximately $70,000. At a special Council meeting on February 27, 1982 it was announced that cash gifts, bonds and personal loans committed for a new educational building came to $65,234. A bid for the new building had been received at $71,000. By May $77,339 had been received and $26,000 additional amount pledged for the building and its furnishings. Construction on the building was authorized and within two months the building was completed and paid for with only $4,500 still owed on personal loans. Donations of paint, bathroom fixtures, landscaping and scores of volunteers had facilitated the progress on the building. As Pastor Schneider reported at the next annual meeting, this project was one of the most fulfilling of his career. He said, “I get repeated calls from other churches wanting to know how we could build at such a reasonable rate.” The building was dedicated June 6, 1982.

Three services were planned for Christmas Eve, 1982. There had been two the previous year and they were overcrowded. Weekly worship attendance still continued to grow. As of December 31,1982, membership was 419, including 73 children. There was now talk of going to three weekly worship services. During the year, an interesting change to the annual budget had occurred. Lenten, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas offerings were not now included in the budget so they could now help meet special needs that come up in the congregation each year. Because of the new education building facilities, the Preschool was expanded to 3, 4, and 5-year-olds. And a third teacher was added to the school’s staff.

With the growing needs of a growing church in a growing community changes follow rapidly one after another. In March 1983 the Council recommended to the congregation that an assistant pastor be called. In April the council bought a computer for the office. On May 1st the congregation met to call the Rev. Thomas Johnson, a recent seminary graduate, to be an assistant pastor to spend his time primarily in youth, Junior and Senior high work and in the educational program of the congregation. The council had received pictures of the new graduate, both with and without a beard. Discussion followed. The general feeling was that no one objected to the beard, but that the new pastor Thom should come without it and let it grow after he arrives, if he so desired.

The council now decided to take full responsibility for the annual budget, a responsibility that had previously been delegated to various committees: Mission, Worship, Learning, Outreach, etc. And in a big step forward, the council began preliminary discussion regarding the building of a new sanctuary to replace the first unit as the worship center for the congregation. A September 15, 1983 meeting was given in its entirety to studying the possible new sanctuary. Discussion with a representative of the Division for Mission in North America of the Lutheran church in America revealed a probable cost of up to $400,000 for a suitable sanctuary. With the $230,000 still owed on the present first unit, which would be refinanced, a total mortgage of one half million was very possible if a new building were to be built at this point. The Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance company offered a loan for refinancing the $230,000 on the first unit and the new sanctuary up to a total of $600,000 at a 4% below average interest rate if the congregation built its sanctuary before it was 10 years old. Feeling an urgency in the matter, as the congregation was organized on December 7, 1976, the council decided to recommend building a 300 seat sanctuary by the spring of 1985. At the same time it was suggested that three Sunday morning services begin soon at relieve overcrowding.

An architect was selected for the new sanctuary in November of that year. Three services: 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 AM were scheduled to begin in January 1984. And on Monday, November 28, 1983, at a special congregational meeting it was voted to proceed with plans for a new sanctuary building, provided $122,000 could be raised in a 2-year building fund pledge program by February or March 1984. Frances A. Schulze was hired as architect. By February the new building pledges stood at $132,000. The new building project was ready to proceed. By March the goal of $155,822 had been reached for the building fund drive.

Not all was rosy, however. On Sunday August 12, 1984, at a special council meeting the architect was asked to redesign the plan so as to eliminate the wing with a choir room, nursery and rest rooms, because bids were $100,000 over projected amounts. This would, hopefully keep bids down to the $300,000 range.

At a special congregational meeting on November 5, 1984, action was taken to procced and build a 6,026 square-foot sanctuary, with the total indebtedness not to exceed $525,000 at the end of the construction. Ground breaking was set for the fall of 1984.

Much credit for the continued growth of the Mountain View Lutheran Church must be given to active visitation program undertaken by the congregation pastors. As a mission developer, Pastor Kenneth Johnson was continually making home visits of prospective members from the time he arrived on the scene and before the first worship service was held. Such active visitation was continuing as the congregation grew and new facilities were being built. A 1984 report of pastoral acts for the month of September indicated that between Pastors Schneider and Thom Johnson, 91 visitor evangelism calls had been made, plus 38 hospital and member home visits. During the next month the pastors made 100 calls on non-members.

Pastor Thom Johnson submitted a letter of resignation at the November 1984 council meeting. His last Sunday was to be on December 9th. During Pastor Thom’s tenure, the youth program had shown a healthy growth. A group of youth went to Mexico on a work mission trip. There were youth trips to Anaheim, to the beach, the Grand Canyon and the Arizona mountains to ski. Membership in the Jr/Sr High programs had grown from 20 to 35 and the two age groups had been split.

Adult education now included Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening Bible studies. A SS teacher workshop was held in 1984 and Sunday school enrollment was gradually increasing as more families were joining the church. There were now 122 children enrolled in pre-Kindergarten through confirmation age classes.

Pastor Schneider mentioned in his 1984 year-end report that one of the problems continually faced by Mountain View was “lack of space”. Two Sunday school classes were held in the pastor’s office that year. Some evenings as many as three organizations were meeting at once. The Ahwatukee Preschool now had 78 children, 4 teachers and 2 teacher aides, using the education building Monday through Friday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Three services had been set for Sunday mornings. Attendance at the third service, begun at 11:00 AM was low, however, ranging from 40 to 75 persons, so, after several months, the congregation went back to two services. But in 1987 the church council again voted to go to three services each Sunday and to hold two Sunday school sessions. There were now 100 children attending Sunday school each Sunday. In addition, by the end of 1987 there were 170 students in the preschool and 50 to 60 more were on a waiting list.

Special little new additions to the congregational life at Mountain View seemed to appear each year. The December progressive dinner had become an annual affair for the congregation. Easter Lilies donated by the members appeared at Easter services. Flowers were handed out to all mothers on Mothers’ Day. Pie sharing fellowships followed Thanksgiving eve services. Wednesday evening Lenten services began with an Ash Wednesday soup supper. Palm crosses were handed worshipers on Palm Sunday. Poinsettias donated by members appeared at the Christmas services. Luminaries lighted the way to all Christmas Eve services. The cherub choir had become an established part of the program. Blood-donor days were frequently scheduled, and a food care corner became a part of the walk for hunger. Donations of various types continued to the people of the Guadalupe community.

Pastor Jim Barsch was called to be a counseling and Bible study pastor early in 1985. Pam Rowedder came as a Parish Assistant the same year, with primary responsibility in youth and education work.

The new sanctuary was finished slightly over one year after ground breaking, and on November 17, 1985, the new sanctuary building was dedicated. There had been two contract extensions granted to the contractor. The congregation was to observe its 10th anniversary in December 1985 and there was concern for a while that the building would not be completed by then. Pews, altar, carpeting and sound system together with some other incidentals added a total of just over $30,000 to the total cost of the building. The financial report for 1985 showed Mountain View Lutheran Church had assets of $1,101,000 with $500,000 first mortgage with Lutheran Brotherhood.

The new Corpus Christi Roman Catholic parish began using Mountain View Lutheran Church facilities in September 1985 for its worship services with plans to continue using them until its own building could be completed. The Friendship Baptist Church was continuing use of the fellowship hall for its worship services. A questionnaire completed by members of the congregation showed overwhelming support of the practice to allow non-profit groups to use the church facilities when they were available. In that same questionnaire members were very strong in their feeling that a new assistant pastor should soon be called to assist with the work in the congregation. Mountain View membership now stood at 593 baptized (412 confirmed) members. Average attendance at its Sunday worship services was 395. Signs that the congregation was aging were the facts that there were 13 funerals and the pastors made 249 hospital calls in 1985. Preschool enrollment now totaled 96 3,4 and 5 year olds. There were 116 children at the two-week summer Vacation Bible School. A Musical VBS was also a one-week summer feature for children.

Pastor Juanita Lureal Flora, a recent graduate of the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary was called to be assistant pastor in 1986. She began her work at the church in August, primarily working with youth, the confirmation classes, making evangelism calls and conducting two Bible studies each week.

Discussion and early planning for a possible Memorial Garden on the church property were held in 1987. A $200,000 expansion of facilities for offices, the addition of rest rooms for the sanctuary and remodeling of some classroom and meeting room facilities were decided at a December 1987 special congregational meeting. By that time baptized membership was 765 with 184 children. The addition of the memorial garden became part of that new building project, with members paying for reserved spaces in the new memorial facility largely covering the cost for its installation located just to the east and south of the sanctuary. By May 1990, 93 placements out of a possible 200 in the first section of the Memorial Garden had been purchased for $350 each and it was determined that only 35 more at $450 each would pay for a 2nd columbarium.

Pastor Juanita Flora received an unexpected call in February 1988 to become the pastor of the St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Phoenix. She accepted the call and resigned from Mountain View as of March 7, 1988. It was with regret that the council accepted her resignation. A seminary intern, Greg Nash, arrived as a student pastor the summer of that year to take over the work with Mountain View youth.

A new congregational constitution was adopted in 1989 at the annual meeting and the Mountain View congregation was now a member of the new Grand Canyon Synod of the newly merged Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The original Lutheran groupings of churches formed when immigrants first came to America as Swedish, German, Norwegian, Finnish or Danish Lutheran synods had come closer together through various mergers to form the ULC, ALC, AELC and other groupings, and now they were one church in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This new church body, established in 1988, has 11,000 congregations.

The year of 1989 was a time for more changes in the life of the growing congregation. An experiment in having Saturday evening worship services was begun early in the year, but lasted less than a year. Likewise, Thursday evening worship services were tried in the summer months to appeal to those who were prone to leave the city during the hot summer weekends. They also had to be discontinued because of lack of interest. By now, however, three morning worship services on Sundays had been firmly established as the normal weekly worship routine. Sunday worship attendance was, by now, sufficient enough to warrant three morning services.

The highlight of the year was when Pastor Donald Liles was called to be Associate Pastor. He was installed on November 19th of 1989. Liles had been an associate pastor of the Community Lutheran Church of Las Vegas, Nevada. He had also worked in private industry in the Los Angeles area. He graduated from California Lutheran University and the Pacific Lutheran Seminary.

The office of Parish Nurse was established in January of 1990, with Sheila Coonen called to fill that office. It brought the first Health Fair, the establishing of exercise classes, and the beginning of new caregiver’s support groups in 1990. The Parish Nurse activities have expanded into the establishing of a Senior Care center, and a community Senior Citizens center which now has its own facilities in a local shopping area. A Health and Wellness cabinet was established in February of 1991. Other churches soon began to look to Mountain View’s parish nurse activities as a model.

Numerous Mountain View members were serving each year on the various on-going committees that help plan and direct the church’s work. A Worship committee, Social Ministries committee, and Witness committee dealt with the community and worship life of the congregation. The Youth committee, the Preschool committee and the Learning committee together with a Support committee dealt with special ministries. All were now reporting monthly to the church council. In 1991 a Coordinator of Volunteers, a halftime job, was established to coordinate the growing number of volunteers needed to handle all of the various aspects of the growing congregations ministry which could be handled by volunteers.

It is interesting to note that the Social Action committee report for October 6, 1987 indicated a poor family in Chandler was given 3 bags of groceries from the Care Corner, several bags of clothing were given to the Thunderbird Nursing Home, “fat” pencils were sent to a preschool in Mexico, many large bags of canned goods went to the Advocators for the Disabled in Phoenix and a semi-annual blood donor drive was sponsored by this committee. The ongoing Care Corner was continually gathering clothing and food items for further distribution by this committee. The Hope Lutheran Church in Phoenix, which distributes to local poor families, and the Chandler Salvation Army were usually further recipients of donations of food or clothing.

The budget for 1990 was $347,000. Worship attendance average was now 542 per Sunday, and membership at the end of 1989 was 885 (651 confirmed and 234 children). The times for worship services on Sundays were set at 8:00 AM, 9:15 AM, and 10:30 AM to begin in the summer of 1990. Easter attendance in 1990 was 1420. The Sunday school had now grown to an enrollment of 160 children. $18,150 was received in 20 gifts to buy a van for the youth ministry and a volleyball court was built near the parking lot south of the church. The annual youth budget was increased by $2500. The youth ministry was expanding. By February 1991 there were 967 members in 375 families belonging to the Mountain View congregation.

In October of 1991 after Don Liles had been an associate pastor for 2 years, a proposal was given to the church council by Pastor Schneider that as of January 1993, Schneider and Liles would become “Co-Pastors” instead of Senior Pastor and Associate Pastor. Upon Don Schneider’s retirement Don Liles would then become Senior Pastor and a new Associate Pastor would be called.

Pastor Liles was then called by the congregation at a December 13, 1992 meeting to be the congregation’s co-pastor. During the period from January 1993 to January 1995 Pastor Schneider was given the primary responsibility for day-to-day decisions and Liles was given primary responsibility for long-term decisions, after consulting with Schneider, which would affect the church and congregation after the end of 1994. On January 1, 1995 Pastor Liles became the primary pastor with Schneider serving as a consultant pastor until his retirement the following year on the 21st of February 1996.

Today’s visitors at any one of the worship services at the Mountain View Lutheran Church can not help but be impressed by the large number of worshipers that fill the pews at each service, the varied musical program with various adult and children’s voice and bell choirs, the Christ-centered preaching, the friendly congregation and many events that fill each day of a weekday calendar. The continued use of the “Celebrate” worship insert at all services gives the worshiper prayers for the day, the three texts for each Sunday and Psalm worship materials.

A study of the yearly financial reports as given to the congregation during the 1990’s show approximately 70% of the year’s income was being given by those who pledge. Special offerings, memorials, Sunday school and Preschool income comprised the additional 30%. Budget expenditures indicated 7% to benevolence, 10% to teaching and learning, 3% to outreach, 10% to supplies and support, 15% to buildings and facilities and 50% to cost of maintaining a staff of over 20 persons.

In 1992 the Memorial Garden added a middle section designated as a Memory Wall with memorial plaques sold at $199.00 each. The prices of crypts increased to $400 each from $350.

Average worship attendance by spring of 1992 was 899. Talk about expanding the worship and educational facilities of the church became quite common. Completion of the chancel area in the sanctuary by adding the large mural of the risen Christ and backlighting was authorized by the congregation in December of 1992.

The minutes of the Worship committee in early 1993 highlighted discussions as to whether there would be five or six Christmas services in 1993 and four or five Easter services. There had been 2300 Christmas worshipers in 1992 on Christmas Eve. The biggest service was the 5 PM service with a total of 695 worshipers. It was decided that five Easter services would be held at 6, 7, 8, 9:15, and 10:30. Attendance at these five services increased by 273 over the previous year.

In August of 1993, Clifford Badgley was hired as Director of Music for the Mountain View Congregation. The membership of the congregation at the end of 1993 stood at 1200 baptized and 900 confirmed members. The congregation voted to proceed with expansion planning and authorized a fund drive in January 1994 to raise funds for additions to the educational wing, to the fellowship hall and to the sanctuary itself. It was decided to add three new classrooms to the south of the existing educational building and enlarge restroom facilities in that building. Three new rooms were also planned to the west of the multipurpose room, and by adding a west wing to the sanctuary toward the existing playground and moving the playground to the north, sanctuary seating would be expanded. These additions would increase worship seating, facilitate increased preschool and Sunday school enrollment and permit the addition of an adult day care center. The memorial garden was expanded to a total of 800 crypts with 2 space compartments in each during the construction of these new additional facilities. Purchase of crypts by members paid for the expansion and the related landscaping.

Mountain View Lutheran continued to be community minded. It was providing office space for the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, helped finance the American Red Cross Transportation program in the Ahwatukee area and provided space for a senior center for the community during the week. Each week’s bulletin listed exercise and health classes, AA, Al-Anon, and various support groups, workshops and special group studies. There was CPR training, the sponsoring of the Blood Mobile and providing Red Cross Van drivers. This was in addition to weekly Bible studies, a complete youth program, choirs for all ages and special community events such as the 1994 ecumenical Ahwatukee Foothills Thanksgiving Eve service. The new SAGES program, begun in 1994 for its senior members, had taken off with a “bang” with monthly luncheons, area tours, picnics, theater, and extended trips out of town. Volunteers each month totaled over a hundred who served as lectors, ushers, acolytes, greeters, visitor and guest book attendants, coffee fellowship servers, caregivers, SS teachers, office assistants, choir members and bulletin assemblers. The church staff itself now stood at 23 including four pastors.

Yes, 1994 was a year of many blessings for Mountain View Lutheran. Membership grew to 1260 with 286 new members received during the year. Stewardship pledges (330) totaled $370,000. The parking lot capacity grew by 22 spaces, meanwhile saying good-by to the volleyball court; a new cross was added atop the sanctuary and the Memorial Garden was completed with 800 spaces and with construction costs completely paid. Interest from the reserve Memorial Garden funds was used for scholarships for college-age members.

The congregation said goodbye to its faithful, long-time Parish Assistant, Pam Rowedder, and Volunteer Coordinator, Coleen Thomkins. Marketa Roemke replaced Pam and Carol Lee Zipf became the new Volunteer Coordinator.

New programs added during the year were the Senior Day Care Center, Meals on Wheels, the SAGES senior program, an A Capella Choir, a children’s bell choir, the Mexico home building program, Caring Ministry, Graffiti Busters and youth worship services. The high school youth sponsored an Ethiopian child through Compassion International with monthly donations to the child’s care. Offerings from youth services went to such places as the Thomas Pappas School for Homeless children.

There were now three women’s groups, the Priscilla, Martha and Hannah circles. Winter and spring worship attendance averaged 926 per Sunday. A free Health Clinic with immunizations, dental checks, blood and blood pressure tests was sponsored in 1994. The successful youth program now included an unusually active WOW (Word on Wednesdays) program, which was attracting scores and even hundreds of youngsters. It was in the summer of 1994 that the confirmation 8th grades made their first trip to Mexico to help build a home in the Tijuana area.

Pastor Liles, deciding that 8th graders, in their last of the three-year confirmation program needed an additional dimension in their early religious training started the Mexico mission program in 1993. It is important to know the creed, the 10 commandments but it is also important that young adults know how to make adult decisions as a Christian. Feeling that this could be accomplished in part by participation in helping solve real life challenges, an annual program involving about 30 to 40 8th grade confirmands with 10 to 20 adults visit northern Mexico to help build houses in impoverished areas. Teaming together with Amor Ministries, a California based organization, these youth raise money for a week long trip, recruit food and supply donations and practice building skills to help construct new two-room homes for Mexican families each year. Usually three homes are built on concrete floors with 2 rooms and outside toilet facilities. These homes are given to families, which may include up to six persons. They are a far cry from the comfortable homes of these 14-year–old confirmands from Ahwatukee. Food and supply donations come from local stores and firms. The youth workers and their adult chaperones live in tents, use portable toilets and portable showers. The kids learn from the experience, which exposes them to real life situations far different from their lives in Ahwatukee. They come back as mature, caring, sharing and loving Christians. The Mexican families who are to receive the new homes participate in the construction effort.

The Church Council in its January 1995 meeting had a brainstorming session to envision the future of the church. It resulted in long-range planning for additional staff, more parking facilities, and a consolidated budget. It was decided to concentrate in those areas in the coming year. Such long-range planning also suggested such possibilities as buying homes on Iroquois for future parking, Bible study groups for every age level and more special interest groups, an expanded singles ministry, and a full-time counselor staff member. Brainstorming by council members envisioned more shade and benches in the open area outside the church’s buildings, a misting system to use on hot days and youth services every Sunday. Mountain View was not about to be satisfied with the present.

The new Volunteer Coordinator, Carol Lee Zipf, noted in her first report to the church council that she had made 64 personal calls to local businesses to secure 36 donations with a total value of $1,160 for the parking lot sale. The work of the volunteer coordinator is really more than first meets the eye. Activity for the year 1995, for example, involved contacting all new members regarding adult catechism classes, calling family units that had not picked up their year’s supply of offering envelopes, soliciting ads for a new church directory, personally servicing the narthex information desk, obtaining pictures and furniture for the sanctuary women’s room, finding persons to act as ushers, lectors, acolytes, serving coffee after each worship service, and weekly bulletin assembly. Such volunteers are in addition to those in the choir, serving as Sunday school teachers, and involve scores of members each month.

In May 1995 the congregation arranged for a loan from Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Company to refinance the congregation’s existing debt and permit starting the expansion process with ground breaking for a three-room addition to the Preschool building, 130 new seats in a west wing added to the sanctuary, a three-room addition to the fellowship hall and additional parking spaces plus landscaping of the church property. Pastor Schneider submitted his resignation in October to take effect in February of 1996. Another cycle of change for Mountain View Lutheran Church was beginning.

It is only fair to point out that not everything was rosy every year. A check with the annual budgets indicated the normal increases in a growing church with growing needs. In 1994, 303 pledges came to $351,801, but 1995’s 320 pledges dropped to $341,312 and 1996’s 332 pledges totaled only $311,000. The 1996 budget totaled $554,199, an increase of 6.2% over 1995 so the pledges that year covered a much smaller percentage of the total. But, then the 1997 stewardship drive brought in 552 pledges totaling $452,200 toward the 1997 budget of $559,935.

The expansion-building program was completed under budget and instead of a projected Lutheran Brotherhood loan totaling $790,000, it was necessary to borrow only $705,000 on a 20-year mortgage at 7.375% with yearly payments to be $67,680. This new loan amount included the $334,000 old debt still owed from previous building programs.

The average Sunday attendance in spring 1996 topped 1,000, putting Mountain View in the top 10% of churches in the nation in weekly worship attendance.

Pastor Don Liles was given a formal call to be the Senior Pastor and the 1996 budget was adopted at the annual meeting the end of 1995. In the new Senior Pastor’s report to the council in February 1996 he listed the following January activities: 3 weddings, 3 funerals, 12 baptisms, 12 hospital visits, 12 counseling sessions, attending 30 meetings, having 1st communion for 56 youth, meeting with fifty Mexico Mission Trip leaders, working on obtaining a new van for the church, leading 7 youth story times at WOW, working with the Ahwatukee community in planning for a new community park, and taking preliminary steps to obtain a new Associate Pastor. Things were certainly not slowing down at Mountain View.

Current music groups in early 1996 included three adult choirs, 1 quartet, four children’s choirs, and three bell choirs. The music director, Clifford Badgley, indicated that he hoped for a senior high school choir and two more bell choirs together with the addition of a part-time director of Children’s Music.

Perhaps the main reason for the success of the children’s choir program was the WOW (Word on Wednesday) program. It combined the rehearsal of 110 to 150 children in their four choirs together with Bible story time, craftwork and snacks every Wednesday evening in the early evening. Classes for parents are also part of the WOW program to encourage the parents to be there with their children. Including the children in weekly activities at Mountain View is part of the success of the church. The Ahwatukee Preschool had 317 students beginning classes in the fall of 1996.

Recognizing the importance of the work with children and youth, Rev. Donald Lorfing was called to become Associate Pastor of the church, with particular concern for work with the youth program. Pastor Lorfing, a Pacific Lutheran Seminary graduate, became part of the Mountain View Lutheran family the summer of 1996 and by fall he was busy with a full schedule of work. By 1997 a new Sunday evening youth service had begun. Billed as the WIND Service it aimed at Worship in a New Direction especially designed for youth. By September 1997 an average of 90 youth were attending that service. In the fall of that year over 300 people met together in a confirmation Parents Potluck information meeting. The youth program was “rollin’ and rockin’ “.

The parish nurse, Sheila Coonen, had supervised the immunizing of 466 individuals in October and November of 1996 with flu shots. Three hundred children participated in the 1996 Christmas Sunday school program. Tami Schrank arrived as the Sunday school director in 1997. From 220 to 250 students were involved in the Sunday school each week. By the end of 1996 membership rolls for Mountain View Lutheran stood at 1637 baptized members and 348 members had been received during the year. Visitation pastor Lloyd A. Nelson was kept busy making home and hospital calls and conducting private communion for sick and the homebound. In 1997 the two-week Vacation Bible School enrolled 175, the Summer SS averaged 80-90 children. The musical Vacation school was a continuing program each year. A grand piano was added to the music facilities for use in the worship services in the sanctuary.

An emphasis on the value of joining small groups was begun in the fall of 1997. This led to the adding of such groups as Single Parenting, Parents of Adolescents, an Empty Nest group, a Core Values study group, a Self Portrait small group, a Home Enrichment group, Expecting Mom’s Group and the like. In addition there were now four different weekly Bible classes, morning exercise classes, a Mountain View Christian Players Drama group, a divorce Recovery small group, quilting, bowling, Tai Chi Class, plus all the choirs, confirmation classes, Waist Watchers, Heart Partners, Al-Anon and other groups to fill up the weekly schedule. A special 8 ½ x 14-inch double-sided announcement sheet accompanies each week’s Sunday worship bulletin to list all of the activities taking place each day of the week at Mountain View Lutheran Church. The council authorized $2,500 to be spent in 1998 to renovate the lounge area in the office wing to provide additional office space. The 1998 budget was set at $689,860.

My wife, Eloise, and I have been part of the Mountain View Lutheran Church congregation for almost 10 years. Many things have impressed us in this church during this decade. The gospel-centered worship and preaching, the strong music program, the variety of activities available to both members and non-members, the warm friendliness and fellowship found in the church, the stong program for the children and youth, and the concern for extending God’s Kingdom into the Ahwatukee Community.

David J. Walpe, who wrote Teaching Your Children About God is quoted in a recent issue of the Readers Digest as saying, “There is a story of a man who once stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world. “Dear God’ he cried out, “look at all the suffering, the anguish and distress in your world. Why don’t you send help?” God responded, “I did send help. I sent you.” We firmly believe that God has blessed Mountain View Lutheran Church to be a blessing to the people of Ahwatukee, to help God’s Kingdom come on earth. This is a challenge to the future of our church as it reaches its 25th anniversary at the beginning of a new millennium.

Following are the updates by Pastor Rick Nelson:

Nearing the end of the century, Mountain View Lutheran Church continued to look ahead with dreams about future physical plans beginning, a busy program during almost every day of every week. Blessed with an ever-growing and dedicated membership, a gifted and focused staff, an ongoing dedication to biblically-based preaching and strong sacramental life, active youth and children’s programs, and a passion for mission and service, Mountain View was poised for stepping into the 21st Century.

In 1999, our Senior Pastor, Don Liles, took a call to begin a new congregation in the suburbs of the Las Vegas, NV area. During the next year’s interim, Pastor Bud Eskritt served as Senior Pastor for this time of transition. Beginning May 1st of 2000, Pastor Rick Nelson who was serving as Sr. pastor of a large ELCA congregation in Kalispell, Montana, began serving as our new Senior Pastor. Within the first year, a specific master plan for our campus was developed, a major capital campaign was conducted, and by 2002, construction began on a three million dollar “phase one” of a renewed campus facility to meet the needs of a congregation that had nearly 3000 baptized members. By 2003, MVLC was averaging over 1200 in worship each weekend and had a baptized membership of over 3200. A beautiful Family Life Center was built and connected to the original preschool building, the original sanctuary and office spaces were renovated and new classroom space was created as well as improved nursery area, a wonderful Fellowship Mall & Courtyard area was developed, a book store and coffee shop called Café Soul was added, and the interior of the worship completely renovated to include seating now for about 600 and an enlarged entry area.

In 2003, a third full-time pastor was added to our staff. Pastor Grant Christenson was called to serve with an emphasis in the area of Pastoral Care and our Wellness Ministries. After our Youth and Family Pastor, Don Lorfing, took a call to serve as the sole Pastor at a renovating congregation in Las Vegas in 2004, Pastor Julie Britsch was called from Lancaster, California to serve as our Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries and began her work among us in 2005. Pastor Lloyd Nelson continues to serve in a part-time capacity as Pastor Emeritus amongst our active Seniors population, and Pastor Glenn Lundahl serves as our part-time Pastor of Visitation, serving primarily our shut-in and hospitalized members and friends. There are currently about 5 full-time lay staff members in various specialty positions, and over 25 others serving as part-time staff in particular program areas---they help keep MVLC a place that is Spirit-fed and Spirit-led!

In the near future, it is hoped that “phase two” of the master plan can be undertaken, which will necessitate a new multi-story building going up in place of original sanctuary and housing administrative offices, more meeting and classroom space, an enlarged foyer/conference center, and a Youth Room. Currently, we average just over 1300 in worship each weekend, have over 175 middle school youth in our Confirmation program, serve over 250 children through our preschool and Sunday School ministries, have a few hundred participating in various small groups, have a working budget of almost 1.3 million dollars, and have utilized for over 3 years the Alpha program to reach great numbers of people and help them grow or begin a relationship with Jesus and His Church!

As the congregation continues to be blessed with growth in numbers and depth of commitment to the cause of Christ, parking issues continue to loom, the resulting implications of crowding for our campus schedule press in, and the vision for beginning a new worshipping community down in the fast-growing Maricopa area to the south of us is a growing passion.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maricopa County remains one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. In the last fifteen years, this southern-most tip of Phoenix proper called Ahwatukee, has more than tripled its population, and consists of close to 100,000 residents within its natural borders of South Mountain Preserve, the Gila River Indian Reservation, and the I-10 freeway. It now has some 25 public schools with over 25,000 students. To be expected with such rapid growth, comes increased social issues, community needs, and ever-present spiritual hunger. As Mountain View Lutheran church continues to keep its Ahwatukee “dream” alive, it must continue to meet the changing needs of this growing community. May God continue to give us both the desire and strength to move into the marvelous future to which God is calling us!

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