The new church building for Our Savior Lutheran Church will be dedicated on Sunday, June 25, 2000, 6:00 PM in Houston, Texas.

Our Savior was originally scheduled for dedication in April. Rev. Laurence White will preach the dedication service on the same Sunday that the LCMS will be celebrating the 470th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.

We recommend those who wish to attend the opening service arrive two hours early.

Our Savior towers 160 feet in the air, commanding the Houston suburban skyline in every direction, for as far as the eye can see.

By the grace of God, Our Savior has committed 6 ½ million dollars to express its theology and history in art, architecture, and music.

Rather than building another contemporary auditorium Our Savior's goal is to present the Gospel and the Sacraments of Jesus Christ and the Lutheran Reformation in sight and sound.

The choir and instrumentalists for the service will be under the direction of organist Jeffery Armstrong.

A book and video are available explaining the significance of the works of art and architecture.

You are also invited to be a part of Lutheran history by making a contribution payable to, Our Savior Lutheran Building Fund, 5000 West Tidwell, Houston TX 77091-4633

Pastor White spent a number of years studying "Lutheran Architecture" including trips to Germany. He is now one of the foremost authorities on the subject.

Our Savior will be the first edifice built in the Americas specifically designed to fully adapt the unique style of Lutheran Architecture that developed in the post Reformation era.

The entire church is in the shape of an octagon, taking much of its form from the early 18th Century Lutheran Church in Dresden, Germany.

Our Savior will seat approximately 1,200 people. There is seating for about 450 on the main floor and there are two wrap-around balconies, one above the other, each seating about 350 people. The goal is to keep the worshipers close to the pulpit.

Our Savior contracted the famed craftsmen of Demetz in Ortisei, Italy to tell the story of the Gospel and the Sacraments in exquisite paintings, stained glass, carvings, bas-relief, and sculptures of wood and bronze.

Our Savior is spending nearly a million dollars on works of art so people can view the theology of Lutheran Reformation when they walk into the church. Demetz has declared Our Savior's building to be their foremost aesthetic achievement.

No Lutheran structure in the Americas matches the artistic and aesthetic excellence of Our Savior Lutheran Church.

We interviewed one of the many volunteer gatehouse keepers who direct visitors down roads named Luther, Walther, Preus, and Behnken on Our Savior's 46-acre site.

He reports that visitor traffic has shown a marked increase. People are coming to see the church even before it is completed. There has also been an increased response to the churches evangelism efforts. Beauty attracts.

While the current trend in church architecture is stark, contemporary, functional mega-churches, Our Savior has some precedent for building a structure that emphasizes beauty and visual communication.

St. John's Lutheran Church in Orange, California, a congregation of more than 4000, was built on the order of a French Cathedral in 1914 and is now on the National Historic Register.

In the last few years Advent Lutheran Church built a New England style church in Zionsville, Indiana. In 7 years this mission congregation has grown to 700 members. Many visitors walk in the building because of its architecture.

Our Savior's effort to use architecture as an evangelism tool is not unique, though it is rare. Church buildings such as St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. John The Divine in New York City, the National Cathedral in Washington DC, and the Crystal Cathedral in Southern California are a few of the well known structures that were designed to attract the viewing public.

Rather than trying to blend in with the current popular contemporary, non-denominational mega-churches that shed every vestige of theological tradition and heritage, Our Savior revels in establishing its unique Lutheran identity as its greatest asset and attraction.

A visitor to Our Savior's worship service participates in a renaissance of uniquely Lutheran architecture, organ music, history, culture, liturgy, hymnody, paintings, and sculpture.

While many LCMS Pastors, the Synod's Council of District Presidents, the LCMS Board for Higher Education, and Dr. Norbert Oesch's Pastoral Leadership Institute are promoting the growth of Lutheran Churches by replicating the worship style of Willow Creek, Jimmy Swaggert, the Baptists, Pentecostals, and the Assembly of God, Our Savior has committed its future into the hands of God through a profound dedication to Lutheran identity.

There was no mention of the dedication of Our Savior at the Texas District Convention of the LCMS meeting last week in Houston, Texas. However, a number of clergy and lay people left the Convention for a tour given by Pastor White.

May the God who raised up Wittenberg to teach the Gospel to the world continue to enlighten His people with His Word. He confounds the wise and raises up those of low degree.

Identity and tradition are not the road to extinction but to the preservation of the future.

Reclaim News will have an on-the-spot reporter for the dedication of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas.

(Pastor White is an outspoken opponent of abortion and a proponent of Lutheran Theology and Walther's congregational polity structured around Voters' Assemblies. We recommend his book titled, "The Role of Women in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.")

Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

June 24, 2000

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