OUR STORY

Mission has been at the heart of Living Savior since the very beginning. Living Savior Lutheran Church of Tualatin, Oregon started as a mission congregation in the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in 1978. Under the direction of missionary-at-large Pastor Hal Hingst, who also served as the first pastor of the congregation. The church was accepted into the Tualatin community and grew quickly. Over the years, it has been shepherded by many pastors. Following Pastor Hingst’s retirement in 1989, the congregation was served by Pastor Joel Brauer. Pastor Brauer was assisted by Pastors Steve Nikodemus and Shawn Hazel, who both went on to serve other congregations as lead Pastors. Interim Pastors Max Schaeffer and Paul Schmidt served the congregation from 2000 – 2002, prior to calling Pastor Nathan Brandt. Pastor Brandt served Living Savior for 17 years, bringing with him his love of technology, photography, gardening, and many stories of his youth on a farm in Iowa. Pastor Brandt’s “therapy” garden on the church property yielded produce for all and often ended up in soups or dishes during fellowship events. After Pastor Brandt retired in 2019, Pastor Phillip Alexander emerged from retirement to serve as Vacancy Pastor during the search for the next Pastor. Phil’s sense of humor and warm caring demeanor helped carry Living Savior through the vacancy. Rev. Jim Pressnell was also instrumental in providing pastoral leadership, visitation, preaching, and enabling return to in-person worship with Holy Communion following COVID19 protocols. Thankfully, in late 2020, God led Pastor Kevin Fenster to accept the Call to serve Living Savior. He began his role as senior Pastor on December 1, 2020.
Living Savior is located on the former site of the Valley Dairy and the original church building was dedicated in 1980. The facility had a multi-use room for meetings, fellowship, and worship services as well as classrooms and a preschool. A new sanctuary was built as an addition to the original building in 2009 and reflects a theme of hands raised in supplication and praise to God. After a fire in 2012, a new fellowship hall, classrooms and preschool were built to replace the original building the fire destroyed completely. The newly built sanctuary was able to be repaired. The new facility was re-dedicated in 2013. Tualatin and the surrounding communities provided gracious and amazing support following the fire, for which the congregation will always be grateful. Living Savior is dedicated to ensuring the new building is available for the community as a way of giving back. Living Savior welcomes input leading to new opportunities to serve people in Jesus’ name.
The true hope and joy of Living Savior is to be found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the amazing grace he has given to each of us. We support many ministries to our congregation, the community, and the world.