St. John Lutheran Church

A Brief History of St. John Lutheran Church
(With thanks to Sandy Shear)

St. John began as a mission in the mid 1950s, as a Lutheran presence in the northwestern part of Otsego County was needed to meet the needs of many Lutheran families in that rural area of the county. Pastor Charles Pope served the mission from 1953 to 1954.  The present church building and assembly hall were then built by members of the congregation in the late 1950s under the guidance of Pastor William Rittberger.

Pastors were shared with Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hartwick Seminary, until the mid 1960s, when St. John became a part of the Tri-Church Parish with St. Matthew, Laurens and Evangelical, served by Pastors Robert E. Heffner and Dr. Robert E. Mansbach.

St. John then became linked to Our Saviour, Utica, NY and became an internship site for nine years.  The congregation then went on their own for three years, with Pastor Lynn Ash serving part time.

In 2005, St. John became part of the newly formed Otsego County Lutheran Parish, consisting of the four Lutheran congregations of Otsego County and calling The Reverend Paul R. Messner as pastor and Sandra J. Shear as Associate in Ministry.  Sandy leads worship at St. John on most Sundays, with Pr. Paul serving on one Sunday each month.