St. Matthew Lutheran Church

125 Main St., Laurens, NY 13796

Worship Schedule

Sundays - 8:30 a.m. (Holy Communion 2nd & 4th Sundays and Festival Sundays)
Coffee hour follows worship

Wednesdays - 7:15 a.m.

Sunday School - weekly during worship

Bible Studies - 2nd & 4th Wednesdays - 2:00 p.m.

A Brief History

St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Laurens, NY was formed on June 15th, 1915. The congregation was comprised mainly of Danes who migrated from several mid-western states in search of cheap land in the Laurens area in the early years of the 20th century. The congregation was named St. Matthew Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church and was affiliated with the Danish Synod (ALC). The Rev. Anders Kirkegaard was the part-time Pastor and worship was held in the Methodist Church. In 1925 St. Matthew merged with Nazareth Church of Mt. Vision, NY. In 1927, the present church building was purchased from the Congregational Christian Church for the sum of $1,200.

The copy of Thorvaldsen's Statue of Christ which adorns the chancel was acquired in 1955 through the efforts of Pastor C.C. Kloth. In 1963, the parsonage next door to the church was built by the volunteer labor of the members. In the 1960's the Danish Synod joined with other Lutheran bodies to become The Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Under the leadership of Pastor Wm. Wittcopp, the congregation was yoked to St. John's Lutheran, West Burlington, NY and later became part of a Tri-Church Parish with the addition of Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hartwick Seminary, NY in 1967.

Pastor Robert Heffner, Chaplain at Hartwick College came in 1972 as a part-time Pastor and served the Tri-Church Parish until 1990. The 75th Anniversary of the Church was celebrated with a dinner at the Holiday Inn in Oneonta. Around that time an addition was made to the Church building and space for a parking lot behind the Church was obtained. The Rev. Lynn Ash was called to serve St. Matthew and Evangelical as a full time Pastor in 1991. After her retirement, Rev. Jack Stennett was called to serve St. Matthew and Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Oneonta, NY. The parsonage was sold in 2000.

Pastor Paul Messner was called to serve at St. Matthew in 2002, in what became the Otsego County Lutheran Parish (OCLP). Sandra Shear was called to share in this work as a part-time Associate in Ministry. The 90th Anniversary Celebration, with a dinner party in Fellowship Hall, St. Matthew, was celebrated in the Spring of 2005. The summer flood of 2006 destroyed the basement rooms completely and severely damaged the plumbing and heating systems. Largely through the efforts of volunteer labor, the essential systems have been restored and work continues on reconstruction of the Youth Center.