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Gethsemane Lutheran was formed through a merger of two congregations, Grace Lutheran and St. Paul Lutheran.

Grace Lutheran had its beginnings in 1923 as an interdenominational Sunday school. In 1924, when the church became Lutheran, they erected their facility at 73rd and Park.

St. Paul Lutheran was established in 1891 by Rev. J.J. Mylund, who conducted services in a rented building which served as both church and parsonage. In 1904 a facility was built at 13th and L Streets.

With the merger of the congregations in 1962 under Reverend Carl Laursen, the combined group met in the facilities of Grace Lutheran. A new facility was dedicated on February 16, 1964, and several years later and educational wing was completed. In 1998, the congregation merged with Bethel & Mt Zion of Tacoma, Washington, becoming United Lutheran Church.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was founded in 1957, and arose out Lutheran services that had previously existed in Richland. During World War II, many Lutheran families went into temporary wartime communities throughout America, with no local churches available. Out of this arose the National Lutheran Council (NLC), acting as a missionary arm to satisfy the needs of various Lutherans throughout America for church services during the war, continuing to maintain services thereafter.

In 1943, construction began on the first plutonium reactors in Hanford, with the NLC sending Pastor Martin Grimshold and Sister Veda Johnson to establish Lutheran services for the 50,000 persons at the temporary community. In 1947, nuclear research reignited in the area, with the temporary community of North Richland, with the NLC again sending workers to aid the 15,000 persons in the trailer community.

From 1947 to 1955, the North Richland community was served by Ann Worcester, with numerous baptisms and confirmations taking place. The temporary community of North Richland was terminated in 1955, and the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was founded in May 1957 in Richland, arising from the preexistent services. It became affiliated with the Lutheran Church in America (ULCA), with Reverend Ernest Hauge serving as Pastor. His successors were Bjelland, Ranlett,, Hoobing, Stan Gardner and Karen Gardner.

After Karen Gardner left the congregation Pastore Karen & Bob Edwards came as interim pastors. Their approach was seen by some to be very different than the previous pastor of 25 years, and a vote to remove them failed. This resulted in many members leaving the church. They received a call, and left the congregation shortly after this. Ron Moen came to replace them, and under his leadership the congregation voted to close June 2005.

Mission developer Richard I. Crossland arrived on November 15, 1957 to begin work in the Bow Lake-Rancho Vista area just south of Seattle in the vicinity of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The congregation was organized on October 12, 1958 with a membership of 273 baptized and 134 confirmed. The present site was purchased and the first unit dedicated May 22, 1960. Good Shepherd has been adversely affected by the changing community and the experience of being boxed in between the airport and the freeway.

The congregation voted to move out of their building and share church buildings with Our Savior’s in Seattle November 16, 1997. The first service was held in Our Savior’s January 18, 1998. On April 22, 2001, they voted to dissolve the congregation, and their last service was August 1, 2001.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd was organized on Sunday, March 1, 1953, at the 11:00 A.M. worship service, with Dr. Henry J. Hokenson in charge, aided by Mr. Charles H. Gustafson.

In 1954 their church building was dedicated. In 1957 land was purchased to build a new sanctuary. In 1959 the congregation went off Mission Aid, and the new building was dedicated. A parsonage was also built and later sold to one of their pastors. They used Central Valley High School for some of their Sunday school classes. An addition was built to remedy this problem in 1987.

The congregation worked on ecumenical relations with the Episcopalian and Catholic Church, and had a covenant with Holy Spirit Episcopalian & St. Mary’s Catholic Church. They also had joint confirmation with Holy Trinity Lutheran and Peace Lutheran.

They merged with Christ Lutheran in 2011, and changed the name to Advent Lutheran Church.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church had its beginning in the year 1923 as an inter-denominal Sunday School. The people of its congregation met in three different homes during those early days and their first pastor was Reverend Arthur Shaffer. In 1924 Reverend Claude Pellet took over and under his leadership this group became a Lutheran Church. Reverend Pellet saw Grace Lutheran established at its present site at 73rd and Park and a building erected before turning the reins over to Reverend H.N. Svinth in June of 1930, who served for 31 years.

The 1930’s were depression years and this small congregation put up a terrifically hard struggle to keep the doors of Grace Church open. Their work was rewarded, however, as the following years brought more prosperous times and a larger congregation. In 1955 a parsonage was built on the grounds behind the church.

Addresses: 901 Commerce, Rust Building, Townsend Building, Rust Building

In 1896, James Henry Holden made his first claim on the area which would later become Holden Village. However, due to the expense and difficulty involved in transporting copper from the isolated mine, the operation did not begin its full productivity until 1937. By 1938 the mine had become successful and processed 2,000 pounds of copper ore daily.

The Howe Sound Company built a town site on the north side of Railroad Creek soon after the mine began to thrive. The town site consisted of a number of dormitories, a gymnasium, bowling alley, mess hall, school, and hospital, among other things. West of the town site was a patch of small houses intended for miners and their families. The Holden Mine and its town site flourished for many years despite the isolation. However, after World War II the price of metal fell and the resources of the mine began to diminish. The mine was closed in 1957.

With the closing of the mine in 1957, the Howe Sound Company sought a buyer for the Holden Mine and town site. With an asking price of $100,000, the remote piece of property did not sell. However, Wes Prieb, a man active in the Lutheran Bible Institute of Seattle, saw the potential for a spiritual retreat center at the old mine. Originally he asked the Howe Sound Company to give the land to the Lutheran Church as a gift. The Company refused, but eventually agreed to sell the mine, town site, and all the land for one dollar.

With the purchase of the land came a multitude of problems for the Lutheran Bible Institute. The structures were old and decrepit. Many were on the brink of collapse and those that still stood did not meet current building codes. With the help of large brigades of volunteers, the Lutheran Bible Institute successfully cleaned and refurbished many of the buildings. The Village began to function as a summer retreat center soon afterward. Originally, the Lutheran Bible Institute imagined a summer-only center, and kept limited staff on-hand for the first few winters. However, both the infrastructure needs of the community and the natural beauty of Holden Village in the winter led to the creation of a year-round retreat center.

Today, Holden Village operates as a year-round retreat center and is one of the most remote continuously inhabited places in the contiguous United States. Largely run by volunteers, the Village offers educational programming and outdoor recreation opportunities to visitors from all over the world.

The Holy Sacrament Lutheran Church congregation of Portland, Oregon first organized in a home on September 1, 1952 under the name Green Gables Lutheran Church. The first service was held on October 5 of that year under the direction of the Home Mission program of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The congregation was formally organized on January 24, 1953 and took the name Holy Sacrament Lutheran Church. Property was obtained and church building erected. The congregation sold half of its acreage to Portland Unity Church, and the decision was made to pay off the Northwest District's Church extension loan. Holy Sacrament then entered into the American Evangelical Lutheran Church. Beginning in the 1960s, the congregation shared the sanctuary space with Hope Lutheran Church for the Deaf, the Seventh Day Baptist Church, and a non-denominational group called Calvary Chapel.

This congregation was started by the Board of Hope Missions of the ELC, who called Milton W. Nesse as the organizing pastor. In 1940 Reverend Ofstedal of Phinney Ridge and Shirley Christiansen conducted a survey of the area and a Sunday School was organized in January of 1942. Known as Trinity Sunday School, it met in a store at NE 148th and 15th Avenue NE and later moved to a community clubhouse.

There were 55 charter members on hand when the congregation was organized on Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 1945, and a parsonage was purchased the following June. In 1948 a new site was purchased and construction began on the present church plant. The new church was dedicated on May 28, 1950, and an education unit was completed December 13, 1959. The congregation had their last service November 23, 2003.

When the Northern Pacific Railway Company built their Northwest terminus repair shops in south Tacoma in 1892, there were a lot of Scandinavians among these who worked there. A group of families decided that a Norwegian church was needed, and established it in 1902 under the direction of pastors in the area. The church was organized with assistance from the Home Missions. Ground was purchased and a basement built where services were held for a number of years beginning in 1908. In 1917, the English language was introduced for services, supplanting Norwegian. The church debt was paid and the mortgage burned in May of 1927. Groundbreaking for the present church was held and the new sanctuary was dedicated on the 50th anniversary of the congregation, November 18, 1956.

October 4, 1971 there was a fire at Hope Lutheran Church caused by arson. A statue of Jesus brought over from the original building was destroyed along with many records, and other artifacts. The building was remodeled to repair the damage caused by the fire.

The congregation dissolved in 2014. Their last service was March 9, 2014.