Eighty-Five Years on Ashford Avenue
Dobbs Ferry Lutheran Church has stood at 43 Ashford Avenue in the heart of the Westchester County village of Dobbs Ferry since 1939, when it began as a mission-driven congregation. Today the ELCA church, part of the Metropolitan New York Synod, continues that founding impulse through a wide range of programs that touch the local Rivertowns and reach much farther. Members describe the community as Christ-centered and mission-driven, and the building itself has become a kind of village campus - sanctuary on Sunday morning, pre-school on weekdays, and gathering place for food drives, scouts, and artists in between.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
The weekly gathering is a traditional Lutheran service of worship with Holy Communion every Sunday at 10:30 am. The liturgy follows the scriptural and sacramental patterns of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the altar is open to all who wish to receive; anyone who prefers may come forward for a blessing. Communion is offered with individual cups of bread and wine or juice. The service is led by Pastor Kristin Wuerffel and Deacon Sharon Brennen, with Nicolas Neff at the organ. Music has long been part of the church's identity - the organ was recently renovated, and an oboe was added in memory of Neff's late mother, Barbara Neff, in a gift that reflects the congregation's appreciation for the Lutheran musical heritage. Each service is followed by a coffee hour in the Fellowship Hall, with tea as well as coffee and time for conversation.
Visitors can watch the service live on Facebook if they cannot attend in person. There is no dress code: the church cheerfully notes that Jesus wore sandals, jeans and suits sit comfortably side by side, and special Sundays sometimes invite jerseys, red for Pentecost, or an Easter bonnet.
Faith Formation for All Ages
From September through June, the church opens its Christian Education hour at 9:15 am. Children gather for Sunday School, preteens prepare for Confirmation, and adults meet for Bible Talks and a Young Adults Studio that explores current topics through a scriptural lens. Visitors are welcome to drop in. The classes pause during the summer, when the worship hour continues but the education hour does not.
First Fruits: Giving It Back
One of the most distinctive traditions at Dobbs Ferry Lutheran is First Fruits, a long-standing practice of directing the opening donations received each month to mission work. Steady partners that benefit from this giving include the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry, Midnight Run (which brings volunteers and supplies to people living on the streets of New York City), Lutheran World Relief, the Metropolitan New York Synod, Children's Village, the Interfaith Caring Community of Greenburgh, Koinonia Camp and Retreat Center, and a missionary in Tanzania. The Walter Hoving Home, a residence for women seeking recovery, is also supported. Members are encouraged to give in many ways - in the offering plate, by mail, through Zelle to a dedicated email, through Venmo, or through an online giving page - and cash, check, and Zelle carry no fees so the full gift arrives.
A School in the Church Since 1975
Christian Pre-School has shared the church building since 1975, occupying spacious classrooms, an indoor gym in the Fellowship Hall, and two playgrounds. The non-denominational program serves children ages two through four, with classes grouped by age using a December 1 cutoff so that children stay on track for kindergarten. A weekly Chapel time weaves in a prayer, a song, a Bible story, and a letter of the week. The school year runs from September through June, with a four-week summer program in July. Tuition runs from about $495 a month for two-day attendance up to $740 for five days, with a $100 registration fee and a scholarship fund for families who need help, supported by First Fruits.
Caroline Farrington has directed the school since 2022, and Sharon Brennen, the church's Deacon, served as director for thirty-five years before retiring in 2012. The school and the church remain closely linked; many families who pass through the preschool later join the congregation, and several council members count their children among CPS alumni.
Outreach Across the Rivertowns and Beyond
Beyond First Fruits, the church serves as a host for community groups that share its building. Local Girl Scout troops meet here, as do RiverArts programs and other neighborhood gatherings, and the church's participation in Midnight Run has become a recognizable act of service in the Rivertowns. Members also support the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry directly, with Deacon Sharon Brennen having spent two decades on that work. Pastor Kristin, who arrived at the church in 2025 after serving a congregation in White Plains and before that earning a law degree and working as an attorney, has shaped a ministry she describes as attentive, relevant, and joyful, walking with people in their lives of faith with the cross and the empty tomb in view.
The People Who Lead
Worship leadership at Dobbs Ferry Lutheran is shared among Pastor Kristin Wuerffel, Deacon Sharon Brennen, and Organist Nicolas Neff. Carol Francis serves as office manager. Christian Pre-School is led by Director Caroline Farrington with Administrative Assistant Minnie Minieri. The Congregation Council, which cares for operations alongside the pastor and deacon, is led by President Kristen Arone and Secretary Sue Fernandez, with members serving on committees for property, finance, altar guild, and more. Long-time member William Sommer, who joined in 1953, is among those who help with transitions on the property team, and David Hutson, a member since 1974 and retired social worker, brings four decades of experience in community organizing and health care administration to his work on finance and property. Bob McClain has served in Sunday School, as assistant minister, and on the altar guild across decades of involvement.
Beliefs
The congregation teaches the Lutheran confession of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, creator of all that is, redeemer in Jesus Christ crucified and risen, and present sustainer in the Holy Spirit. Members describe themselves as part of God's unfolding plan, drawn more deeply into the story of salvation through Scripture read and proclaimed in worship. The communion table is open to all who seek Christ, whether to receive or to be blessed.