A Swedish-Born Congregation on Capitol Avenue
Emanuel Lutheran Church has stood at 311 Capitol Avenue in Hartford's Frog Hollow neighborhood since 1889, when Swedish immigrants founded the parish. More than 135 years later, the congregation is a richly blended community living out its tagline, "In the City for Good." The church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is part of the New England Synod. It is also recognized as a Reconciling in Christ congregation through ReconcilingWorks, publicly affirming that all people, whatever their gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, race, culture, ability, economic circumstances, or relationship status, are welcome at the Lord's Table and in the life of the congregation.
Sunday Worship at 10 a.m.
The church gathers for a single Sunday Eucharist at 10 a.m., a service that draws on a wide range of musical traditions. The liturgy follows the Evangelical Lutheran Worship book, with everything from prayers to hymns printed in a bulletin that ushers hand out at the door. Music is central: vocal choirs, bell choirs, wind instruments, organ, piano, and percussion all contribute, with hymnody drawn from the ELW and other sources. About half the music is traditional, led by a 3-manual 34-rank Austin pipe organ, and the other half is contemporary, led by instrumentalists and singers drawn in part from graduate students at the Hartt School of Music. The service is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot be in the pew.
Holy Communion is celebrated at every Sunday service. Emanuel teaches that Christ is the host of the meal, and all who are baptized in any Christian tradition, including children of any age, are welcome to receive the bread and wine. Gluten-free wafers and white grape juice are available; anyone who prefers not to receive may come forward for a blessing. Usher assistance makes it possible to receive communion at one's seat as well.
Worship typically lasts around 75 minutes, stretching to 90 minutes for festival services. After the closing hymn, the congregation moves downstairs to Luther Hall for coffee, tea, and conversation, a weekly rhythm the Fellowship Team helps organize.
Children and Sunday School
Children are warmly welcomed in worship. Books and activity packets are kept in a Welcome Area at the back of the church for fidgety little ones, and a nursery downstairs in Luther Hall is equipped with speakers so parents can follow the service. Both men's and women's restrooms have changing tables. Fussy babies are part of the congregation, and no parent is asked to apologize for them.
During the school year, children from pre-kindergarten (age 3) through fifth grade are invited to Sunday School after being dismissed from worship at the appropriate point. In summer, the church offers a Children's Message during the service instead. Sunday School lessons are biblically based and aim to communicate God's love, help children know Jesus as kind and caring, reinforce lessons through activities and a caring community, and, for older elementary students, introduce the meaning of Baptism, Holy Communion, and the forgiveness of sins.
The Emanuel Food Pantry
Since 2019, the Emanuel Food Pantry has been a major ministry of the congregation, serving more than 400 households, individuals, and families every week through donations from the Emanuel community and a partnership with Connecticut Foodshare. Groceries, toiletries, and personal items are distributed at the church on Sundays from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (the pantry is closed for distribution on the first Sunday of every month) and on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., with Tuesdays reserved for those age 62 and older. Special items such as diapers, tampons, pads, and ethnic food can be requested in advance through Outreach Coordinator Naomi Ngoma.
Volunteers age 12 and up, with parental consent for minors, keep the pantry running. Roles include pantry coordinator, check-in, distribution, floater, bagging, unloading deliveries, shopping assistant, and delivery driver. First-time volunteers complete a Volunteer Form and bring a school- or government-issued ID for their initial shift.
Music for Every Ear
Music at Emanuel is built around participation. Rehearsals happen on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. before the 10:00 a.m. service, with most music put together on the spot rather than at mid-week rehearsals. The Emanuel Choir sings almost every Sunday year-round, drawing on four centuries of repertoire; weekly rehearsal files let singers learn the anthem on their own before Sunday. The Emanuel Bell Choir rehearses once before its Sunday-morning warmup, usually a Thursday evening at 6 p.m., and plays about once a month on five octaves of Schulmerich bells and three octaves of Malmark tone-chimes, with music pre-marked for new ringers.
Director of Music Jonathan Reuning-Scherer, a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory and the Yale School of Music, leads the program. He is Senior Lecturer in Statistics at Yale University, serves on the Board of Trustees for The Hartt School, and is Treasurer for the Greater Hartford Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The church also houses a 3-manual 34-rank Austin pipe organ, a Ritmueller concert grand piano, timpani and percussion, guitars and bass, and a 5-octave Yamaha concert marimba.
The St. Lucia Festival
For more than a century, the youth of Emanuel have presented a traditional St. Lucia Festival in December, a Swedish celebration of Christmas in song rooted in the congregation's immigrant origins. The festival takes place on a Friday evening during the first few weeks of December.
Scholarship Funds that Span Generations
Emanuel administers a remarkable range of scholarship funds, all gifts of past members now supporting current students. The largest, the Oscar and Louise Modeen Scholarship established in 1956, supports members in good standing pursuing undergraduate study at a two- or four-year college. Other named funds, including the Ernest and Laura Wignall, Philip and Gertrude Nestor, John and Alma Olson Jacobson, Sven and Fern Carlson, Judy Johnson, and Elizabeth Jacobson scholarships, offer aid to neighborhood youth with preference for the Frog Hollow area, post-graduate students, and those in need. Specialized scholarships, such as the John Eric Johnson Graduate Ministerial Scholarship, the Sandberg Staff Continuing Education Scholarship, and the David E. Harper Music Scholarship, support members pursuing service to the church or private vocal and instrumental study. Camp Calumet scholarships help Emanuel youth attend summer camp.
The People Who Lead
Senior Pastor Mark Olsen began his call at Emanuel on May 1, 2023. A lifelong Lutheran, he is a graduate of Syracuse University in International Relations and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, where he earned his Master of Divinity. Before Hartford, he served parishes in Virginia, directed admissions at Gettysburg Seminary (now United Lutheran Seminary), and worked on the ELCA churchwide staff in stewardship and the Fund for Leaders. He is rostered in the New England Synod and lives in Stratford with his spouse, Kari.
Vicar Calli Micale serves Emanuel part-time while awaiting her first call as a candidate for ordination in the ELCA. She is also Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics and Director of the MDiv and MTS programs at Palmer Theological Seminary, and holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and a PhD from Yale University. Her published research integrates Christian thought with disability studies and social justice.
Naomi Ngoma, Community Life and Outreach Coordinator, advances the "In the City for Good" mission through faith-based community and youth programs. Operations Manager Kate Bozzo keeps the building and finances moving; Administrative Assistant Morgan Pope fields calls and questions; and Sexton Rachid Chelali, born in Algeria and an American citizen, has cared for the building and grounds since 2000.
Worship Ministries and Fellowship
Worship at Emanuel is supported by a wide circle of volunteers: greeters, acolytes, ushers, assisting ministers, lectors, communion preparers, sound and recording techs, coffee hour hosts, vocal and instrumental musicians, and the Altar Guild. The Altar Guild maintains the worship space, with a Flower Committee arranging seasonal displays for Easter and Christmas and then redistributing altar flowers into small bouquets for homebound members and those recovering from illness. Prayer shawls and baby blankets are made by the Prayer Shawl Team and offered to anyone who could use one. The Property Team tends the building and grounds, and the Fellowship Team hosts coffee hour after each service.
Visiting Emanuel
First-time visitors need not stand up or introduce themselves. Ushers greet at the door, hand out bulletins, and answer questions. Parking is available behind the church (enter on Hungerford Street), in the state lot at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Oak Street, and in the Armory lot across the street, with accessible spaces behind the church. The building is accessible: an elevator at the rear entrance takes visitors directly into the worship space and down to Luther Hall, several pews are adapted for wheelchairs, chairs are available for those using walkers, and hearing assistance aids are offered. Communion can be received at one's seat.
What to wear is left to the visitor. Jeans and t-shirts are as common as suits and ties.
Office and Contact
Church offices are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The office number is (860) 525-0894, and a Pastoral Care Emergency Line, (860) 293-9096, is available after hours and on weekends. Online giving is available through a secure portal, with pledges also accepted by mail or email. Sunday worship, livestreamed on YouTube, and the weekly e-newsletter keep the wider community connected.