On Howdershell Road in Hazelwood, Missouri, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd calls itself "One Big Family," a description that fits a congregation that has grown up alongside the north St. Louis County suburb it has served since the late 1950s. A member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the church is rooted in liturgical worship and Word-and-Sacrament life while keeping plenty of room for contemporary music, children, and hands-on service to the neighborhood.
Beginnings on the Village Hall Board Room
The story begins with the post-World War II housing boom that pushed families north into St. Louis County. To meet the need for new church homes, the LCMS Board of Missions of the Western District extended a call to Pastor Arthur H. Strege to organize a new congregation in Hazelwood. He began his work on July 1, 1958, and the first worship service drew 131 people on October 5, 1958. Strege's sermon text was John 10:14-16, "I am the Good Shepherd," the passage from which the new congregation later took its name.
For its first eighteen months, the fledgling church met in the board meeting room of the Hazelwood Village Hall, then moved to the Russell School auditorium for about fifteen months. Charter Membership Sunday on February 9, 1959, brought 73 communicants and 61 children into the congregation. Strege was installed as the church's first installed pastor on October 4, 1959. Groundbreaking for the first church building came on October 18, 1959; the cornerstone was laid on December 6, 1959; and the congregation moved into its new home on June 4, 1961. The dedication of the first unit was held on September 24, 1961.
Sunday Worship: Three Services in One Family
LCGS offers three Sunday expressions of worship. The 9:30 a.m. traditional service grounds the congregation in liturgy, hymnody, and the preaching of God's Word, with Holy Communion celebrated as a regular part of worship life. A second service at 11:00 a.m. is set aside as a Kids Service, shaped for children and families. Once a month, on the third Sunday, the Spirit Alive Ensemble leads a contemporary service in the sanctuary, with the choir joining in and the band providing upbeat accompaniment. The choir is open to anyone who wants to sing, and rehearsals are held in the evening during the week.
For those unable to attend in person, the church's Family-to-Family service is available online. Worship recordings are posted to LCGS's YouTube channel and can be watched any time through the church's Worship Online page, so members and friends who are traveling, sick, or simply far away can stay connected.
Music as a Lifeline
Music is woven into nearly every part of LCGS life. The congregation's musical groups are directed by Christian leaders who are dedicated to growing in Christ, sharing the Word, and caring for all. Both traditional and contemporary music appear throughout the year, and Christmas brings skits and storytelling alongside seasonal song. The Spirit Alive Ensemble leads the third-Sunday contemporary service, and a traditional choir serves the regular 9:30 a.m. liturgy. Together, members describe it as "making a joyful noise."
Serving Beyond the Walls
The congregation lists its core values as Compassionate Serving Inside and Outside Our Walls, Life-changing Worship and Music, Transformative Faith Development, and Intentional Community Building. The "outside our walls" side is filled with named ministries.
Karing for Kids - the Hazelwood Homeless Project is one of the church's signature outreaches. Members also make sleeping Mats for the Homeless, collect school supplies and backpacks each year for back-to-school, run a monthly food collection, and regularly raise funds for T.E.A.M. and PAKT. Two boxes sit outside the church year-round: one holds small toys and books, and the other serves as a Community Pantry for neighbors who need a little help. LCGS was also part of a community effort that helped fund the area's first Safe Haven Baby Box at the local fire department, a place where a mother in crisis can leave a baby with no questions asked, with the infant then taken to a hospital and turned over to the Division of Family Services.
Walking with Children and Youth
Children are a daily presence at LCGS. Beyond the dedicated 11:00 a.m. Kids Service and the annual Vacation Bible School, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Preschool (GSLCP) welcomes students of any race, color, national, or ethnic origin. The preschool offers a Christian approach to early childhood that nurtures the whole child - spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically - and is associated with the Lutheran tradition while remaining open to all families.
For older children, LCGS Youth gathers students in grades six through twelve at least once a month on Sunday afternoons for fellowship, prayer, and growing closer to God together. The youth group meets in fellowship and prayer, with a focus on strong faith, strong relationships, and the conviction that Jesus is present at home, at school, at work, at play, and everywhere in between.
Hope Stones, Daily Texts, and Prayer
Several distinctive practices set the rhythm of LCGS life. Blue Hope Stones are kept available for members to take and carry as a reminder of God's unfailing hope. The color is the color of hope, paired with the image of the stone rolled away from the empty tomb. When the Spirit moves, the carrier passes the stone on to someone else who needs that reminder, blessing them with hope.
Members are also invited to receive Messages of Hope, a daily text of one to a few Bible verses for reflection and prayer. A separate online Prayer Chain lets anyone post prayer requests or sign up as a Prayer Partner to lift up those needs. People who want to dive deeper can also request a prayer-chain registration to keep in regular contact with the church's prayer team.
What LCGS Believes
The congregation's own statement of faith is simple and scriptural: belief in the God who created us in love, in Jesus Christ the Savior who died for our sins and redeemed us, and in the Holy Spirit who carries, guides, and blesses us. All three, the church confesses, are the one Most Holy God. The Bible is described as the beginning point for faith and the place where God still speaks today. Jesus is named the host of the Communion table, and all are welcome to share in it.
The mission LCGS has written for itself reads: Living Gracefully, Including Everyone, Knowing Christ; Extending Hospitality, Serving Generously. It is the kind of statement that matches a congregation proud of its suburban roots, its music, its children, and its open doors - on Howdershell Road and online.