Rooted in West Long Branch since 1931, the Lutheran Church of the Reformation is a member congregation of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The congregation at 992 Broadway gathers every Sunday morning around Word and Sacrament and reaches into the wider community through a food pantry that now serves more than 500 food-insecure families each month, a Community Clothes Closet, a Prayer Shawl and Blanket Ministry, and a long-standing Christian Education program.
Ninety-Five Years of Faith on Broadway
The congregation's story begins on Sunday, September 27, 1931, when the first service was held. On October 11, 1931 the congregation organized with 24 charter members, and the Rev. Carl Miller, who also served Atonement Lutheran in Asbury Park, became Reformation's first pastor. Thirty-one people communed that first year, and the annual budget totaled $694.
The Rev. Howard Kuhnle was called as the second pastor in 1932 and, on the first anniversary of the charter, baptized seven children. In 1933 the first Confirmation service was held for seven young people. The congregation met in the American Legion Hall beginning in 1940 and in the YMCA Hall beginning in 1946; the present Broadway site was purchased in 1945 and the chapel, now the Fellowship Hall, was dedicated on December 19, 1948, when membership stood at 63 communing members.
Growth came steadily through the following decades. An organ was purchased in 1950 and a new one installed in 1981, with stained glass added to the sanctuary's side windows in 1986. The present sanctuary and Sunday Church School wing were dedicated on January 27, 1963, additional Broadway property was acquired in 1968, and by 1969 the baptized membership had reached 805 with 208 children in Sunday Church School. The 50th anniversary and the burning of the mortgage were celebrated together in 1981.
The sanctuary was extended in October 2002 with a sacristy, new stained glass and a free-standing altar, and in June 2004 the East Wing expansion added a gathering area, offices and the Great Room. A converted garage became the New Food Pantry in December 2005. When Superstorm Sandy struck in October 2012, Reformation partnered with the County Food Bank, Long Branch Covenant Church, Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey to serve as an emergency aid distribution center, and from 2013 through 2016 the building also housed recovery workers, who slept and ate at the church and showered at Long Branch Covenant and Monmouth University.
In January 2017 the congregation voted to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation, adopting an Affirmation of Welcome that publicly affirms LGBTQIA+ people and people of any race, marital status or history. That same year, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation was marked through a series of ecumenical events with Holy Trinity of Red Bank, Atonement of Asbury Park, and Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church. The expanded Community Food Pantry and Clothes Closet facilities held their ribbon cutting in April 2019, and in July 2022 Bishop Bartholomew preached at a Service of Celebration marking sanctuary renovation (new flooring, refurbished pews), all new windows in the Sunday School wing, and the early retirement of the mortgage.
Worship Rooted in Word and Sacrament
Reformation gathers at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings for a Service of Holy Communion. Lutheran worship at Reformation centers on the reading and proclamation of God's Word, a collective prayer of confession and absolution, the public profession of faith using the Apostles' or Nicene Creed, prayer, and the Lord's Supper. The congregation communes in both kinds, bread and wine, and gluten-free wafers and grape juice are available for those who need them.
All who are baptized are welcome to receive Holy Communion regardless of age; the decision of when to commune for the first time is made jointly by the first communicant, parent or guardian, and the pastor. Anyone who chooses not to receive communion is welcome to come forward for a pastoral blessing.
On Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. the community gathers for Bible Study and Eucharist, and at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings Evening Prayer and Bible Study are held online via Facebook. Sunday worship is also livestreamed on Facebook for those who cannot be present in person.
An Affirmation of Welcome for All
The congregation's welcome is stated plainly in its Affirmation of Welcome, adopted in 2017 along with the Reconciling in Christ designation. "Believing that Christ's welcome is unconditional... believing that in that unconditional welcome we have access to God's saving love... believing that God's unconditional saving love is for the whole world," the congregation publicly affirms its welcome of all who seek to experience God's saving love through Word and Sacraments.
Reformation specifically affirms its welcome of LGBTQIA+ people and people of any race, marital status or history, political affiliation or any other human invention, and commits itself to racial equity in the Church and society. The congregation allows its sanctuary and community space to be used for LGBTQIA+ weddings and blessings, and pledges to be open to calling LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC Rostered Leaders. As Lutherans, members confess faith in the Triune God and rely on grace alone for salvation, holding that faith is then expressed through active love for neighbors in daily life.
Feeding Five Hundred Families Each Month
The Reformation Community Food Pantry's mission is "to simply feed the hungry." Begun close to thirty years ago, the pantry now provides food to over 500 food-insecure families each month. Every client goes through an initial interview and a once-a-year follow-up, and the goal is to give each family not only food but a hand up, a sympathetic ear, and referrals to other benefits available in New Jersey. The pantry is open Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.; volunteers are needed on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. and on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. for deliveries. Donations are accepted at any time in the breezeway by the food pantry; inquiries can be directed to wlbfoodpantry@gmail.com.
The Community Clothes Closet provides clothing free of charge to all people in need, offering seasonal items in sizes from newborn through adult, plus shoes, socks and accessories. The closet is open the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays of the month from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. (clients must be signed in by 10 a.m. to shop). First-time visitors should bring an ID showing their name and address. Clients may visit once a month; space allows two adults per family, and children are not admitted to the shopping area. Donations of clean, in-season clothing can be dropped off in the yellow bin in the parking lot, accessed from Locust Avenue.
Reformation also supports the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Disaster Response, Global Refuge, Church World Services, Seafarers International, Bread for the World, and Reconciling Works, and advocates for the homeless, the hungry and broader social justice issues.
Prayer Shawls and the Ministry of Comfort
Begun around 2007 by Lorraine Musantry White, the Prayer Shawl and Blanket Ministry offers comfort to those in need. Shawl makers begin with prayers and blessings for the recipient and continue those intentions throughout the creation of each piece; upon completion a final blessing is offered before the shawl is sent on its way. Shawls and blankets are given to those undergoing medical procedures, those experiencing a loss or stress, those in bereavement, and as gifts for weddings, births, graduations, ordinations, anniversaries and holidays. The team meets on the third Monday of each month from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., September through June, and anyone who would like to learn to knit or crochet is welcome.
Sunday School, Confirmation, and Faithful Conversations
Sunday Church School at Reformation brings children and youth together from preschool through 6th grade for a morning of faith, fun and fellowship from September through June. Lessons explore the weekly scriptures and prayer and are enhanced with music, crafts, games, occasional science explorations, and participation in the worship service through song, skits and communion. The program also includes community activities such as CROP Walk, World Hunger Day and the annual Christmas pageant.
For youth in 7th and 8th grades, Reformation offers a two-year Confirmation program that explores the Bible in the first year and Martin Luther's Small Catechism in the second.
Bible Study gathers on the first and second Sunday of each month, September through June, on site after worship at 10:00 a.m., and on most Wednesday mornings and evenings year-round. The format is conversational rather than lecture: participants read scripture aloud, work to discern its meaning, and discuss how it speaks to contemporary life. The Wednesday evening Bible Study is held online at 7:30 p.m.
Faithful Conversations, a series of occasional gatherings, offers a safe and structured place to discuss important issues facing the Church and society. Past topics have included abortion, immigration, the Church in society, civic engagement, Christian nationalism, race and ethnicity, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music has been woven into Reformation's ministry since the first organ was purchased in 1950, with a new organ installed in 1981 and stained glass added to the sanctuary's side windows in 1986. The first concert of the John Fabrici Memorial Concert Series was held in 1987. Lorraine Cotter, who grew up singing with Reformation's cherub choir and handbell choir, has served as the congregation's musician since 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from William Paterson University and a Master's from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in Liturgical Music, and she performs on piano, organ, flute and voice during services, accompanies choir anthems and helps to organize musicians throughout the year. She also serves as the Director of Sunday School, organizing and setting up lessons for the Pre-K through 2nd grade class.
Senior Pastor Matthew Cimorelli
The Rev. Matthew Cimorelli has served as Senior Pastor of Reformation since October 3, 2010, having been called on July 25, 2010 by a vote of 121 to 16. A cradle Roman Catholic raised in a family that played music at a folk mass at the Fort Dix chapel, Pastor Matt worked as an HVAC technician and a technical school teacher before finding a theological home in the Lutheran confessions. He served as High School Youth Director at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Tabernacle, NJ, attended The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and graduated in 2003. He has served on Synod Council, the Synod Executive Team, and the Synod Assembly Planning Team, is a member of the Synod LGBT Task Group, and serves as Executive Director of the NJ State Diakonia Program.
The church office can be reached at 732-229-9180 or at reformationwlb@gmail.com. Giving is available online through the congregation's secure giving page.