A Lutheran Congregation in the Three Villages
On Pond Path in East Setauket, just south of Upper Sheep Pasture Road and within reach of the Laurel Ridge Setauket Woods Nature Preserve, Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church has welcomed worshipers into the Divine Service for nearly seven decades. The congregation stands in the heart of Long Island's historic Three Villages, due east of Stony Brook University and Hospital, and its members describe a parish where the classical Lutheran liturgy shapes every Sunday morning.
From 58 Founding Members to a Stable Congregation
Messiah began as a mission of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The Rev. Henry Koepchen, then a missionary to Long Island, gathered the first 58 people for worship on December 22, 1957, in the VFW Hall in East Setauket. For eight years the small congregation met there while it made plans of its own. In 1962 the mission purchased property on Pond Path, construction began in 1965, and on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1966, the first service was held in the new building. The congregation was formally dedicated on June 19, 1966, with Pastor Koepchen still at the helm. He would continue as founding pastor until his retirement in September 1996.
Pastor Koepchen's ministry extended well beyond the parish. He served as Secretary and later Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and as acting President of the Atlantic District. He laid the cornerstone of the present church in 1966 and continued to serve on the Atlantic District board after retirement. The Lord called him home on April 12, 2021, at the age of 89.
The Pastoral Lineage on Pond Path
The Rev. Alfred J. Hofler joined Messiah in 1977 as Pastoral Assistant and served in that role for forty-one years until his retirement in 2018. Before Messiah, he had been the founding pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in East Moriches (1962 to 1969) and had served briefly as interim at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Middle Island. The Lord called him to his heavenly home on December 10, 2024, at the age of 87.
The Rev. Charles Bell became Messiah's pastor on March 16, 1997, and remained until his retirement in 2018. A Long Island native, Bell had previously served Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue for twenty years and held a parish in Elm Grove, Wisconsin.
Following the 2018 retirements, the Rev. Stephen Unger served Messiah as vacancy pastor from 2018 to 2020 and then remained in an assistant capacity through late 2023.
On August 16, 2020, the Rev. Nils Niemeier was ordained and installed at Messiah as the congregation's next called pastor. Niemeier had grown up in Northern Virginia, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies at the University of Richmond as an Oldham Scholar, and completed a Master of Arts in Classics at Cornell University in 2015, with a concentration in Roman Archaeology. He graduated from the Master of Divinity program at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis on May 15, 2020, after serving his vicarage at Living Savior Lutheran Church in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Niemeier served Messiah until February 9, 2025, when he accepted a call to Lutheran Church of the Savior in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Thom Brownworth was installed as Deacon of Messiah on December 1, 2019, and continues to serve the parish in that role.
The Divine Service at Messiah
Worship at Messiah is built around the historic liturgy of the Western church. The congregation describes its worship as "the Divine Service," a term that traces back to the Greek word for public work - liturgy literally means "work for the people." Lutherans mean by this that God is at work in Word and Sacrament, giving his gifts to those who gather, and that the worshipers gather to receive those gifts rather than to perform them.
The congregation follows the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's pattern, with the preaching of the Word, confession and absolution, and the Lord's Supper at the center of the service. Scripture readings follow a three-year lectionary, and the readings shape the sermon, the prayers, and the hymns each Sunday. Pastors wear vestments, and the chancel is dressed in paraments - cloths and banners that change with the seasons - to mark the worship space as a place set apart for God's work.
Singing is woven into the liturgy. Portions of the service are sung as well as spoken, and the congregation also lifts up hymns and other music drawn from the hymnal. All voices are welcome in the singing, and visitors who would rather listen and meditate on the words are invited to do so as well.
The Lord's Supper - also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, or the Eucharist - holds a central place. Messiah teaches, with the Lutheran confessions, that Christ is truly and bodily present in, with, and under the bread and wine, and that through this meal God gives the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Visitors who wish to receive communion are invited to speak with the pastor beforehand so that they can receive the gifts of the Sacrament in good conscience.
What Messiah Confesses
Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and accepts the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the sole rule of faith and life. The congregation also accepts the Symbolical Books of the Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 - the Ecumenical Creeds (Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian), the unaltered Augsburg Confession of 1530, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Catechisms of Luther, the Smalcald Articles, and the Formula of Concord - as a correct and sound exposition of Christian doctrine drawn from and fully in accord with Holy Scripture.
The congregation's stated purpose is to lead people to faith in Christ Jesus and fellowship in his family, to celebrate his presence in worship and the study of his Word, and to use all of one's God-given time, talents, and treasures in the ministry of his church and mission to the world.
Sunday School, Confirmation, and Bible Study
Christian education has long been central at Messiah. Sunday School meets at 9:00 AM on Sunday mornings during the school year, and Confirmation Class is held at the same hour. Confirmation is open to seventh and eighth graders and continues through the academic year. Adult Bible Study also meets at 9:00 AM on Sundays.
A Wednesday Bible Class gathers at 10:30 AM. A Saturday Women's Bible Study at 9:00 AM is part of the regular rotation though currently on hiatus; visitors are encouraged to check the calendar for any updates. Midweek Bible study registration is available in advance.
Vacation Bible School is held each summer, welcoming children from preschool through sixth grade from the wider community, not just members of Messiah. Each year's program centers on a different theme drawn from the Scriptures and the world God has made. The youth group gathers periodically, with information posted as events are scheduled.
Mission and Outreach in the Three Villages
Local outreach runs through the rhythms of the week. The congregation maintains an ongoing food pantry: a bin in the narthex collects donated nonperishable items, and all donations are passed along to the Welcome INN food distribution center at Christ Methodist Church in Port Jeff Station. The congregation also runs ongoing drives for shoes and gently used or new clothing.
The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) chapter at Messiah meets on the third Friday of each month at 3:00 PM to assemble health kits, layettes, and school kits for missions at home and abroad. The group is always looking for donations of personal care, baby care, and school supplies.
An Angel Giving Tree supports neighbors in need during the Christmas season, and the Mission of the Month directs special offerings to a different local cause throughout the year. Members are invited to fill out a Time, Talents, and Abilities survey so that the congregation can match their gifts to service opportunities inside and beyond the parish.
Visiting Messiah on Pond Path
Messiah's Sunday worship is held at 10:00 AM at 465 Pond Path in East Setauket. Visitors are warmly welcomed and asked to introduce themselves to the pastor, sign the guest register in the narthex, and fill out a visitor card found in the pew. The church building and main bathrooms are handicap accessible.
Those traveling or unable to leave home can join the 10:00 AM service via livestream on Messiah's YouTube channel, and past services are archived there as well. A virtual welcome card is available online for online visitors.
For baptisms, members and visitors are asked to make an appointment with the pastor; the date is then approved by both pastor and congregation. The church office can be reached at (631) 751-1775 or info@messiahny.org. Online giving is available through FaithStreet, and regular bulletins, newsletters, and updates are posted online as well.
Members of Messiah live and serve across the Three Villages and the wider Long Island community, and the congregation continues its identity as a small but devoted Lutheran parish on Pond Path.