On the north end of Whidbey Island, just a short drive from the flight line at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor Lutheran Church has made itself a home for active-duty families, retirees, and longtime islanders alike. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is part of the Northwest Washington Synod. Its pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey R. Spencer, describes it as "a vibrant, bustling congregation of diverse people united by our faith in Jesus," and the church's own self-description highlights four distinct identities it tries to live out at once: child-friendly, military-friendly, community-minded, and globally connected.
Sunday Worship and Open Communion
Worship is at the center of life at Oak Harbor Lutheran. Fall through spring, two identical-order services are held each Sunday, at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. During the summer the schedule shifts to a single combined service at 9:30 a.m. Both services are also streamed on the church's Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.
Holy Communion is celebrated at every service, every Sunday. The congregation practices open communion: any baptized Christian who wishes to receive the true body and blood of Christ in, with, and under the bread and wine is welcome at the table. Following the ELCA's 1997 statement "The Use of the Means of Grace," communion is available to children of any age when they can handle the elements with confidence and respect, and classes on Holy Communion are offered for young children twice a year. The congregation honors a range of family preferences about the appropriate age for a first communion, and parents are encouraged to talk with one of the pastors about any questions.
Visitors will find the sanctuary arranged for liturgical Lutheran worship. Music is provided by choirs (described below) and a children's sermon is offered at both morning services. An intergenerational congregation, Oak Harbor Lutheran takes seriously its welcome of children in worship.
A Place for Children in Worship
Nursery care is provided during both morning services for children four and under, staffed by trained adult caregivers who carry pagers so parents can be reached if a need arises during worship. Children's sermons are offered every Sunday at each service. Activity bags with quiet, Bible-based activities are available each Sunday morning for children who stay in the sanctuary.
During the school year, "Children's Church" meets during the 10:30 a.m. service. After the children's sermon, preschoolers and elementary-aged children are invited to leave the sanctuary for the fellowship hall, where they participate in adult-led, Bible-based activities. They return to the sanctuary during a hymn, after the sermon, so parents have a stretch of quieter time to focus on the message. The church prints a pamphlet called "Worshipping with Children" that is available on the Welcome Table in the narthex for anyone who wants more detail.
Music Across Three Choirs, Handbells, and Brass
Oak Harbor Lutheran is blessed with an unusually full music program. Three choirs share the musical leadership of worship:
- Morning Glory rehearses on Thursday afternoons and sings at the 8:00 a.m. service. It is directed by Music Ministry Coordinator Verna Morgan.
- Harbor Choir (also called the Senior Choir) rehearses on Wednesday evenings and sings at the 10:30 a.m. service, often presenting cantatas at Christmas and Easter. It is directed by Cynthia Fletcher.
- Harbor Bells, the handbell choir, rehearses on Thursday afternoons and provides music at worship several times a year, with occasional appearances at other congregations. Marjorie McNae directs this choir.
A group of horn players known as Worship Brass, directed by Bruce Seltveit, rehearses on Sunday evenings and accompanies worship on festival Sundays and other special occasions. Soloists, pianists, flautists, cellists, and guitarists regularly contribute special music as well. Anyone who wants to sing, ring, or play is invited to share their gifts.
His Kids Preschool, a Ministry Since 1993
His Kids Preschool has been a ministry of Oak Harbor Lutheran Church since 1993. Under the motto "Heart to Heart - Hand to Hand," the program serves three- to five-year-olds from all areas of Whidbey Island with inclusive, compassionate, and affordable early education in small classes led by a teacher and teacher's assistant. For the 2026-2027 school year, the preschool offers a three-day Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday class for fully potty-trained three- to five-year-olds, plus a Thursday/Friday Kindergarten Prep option for students turning five by August 2026 and enrolled in the three-day program. Both run 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
His Kids Preschool is directed by Jasmine Hendricks. Elva McArthur, who has taught at His Kids since 1998, serves as lead teacher, and Michelle Harper is the assistant preschool teacher. The classroom day includes circle time, themed projects, outside play, free peer play, weekly chapel, monthly field trips, holiday celebrations, community presentations, and STEM learning on a two-year curriculum. The preschool does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in its admissions or programs. Monthly tuition may be paid online through the church's Tithe.ly account.
Sunday School and Adult Education, Side by Side
From September through May, Sunday School for children and youth is held Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15. The curriculum follows the same Scripture readings used in worship that morning, so families are studying the same texts in different settings.
During the same 9:15 to 10:15 hour, adults gather in the Fireside Room for adult education. Topics vary widely through the year. The first Sunday of the month typically features an informational forum about one of the congregation's ministries or mission partners; other Sundays focus on parenting, marriage, theology, Christian history, discipleship, and Bible study.
Standing with Whidbey Island's Navy Families
NAS Whidbey Island is central to life on this part of the island, and Oak Harbor Lutheran Church has made ministry to military families a defining part of its identity. The church regularly sends care packages to deployed service members, provides pastoral care to families enduring long deployments, hosts unit gatherings in its facilities, and gives Navy families a special sending ceremony when new orders come. Pastor Spencer has participated in on-base educational opportunities with naval chaplains and has been involved in ceremonies for retiring service members.
Many retired Navy people are members of the congregation and provide an understanding ear for those still on active duty. The church sums up its own welcome this way: "If you are coming to NAS Whidbey, at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church you will find a supportive church family, much appreciation for your military service, and a home away from home."
Walking with People in Hard Seasons: Stephen Ministry and Parish Nurses
Two programs focus specifically on caring for people inside the congregation and beyond it during difficult times.
Stephen Ministry is a lay caring ministry grounded in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "encourage one another and build up each other." Stephen Ministers are trained Christian laypeople who offer a listening ear and an empathetic heart to people facing unbearable stress, loneliness, grief, or chronic illness. Their support is discreet and confidential. Anyone interested in meeting with a Stephen Minister, or in being trained as one, can contact the church office.
Parish nursing is provided by two volunteers with their own emphases. Susan Burrow, whose forty-year nursing career was mostly spent in service with the Navy, is in the church office on Thursday afternoons offering blood pressure clinics, managing files of parish members with special medical needs, and keeping track of the wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and defibrillator on site. Jan McCullough coordinates learning opportunities on a range of health and wellness topics, including Caregiver Support, Dealing with Dementia, Genetic Screening, Healthy Backs, and Physical Therapy. In addition, longtime church member Mike Dilley, an experienced Red Cross coordinator, has been scheduling CPR and First Aid training and disaster preparedness learning opportunities for the wider church community.
Missions on Four Continents: Kazan, Uganda, Peru, and the Skagit
The congregation describes its vision as "as big as the world itself," and four long-standing partnerships give that vision concrete shape.
St. Katharina Lutheran Church, Kazan, Russia. Since 2003, Oak Harbor Lutheran has partnered with this Kazan congregation to build a spiritual bond and special friendship between Lutherans on opposite sides of the globe. In 2005, nine members of Oak Harbor Lutheran traveled to Kazan to meet their brothers and sisters in Christ, and in 2012 the partnership was strengthened by a visit from Dietrich Brauer, then Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia. Over the years the congregation has helped with building and furnace repairs, youth ministry, devotional books, hymnals, the moving and installation of the organ, and the repair and furnishing of the kitchen at St. Katharina.
Watoto Child Care Ministries in Uganda. Watoto cares for Ugandan children orphaned by poverty, AIDS, and violence, providing education, housing, and hope. The congregation supports Watoto through fundraising events and biannual visits from the Watoto Children's Choir, who share a meal with members, stay in host homes, and perform a community concert that usually fills the house. Several members have traveled to Uganda to visit Watoto, including some who return regularly to help at the recently built clinic there.
Go Missions! in Chiclayo, Peru. Nick and Shannon Kraft and their four children serve as missionaries in Chiclayo through Go Missions! International, an organization the Krafts founded. Shannon grew up at Oak Harbor Lutheran and is a graduate of the Lutheran Bible Institute (now Trinity Lutheran College); Nick comes from an Assemblies of God background. Together they build relationships, lead Bible studies, run marriage and discipleship classes, and host movie nights with Spanish-dubbed Christian films. Oak Harbor Lutheran supports them in partnership with Whidbey Grace Community Church.
El Camino De Emaus. Oak Harbor Lutheran is a partner in this worshiping community of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, which proclaims the gospel in Word and Sacrament in solidarity with the poor, particularly farm workers from Mexico and Central America in the Skagit Valley. The two communities support one another through offerings, prayers, and fellowship; some Oak Harbor members occasionally worship with El Camino De Emaus on Sunday evenings, and El Camino members are welcomed at joint events at Oak Harbor Lutheran.
Sewing Quilts, Serving Meals, and Helping Neighbors
Two local ministries put hands and fabric to work for neighbors near and far.
On the first Tuesday and the following Wednesday of every month, the fellowship hall becomes a Blanket Workshop. Volunteers set up an assembly line that produces beautiful, colorful quilts, which are shipped through Lutheran World Relief for distribution to people in need around the world. Training is provided, and so are cookies, coffee, and good conversation.
Oak Harbor Lutheran is also a supporting congregation of SPiN Cafe (Serving People In Need), which serves people experiencing homelessness on Whidbey Island as well as community members who may have housing but struggle to put food on the table. SPiN serves an average of 25 to 30 guests at each meal and also offers a day shelter, sack meals at Ramaley Park in Oak Harbor at noon each day, internet access, laundry service referrals, and information about local resources. The church's own Stephen Ministry sometimes partners with SPiN in caring for guests.
Men's and Women's Circles
The congregation has an active Lutheran Men in Mission group that meets for a potluck breakfast on the first Saturday of each month from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m., with guest speakers, Bible study, and ministry opportunities. A men's lunch group, the Brotherhood of St. Bernard, meets at noon on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month for food, fellowship, and prayer.
Three women's circles meet regularly for Bible study, fellowship, and occasional service projects:
- Deborah Circle meets Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. in the library/Fireside Room, using studies drawn from Gather, the magazine of the Women of the ELCA, alongside books on friendship, prayer, and Christian discipleship.
- Rebecca Circle meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the library/Fireside Room, often concluding with a group lunch; summer meetings become potluck luncheons in members' homes.
- Lydia Circle meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the education wing.
Information about all three circles is coordinated through the church office.
Youth and Family Ministry
Youth and family ministry is coordinated by Beth Stephens, who also serves as office administrator. Luth Youth is the congregation's ministry to and with junior and senior high school students, meeting alongside the broader Sunday morning education hour from 9:15 to 10:15 during the program year. Children's Church during the 10:30 a.m. service and Sunday School for younger children round out the congregation's ministry to growing families.
Vacation Bible School and Special Music Seasons
Each summer, Oak Harbor Lutheran hosts one of the most popular Vacation Bible School programs on the north end of Whidbey Island, transforming the church facilities into a Biblical era complete with elaborate props and costumes. The program has been a longtime summer staple for the wider community.
Leadership, Council, and Governance
The Lead Pastor is the Rev. Jeffrey R. Spencer, who began serving Oak Harbor Lutheran in December 2010. He previously served congregations in Montana and southwestern Washington. He studied at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California, and did his undergraduate work at Western Washington University, where he met his wife, Amy. They have three young adult sons. Pastor Spencer's passions in ministry include preaching, worship, teaching, and marriage enrichment.
The congregation is governed by a church council whose members serve three-year terms and oversee various aspects of ministry. Current council officers and members are Fran Leukhardt (President), John Hermandorfer (Vice-President), Karol Pulliam (Secretary), Mike Dilley (Treasurer), and Members-at-Large Bruce Holroyd, Donna Lumpkin, Annie Payne, Kerri Totten, and Wendy Wilson.
Giving, News, and Staying in Touch
Online giving is handled through Tithe.ly, a secure platform endorsed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gifts can be made as a single offering or as recurring automatic withdrawals through the Tithe.ly app or the church's online giving page. The congregation also publishes a monthly newsletter, the Harbor Beacon, available as a PDF on the church's website.
Worship videos of recent Sunday services are posted on YouTube, and written sermons are published on the church's website. The Facebook page is the primary livestream channel for both Sunday services.
Visiting Oak Harbor Lutheran
The church building sits at 1253 NW 2nd Ave. in Oak Harbor, on the north end of Whidbey Island. Sunday services in fall through spring are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday School and adult education at 9:15 a.m.; summer brings a single 9:30 a.m. service. Nursery care is available for children four and under at both morning services. The congregation practices open communion and welcomes children of all ages to the table, with classes on Holy Communion offered twice a year for young children. Visitors are invited to come as they are; whatever brings them through the doors, the people of Oak Harbor Lutheran want to be found by them as a community where the love of Christ is at the center of all they do.