Sitting one mile south of where the old Firestone Tire Factory stood, Our Saviour Lutheran Church has proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Des Moines for more than eight decades. The Polk County congregation follows the historic liturgy of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, gathering around Word and Sacrament each Sunday morning and teaching the Christian faith throughout the week. Members travel from across central Iowa, with some driving an hour to share the pew, study the Bible, and raise the next generation in the Lutheran confession.
A Mission Born on 2nd Avenue in 1945
Our Saviour Lutheran Church traces its beginning to March 16, 1945, when the Voters Assembly at Trinity Lutheran Church in Des Moines appointed a committee to study the need for a new Lutheran mission in the city. The canvass came back favorable, and candidate William Henline arrived in Des Moines that September as a missionary-at-large.
The District of Directors purchased three lots and two houses at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Madison Street for $8,500, then bought two chicken brooder houses from Wards for $594.66. Architect George Spooner donated plans to convert the brooders into a chapel, and William Behm was hired as contractor and builder for $150. In December 1945 the ground was broken at 2nd and Madison. Congregations from Dexter and Van Meter traveled to help Trinity members lay the floor; carpenters were hired for the finish work, and many others pitched in to paint.
The repurposed chicken houses became a small chapel, which was dedicated to God's service on April 28, 1946. The congregation was formally organized on December 15, 1946, with 30 communicant members and 6 voters. By January 31, 2013, the rolls included 200 baptized members. The congregation later marked its 70th anniversary with a potluck fellowship, a slideshow tracing pastors and parsonages, and recognition of the oldest charter members still among them. The Our Saviour name and the 2nd Avenue location have remained constant through every chapter of the parish's life.
Sunday Worship at 9:00 AM
Sunday worship at Our Saviour is the historic Divine Service, led from an organ or a keyboard and lasting about an hour. The congregation follows a set liturgical pattern that includes readings from the Bible, prayers, congregational singing, a sermon, confession of sin and the announcement of forgiveness, and - at most services - the celebration of Holy Communion. Holy Baptism is administered at some services as well.
Visitors arriving at the church find themselves in the downstairs fellowship hall. From there, a ramp leads up to the narthex, where an usher hands out a bulletin and the pastor often greets worshippers before the service. The sanctuary has long, cushioned pews with backs, and guests are welcome to sit wherever they prefer. The front pews are sometimes reserved for families marking baptisms or other special occasions.
At the end of the service, the congregation joins in a brief Fellowship Time around 10:15 AM, then gathers again at 10:30 AM for the Adult Bible Study and Sunday School hour.
Bible Study, Sunday School, and Catechesis Through the Week
Our Saviour offers three weekly settings for opening the Bible together with neighbors and friends. Sunday Morning Bible Study meets at 10:30 AM and runs alongside the Sunday School hour for children. Monday Morning Bible Study gathers at 10:00 AM, with the group walking through the appointed Scripture readings for the coming weekend's service. On Wednesdays at 6:00 PM, Confirmation classes run from September through April, walking young people through the Lutheran catechism in preparation for confirmation and a lifetime of prayer.
The women's organization of the church gathers under the banner of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, or LWML. LWML meetings are held in the fellowship hall on the second Thursday of even-numbered months at 7:00 PM, and guests and new members are warmly welcomed to sit in.
Visiting Our Saviour Lutheran Church
No reservation is needed to attend worship at Our Saviour. Guests can simply show up; the sanctuary has room and visitors are not asked to introduce themselves. The dress at Sunday worship runs the full range, from casual shirts and jeans to dresses and suits. Services are provided free of charge. An offering plate is presented about halfway through the service, but no one is expected to give.
Children of every age are welcome in the sanctuary. The pastor and the congregation want children to worship alongside their families, learning the liturgy by hearing and doing it. A restless child may be taken to a quiet area just outside the sanctuary, and a Sunday School class meets during the 10:30 Bible Study hour.
Two parking lots serve the building, one to the east and one to the southeast of the church. A handicap-accessible restroom with a changing table sits just inside the entrance to the fellowship hall; additional men's and women's rooms are available in the basement.
On the question of Holy Communion, Our Saviour welcomes communicant members of sister congregations in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to receive the sacrament at the altar. Those who are not communicant members of an LCMS congregation are asked to speak with Pastor Kuhfal before communing and may remain seated during the distribution if they prefer. The parish asks this out of love and a concern for spiritual well-being, not as a barrier to belonging.
Vacation Bible School for Every Age
Each summer Our Saviour hosts a multi-generational Vacation Bible School that uses the Concordia Publishing House curriculum "Wake Awake: Watching for Jesus." Adults and children study, sing, craft, snack, recess, and share a meal together on weekday evenings from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. The week is designed so that children and adults learn side by side, with catechesis folded into the fun for every age.
Registration is taken in advance through an online form that gathers names, grades, allergies, emergency contacts, and a photo-release choice. Past themes and a slideshow of recent Vacation Bible Schools remain in the church's archive as part of the parish's ongoing story with families across Polk County.
Confessional Lutheran Identity
Our Saviour Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a fellowship of confessional Lutheran congregations across the United States and around the world. The parish belongs to the Iowa District West of the LCMS and looks to the Synod's two seminaries - Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana - for the formation of pastors.
The Book of Concord, the historic Lutheran Confessions, shapes how the congregation teaches and practices the Christian faith. Resources from Concordia Publishing House support Sunday worship, Sunday School, Confirmation, and family devotions. The congregation's life flows from the conviction that Jesus Christ crucified and risen is the source of forgiveness and eternal life. Pastor Kuhfal writes, "I believe that miracles happen at Our Saviour: Sinners are made holy. We mortals are given eternal life. The Son of God in heaven is present with His grace and mercy on earth. There's no more powerful experience on earth, and I want you to experience that."
Pastor David Kuhfal
David Kuhfal serves Our Saviour as its sole pastor. The son of David and Karen Kuhfal, he was baptized and confirmed at Faith Lutheran Church in San Diego, earned a history degree from San Diego State University in 1987, and married his wife Tami the following year. The couple moved to St. Louis, where David attended Concordia Seminary and Tami taught elementary school. His vicarage was served at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
After graduating in 1992, he served Trinity Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado, as Pastor of Youth and Christian Education, then Grace Lutheran Church in Neligh, Nebraska, before accepting a call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin, Nebraska. He was installed at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Des Moines on Sunday, May 5, 2019, and now leads worship, teaches, and provides pastoral care for the parish. Pastor Kuhfal and Tami have two grown daughters, Christina and Rebekah.
Life Advocacy and Lutheran Family Service
The congregation partners with Lutheran Family Service, headquartered in Fort Dodge, in a public witness for the protection of human life. The church has urged members to take three minutes to watch the LFS "Be a Voice for Life" video, follow Lutheran Family Service on Facebook, and sign up for legislative action alerts that lift up life advocacy at the Iowa State Capitol.
Citing Proverbs 31:8-9 - "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" - the congregation frames its public advocacy as an expression of the Christian duty to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Lutheran Family Service maintains offices at 409 Kenyon Road, Suite C, in Fort Dodge and works alongside LCMS congregations across Iowa.
Worship, Audio, and a Welcome Across Polk County
Recordings of recent sermons are posted as audio through the church's podcast, and the YouTube channel carries worship videos for those who cannot be present. The parish can be reached by phone at 515-244-9347, by email at church@oursaviour-lutheran.org, or in person at 4003 2nd Avenue in Des Moines. The Divine Service opens each Sunday at 9:00 AM, and the pastor's door is open for conversation before and after worship.