A South Hill Mission Since 1973
Pilgrim Lutheran Church has been part of the South Hill neighborhood of Puyallup, Washington, since 1973, when it held its first worship service as a mission to a fast-growing community south of downtown. The congregation's motto, "Grounded in Faith, Serving in Love," captures a double identity: weekly worship rooted in the Lutheran tradition, and a steady stream of practical outreach to neighbors in and around the church. Today Pilgrim is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, set within the Southwest Washington Synod, with sanctuary doors open on 136th Street East every Sunday morning.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
Worship takes place in the Sanctuary at 9:30 AM on Sundays. The service blends traditional Lutheran liturgy with a praise band that mixes classic hymns and contemporary songs, accompanied by a variety of instruments and strong vocal leadership. The congregation follows the lectionary, walking through the church year with messages that move between the biblical text and everyday life. Recent months have brought sermons from Bridge Pastor Rev. Chris Ode, lay preacher Mary Davison, Rev. Mary Sanders, and other visiting voices, while longtime pastor Steve Schumacher's pulpit ministry continues to be reflected in the archive.
Fellowship begins at 10:30 AM. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade head to Sunday School at the same hour, using the Sparkhouse Digital Lectionary curriculum and the Action Bible so that what families hear in worship is the same scripture the children explore in class. Middle and high school students meet at 10:30 as well, often starting the morning by packing food bags for the Buddy Backpack program at nearby schools. Adult Education follows at 10:45, currently meeting on Zoom to preview and wrestle with the readings for the coming Sunday. The first Sunday of each month is set aside for Cross+Generational Sunday School, a time when members of every age intentionally learn, laugh, and serve together.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and a video of every recent sermon is available with downloadable bulletins and notes for those who want to revisit the message midweek.
What Pilgrim Believes
Members confess the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, using the words of the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Pilgrim organizes its life around four core values: Glorify, Grow, Gather, and Go. Glorify centers on worship and prayer. Grow covers learning, from Sunday School and confirmation through adult Bible study. Gather is about fellowship, with everything from Family Nights around a shared pizza to the elementary Extravaganzas. Go is the outward turn: serving the neighborhood and the wider community through ongoing programs and partnerships.
Two Sacraments: Baptism and Communion
Pilgrim celebrates two sacraments. In baptism, the water joins a person to the body of Christ and welcomes them into the family of faith, a gift of new life received "in Jesus' name." The baptism page quotes Acts 8:37, where the Ethiopian court official asks what prevents him from being baptized. Holy Communion is described as a community meal, shared together, by which the congregation "celebrates our unity as people of God." The table is open, and the church invites anyone who has never received communion and would like to learn more to call the office or email before attending.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministry
The next generation is a central concern at Pilgrim. Children in kindergarten through sixth grade gather monthly for Elementary Extravaganzas, evenings of games, dinner, and fellowship that typically happen on the second Friday of the month from 6 to 8 PM. The annual Christmas pageant, the elementary Christmas program, and a week of Vacation Bible School each summer round out the children's calendar. VBS welcomes campers from age four through fifth grade, with a family barbecue on the closing evening, and welcomes volunteers from sixth grade up.
Middle and high school youth, grades 6 through 12, gather on Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, September through May, for service projects, faith formation, games, and dinner. Pilgrim's youth have traveled to synod events and to summer camps such as Holden Village and Lutherwood, and have taken part in mission experiences together. Family Ministry keeps the whole congregation connected. Family Nights, scheduled a few times a year, fill the fellowship hall with pizza, board games, and conversation. Special events include the annual Harvest Party and Easter Eggstravaganza, and a Weekend of Service that sends people of all ages out into the community together.
Confirmation at Pilgrim is a three-year, retreat-based program for youth who have completed sixth grade. The structure is experiential and relational, with confirmands learning what promises their families made at baptism and writing their own statement of belief at the end of the journey.
Little Pilgrims Preschool
On the same campus, Little Pilgrims Preschool has grown into a well-known mission of the congregation. The preschool serves children who are three years old by August 31 and fully toilet trained, with classes running September through May on the same calendar as the Puyallup School District.
Class options include a Tuesday/Thursday Preschool for three- and four-year-olds at $195 per month, a Monday/Wednesday/Friday Pre-Kindergarten and an afternoon Pre-Kindergarten three days a week at $235 per month, and an Extended Pre-Kindergarten five mornings a week for children five and older at $380 per month. Lunch Club, available one to three days a week, lets students stay for an extra hour of lunch and play, building independence ahead of a full day of kindergarten. A non-refundable $150 registration fee applies, with discounts for more than one child enrolled or for paying the full year up front.
Jenee Muench has been on staff since 2017 and became director in 2020. Erin Pedersen serves as assistant director, having joined the program in 2019. The school admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin, and tours are available weekdays after 12:30 PM by appointment.
Care and Outreach in the Neighborhood
Pilgrim frames its outreach in family language: a family that operates as God intends cares for one another at home and reaches out beyond it. The congregation's goal, members say, is to be that "church family" for neighbors near and far.
The Buddy Backpack program packs weekend food bags for students at Firgrove Elementary, Hunt Elementary, and Ballou Junior High in the Puyallup School District. Middle and high school youth often help pack the bags on Sunday mornings. Donations of macaroni and cheese, oatmeal packets, breakfast bars, fruit pouches, and snacks are welcome, and an Amazon Wishlist is kept current for those who prefer to shop online.
On the second and fourth Monday of each month, Pilgrim provides hot meals and salads to clients at New Hope Resource Center in downtown Puyallup. Volunteers are needed to cook, prepare salads, or drive the food downtown.
Pilgrim's Patch Community Garden grows produce for local food banks while also offering plots to members and neighbors. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, the Holiday Basket Program organizes food and gifts for families in the community. The annual Clothing Swap collects and redistributes children's clothing for babies through teens, free of charge, giving families a chance to refill closets at no cost.
The congregation's wider network of partnerships and resources includes Operation Smile, Young Life, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Associated Ministries of Tacoma, Saint Francis House, Lutheran Community Services, Communities in Schools, the Puyallup Food Bank, Helping Hand House, the Salvation Army, and Bridges of Love NW.
Adult Education
Adults have several weekly options. The Sunday morning Adult Bible Study at 10:45 AM meets on Zoom to look ahead at the coming Sunday's readings. A Tuesday morning Bible Study at 10 AM continues the conversation in person or by Zoom. On Wednesday at 7 AM, a Text Study meets by Zoom to wrestle with the lectionary, and at noon on Wednesdays the Men's Book Tribe gathers online to discuss a chosen book.
Music Ministry
Music at Pilgrim is led by a praise band whose repertoire blends traditional hymns and contemporary songs. The band rehearses on Sunday mornings before worship and occasionally on Saturday mornings. The choir is currently on hiatus while the congregation searches for a new director, but vocal and instrumental musicians of all skill levels are invited to share their gifts. Beyond its own music, Pilgrim hosts a Community Concert Series that has opened recent seasons with artists such as The Jewel Tones, a Motown-inspired vocal trio.
Staff and Leadership
Pilgrim is led during this season by Bridge Pastor Rev. Chris Ode, working alongside longtime Pastor Steve Schumacher. Shannon Fleischfresser serves as Family and Youth Ministry Leader, available Sunday through Wednesday for families across South Hill. Sandy Tillotson coordinates children's education and Sunday School. Anneliese Feld oversees Care and Outreach, including the Buddy Backpack program, the Holiday Baskets, and the Clothing Swap. Mary Ann Olson leads the music ministry's praise band, and Jenee Muench directs Little Pilgrims Preschool.
The Parish Administrator keeps the office running Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM; the office is closed on Fridays and most federal holidays. The church is reachable at 253-848-3680 or office@pilgrimpuyallup.org.
Visiting Pilgrim
Pilgrim Lutheran Church sits at 10510 136th Street East in Puyallup, easy to reach from Meridian Avenue East on South Hill. Sunday worship begins at 9:30 AM, with fellowship, Sunday School, and adult education following. Parking is available on site, and families are welcomed from the parking lot through the sanctuary. Those who cannot attend in person can join the livestream on YouTube or watch past services on demand, with online giving available through the church's secure portal.