St. John's Lutheran Church sits on Church Avenue in the hamlet of Pumpkin Hook, a quiet corner of the Town of Farmington in Ontario County, New York. Most of its members drive in from surrounding towns - Farmington, Macedon, Palmyra, Victor, Canandaigua, Fairport, Rochester, Marion, Walworth, Manchester, Shortsville, Newark, and Perinton - but the red brick building and white steeple have anchored this crossroads since 1894. Now in its 145th year, the congregation is known for a worship style that pairs traditional Lutheran liturgy with a full praise ensemble, a Christian preschool that has welcomed four-year-olds since 1968, and a small outdoor food pantry called the Pumpkin Hook Pantry that serves neighbors year-round.
A Mission Post at Chimney Corners
The congregation began in 1879 as a mission post in the District No. 5 School House in the Town of Macedon, at the intersection of Victor and Canandaigua Roads, then known as Chimney Corners. The Rev. G. Seel of Newark served the infant parish. In 1886 the parish was formally organized, and in January 1887 sixteen men signed its constitution. Four years later, in 1888, members who were still were mostly German immigrants moved to Pumpkin Hook - then called New Salem - and began worshipping in an abandoned Wesleyan Methodist Church building that later became the Farmington Grange Hall.
On August 17, 1894, the front portion of the present church was dedicated. It measured 30 by 40 feet, with a steplight added for $240 on top of the $1,000 base cost. A parsonage went up next door on the north side in 1905 for $900 and housed eleven of the church's called pastors and their families until it was removed in March 1986. In January 1911, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was started in nearby Macedon Center; the two congregations, served by a single pastor, merged in 1936. The Macedon Center property was sold and its members joined the Farmington body.
The building grew in stages. An additional 35 feet was added to the back of the 1894 structure in 1953-54. A 4,000-square-foot Educational Building followed in the spring of 1963 and has since housed Sunday School, Confirmation classes, the preschool, and church offices. On Reformation Sunday in October 1989, ground was broken for a major renovation and improvement project that joined the two buildings and provided new space for worship, Christian education, administration, fellowship, and service. On Pentecost Sunday in May 1991, the entire facility was re-dedicated. The congregation's stated vision today is "Walking together in Faith, Growing God's Family Through Jesus."
Two Mornings and a Wednesday Night
Worship at St. John's follows a simple rhythm. Sundays begin with an education hour at 8:30 AM, followed by the principal service at 9:45 AM. Holy Communion is celebrated on Sundays when an ordained pastor serves; at other times lay leaders lead the service. Wednesday nights add a second Holy Communion service at 7:00 PM. All services use the Divine Service liturgy from the Lutheran Service Book.
Anyone unable to be present in person can join the services online. The church livestreams on YouTube and keeps a sermon archive that reaches back through recent years, with written transcripts and discussion guides accompanying selected messages. Daily devotions drawn from Sunday sermons are posted throughout the week.
A Blended Liturgical Sound
St. John's describes its worship as liturgical - rooted in the historic church's Service of the Word and Service of the Sacrament - but blended with a full band. Music uses the organ, piano, guitars, vocals, and at times percussion. Hymns come from the Lutheran Service Book and from two songbooks, With One Voice and Celebrate, with numbers posted in the bulletin and on the number board up front.
Two musical groups lead the congregation. The praise band, called In Him and directed by parish coordinator Lance Eckler, blends praise songs and traditional hymnody and leads worship on both Sundays and Wednesdays. The Adult Choir sings monthly at the principal service and rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM. Music is performed and streamed under CCLI license #721357. "St. John's is a congregation that loves to sing," the church writes. All are welcome to join either group.
For newcomers, the church has prepared a guide to its worship. Almost every service opens with a welcome and a hymn, followed by the Invocation and the sign of the cross. A Confession of Sins and Absolution lead into the Kyrie and the Hymn of Praise. Three Scripture readings - from the Old Testament, an apostolic Epistle, and the Gospel - precede the Sermon Hymn, the Sermon, a Creed, and the Prayer for the Church. The Lord's Prayer, the Offering, and the Service of the Sacrament with distribution hymn close the liturgy with the blessing of the Fathers and the Holy Spirit. Ushers, elders, and pastors are happy to answer questions before or after the service.
Christian Education and Confirmation
Sunday School meets every Sunday from 8:45 to 9:30 AM using the Simply Loved curriculum for a multi-age class. Confirmation is a two-year program that generally begins in seventh grade; students study the Word of God and Martin Luther's Catechism, with families encouraged to participate and service projects woven into the course of study. The Plumb Memorial Scholarship, created by the Plumb family in memory of William H. "Buster" Plumb, provides $500 annually to active members pursuing careers in human services such as teaching, nursing, and social work.
Adults gather for a mid-week Bible study on Tuesday mornings at 11:00 AM. The Board for Christian Education oversees Sunday School, Bible classes, Confirmation, Vacation Bible School, and the church library, and appoints the Sunday School Superintendent with the approval of the Assembly of Voters.
St. John's Christian Preschool Since 1968
St. John's Christian Preschool was established in 1968 and has been a mission of the congregation ever since. Its stated aim is to help three- and four-year-olds develop Christian habits in getting along with others, solving problems, learning and playing in a group, helping themselves, sharing with others, and assuming small responsibilities. A developmental approach, aligned with New York State preschool guidelines, prepares them for kindergarten through circle time, story time, fine and gross motor activities, cooking, art projects, music, and Chapel Time.
Two programs are offered. The two-day three-year-old class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 11:30 AM and emphasizes socialization with an introduction to structured academics. The three-day Multi-Age program for four-year-olds and older or advanced three-year-olds meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and focuses on kindergarten readiness with social, emotional, and spiritual support. The school year runs from mid-September to the end of May, with closures generally following the Victor Central School District calendar. Director Lynda Scribner oversees the program, and although the preschool is a separate entity, the congregation continues to support and host it at little or no charge.
The Pumpkin Hook Pantry
The Pumpkin Hook Pantry is the church's open community food pantry. "Take what they need, give what they can," the congregation writes. In the warmer months the pantry sits outside in the south parking lot; during cold weather the food is brought indoors so it does not freeze. The ministry is grounded in Matthew 25:35: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." The Ziti Dinner, an annual fundraiser hosted by the congregation, gathers more than 600 items for the pantry each year.
Keenagers, Scouts, and a Full Calendar
Senior adults at St. John's are called the Keen-Agers. They are men and women 50 and older who, the church writes, "are not 'rocking chair on the porch' seniors." Psalm 92 is their model: "They shall still bear fruit in old age." The group hosts a range of fellowship and service activities.
The congregation is the charter organization for Cub Scout Pack 50 and Boy Scout Troop 50 in Farmington, and has previously hosted Girl Scout troops and Venture Crews. Other scouting organizations are welcome to contact the church about meeting at the facility.
Family fellowship fills the rest of the calendar. Monthly Euchre games on the second Friday, potluck suppers, bowling nights, and seasonal events like Trunk or Treat and the Christmas pageant draw members of all ages together. Lance Eckler directs the music ministry and leads the youth in pageants and Vacation Bible School.
Missions and the Good Neighbor Fund
The Board for Mission and Ministry promotes awareness of and involvement in world and local mission and evangelism opportunities, publicizes the church's work, appoints a Greeter Coordinator who sends letters to welcome visitors, and considers all special appeals for contributions. The Pumpkin Hook Pantry is the church's flagship local mission, supported through offerings including the annual Good Neighbor Fund appeal made through the Eastern District of the LCMS. Ephesians 6:7-8 frames the work: "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do."
A Church on Boards
The program of St. John's is organized into a series of boards charged with the smooth running of the congregation. The Church Council, the official governing body, is composed of the five trustees and the chair of each board. The Board of Elders consists of five members elected to staggered three-year terms; it assists the called workers in caring for the spiritual welfare of the congregation, watches over doctrine and the conduct of officers, considers cases of church discipline, calls on delinquent members, makes provision for supplies in the absence of a called worker, and enlists other members in caring for people.
The Board for Worship, Music and the Arts is responsible for the worship schedule, the form and content of services, and the appointment of ushers, acolytes, readers, Communion assistants, the nursery, and other worship support groups. Other working boards include the Board for Christian Education, the Board for Mission and Ministry, the Board for Property, the Board of Stewardship, and the Board of Trustees.
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
St. John's is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which takes its name from Martin Luther, the leader of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, and from the state of Missouri, where the synod began in 1839. The word "synod" comes from Greek and Latin words meaning "walking together" and refers to the unity the church body shares in biblical teaching. The LCMS consists of roughly 2.5 million members in 6,150 congregations involved in a worldwide ministry. Lutheran teaching, the church writes, can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone. Worship at St. John's centers on Word and Sacrament - the public reading of Scripture, preaching, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper - in the pattern of the historic Christian church.
Joining In
Those wishing to give may do so through the Joyful Response Electronic Offering Program, through the GivePlus mobile app (free at the App Store), or by PayPal for one-time gifts. Visitors are welcome at any service, and the congregation encourages anyone traveling or homebound to join online for services streamed on YouTube. The church office can be reached at (315) 986-3045, and the Good News Gazette newsletter keeps members connected to what is happening week by week.