Tucked into the foothills on Tucson's east side, Tanque Verde Lutheran Church (TVLC) has grown from a small gathering of forty families into a community that still feels rooted in the neighborhood it was named for. The congregation describes itself with a short phrase: ordinary people serving an extraordinary God. Its mission is equally simple - to follow Jesus and share his love.
From Forty Families to a Foothills Congregation
In 1973, a group of forty families began meeting in an apartment clubhouse on the corner of Pantano and Wrightstown. They had big dreams to build a community church to serve the sparsely populated but growing area east of Tucson. A year later, in 1974, the growing membership chose the name Tanque Verde Lutheran Church to emphasize their connection to the community, and they began work on building plans.
The church has continued to grow and now sits on a large property with a sanctuary, a chapel, classrooms, a gymnasium, a library, gardens, and a columbarium. Worship, children and youth programs, a preschool, and outreach ministries all share the campus. The TVLC Preschool & Kindergarten, which the church calls a community ministry, has served Tucson families since 1979.
Tanque Verde Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Two pastors share ministry at TVLC: Lead Pastor Josh Auchenbach and Associate Pastor Amy Janssen. Around them, a team of worship leaders, musicians, ministry directors, and staff keep the congregation's many programs running.
Three Services Across a Weekend
Worship happens three times a week, and each service has its own character.
Saturday at 5:00 pm, the Saturday Worship service fills the Sanctuary with an informal setting of piano and guitars. The church describes it as a smaller and more casual option that still includes singing, Bible readings, a sermon, prayers, and communion.
Sunday at 9:15 am, the Classic Worship service meets in the Sanctuary as well. This is the more traditional offering of the week, with choir, organ, and other instruments leading liturgical worship. The 9:15 service is livestreamed each Sunday and may be viewed at any time afterward on the TVLC YouTube channel.
Sunday at 10:30 am, Modern Worship takes place in the newly renovated Chapel. With piano, guitar, bass, percussion, and vocalists, the band leads an interactive service designed to engage all ages. Kid Central, a children's program for ages three through second grade, meets during the sermon.
Services usually last between 45 minutes and an hour and include communion that is open to all.
Children of all ages are welcome at every service. Busy Bags hang on posts outside the Sanctuary and Chapel doors, and children's bulletins and crayons are also available. Ushers can help families find any of these options, and the church notes that the activity and noise of children are welcome parts of life together. A cry room sits at the back of the Sanctuary for parents who need a quieter space with their little ones.
Where Children Fit In
TVLC Kids is the congregation's children's ministry for preschoolers through fifth graders. Children begin worship with their families and, after a brief children's message from the pastor, head off to their classes.
During the 9:15 service, Sunday School for ages three through fifth grade meets in Linder Hall (younger children) and the Education Building (older children). Parents pick up their children after worship. On the last Sunday of each month, Student Sunday keeps children in the service and invites them to help lead it.
During the 10:30 service, Kid Central welcomes children ages three through second grade to Linder Hall for crafts, learning, and music, and they return to worship for communion. Older students in third through fifth grade are invited to serve as helpers.
For younger singers, Wee Sing gathers children from PreK through second grade in the choir room on Sundays from 10:15 to 10:45 am. Older singers in third through eighth grade can join the TVLC Children's Choir, which rehearses in the Sanctuary at 10:15 am each Sunday under Choir Director Jennifer Wortman.
The church also marks milestones along the way. From a child's First Communion and learning of the Lord's Prayer to getting a driver's license and graduating high school, TVLC commemorates important moments as a community.
Confirmation, High School, and the Middle School Years
Student and Children's Ministry Director Teila Creekmore oversees programs for middle and high school students, designed to be safe environments where young people can build relationships, ask tough questions, and grow in faith.
Confirmation meets weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm in the Tevah Room. Students explore the Bible, talk about faith, pray, watch videos, play games, and take part in hands-on activities that help them understand what they believe. Confirmation is designed to help students build a strong foundation in Scripture, grow in friendships, and take ownership of their faith.
TVLC Middle School Ministry (6th through 8th grade) gathers for Confirmation classes during the school year, with retreats, camps, and service projects adding to the rhythm. TVLC High School Ministry (9th through 12th grade) meets weekly during the school year for pizza nights, service projects, and faith conversations. In the summer, mission opportunities, mentorships, and gatherings provide additional opportunities for fellowship, service, learning, and study. Unite!, a midweek gathering in the Chapel, offers another touchpoint. Annual retreats, such as a day trip up Mt. Lemmon, give students space to explore God's creation together.
Adults in Study, Craft, and Fellowship
No matter the stage of life, TVLC offers smaller groups where adults can be known and get to know others. Bible studies, support groups, and special-interest groups fill out the week.
Bible Study for Women meets on Mondays at 1:00 pm in the Café, led by Pastor Amy Janssen. Monday Night Bible Study, also led by Pastor Amy, follows the same curriculum at 6:30 pm in the Library, the little house at the north end of the main parking lot. Book Study for Women gathers on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 am in the Tevah Room for discussion of faith-based books selected by the group. Bible Study for Men, led by Pastor Josh, meets on the first and third Tuesdays at 8:00 am in the Café, with a breakfast out for the third Tuesday when there is one.
Companions in Grief is a safe space for all to share their experience with grief and seek comfort in community. The group meets weekly on Thursdays at 1:00 pm in the TVLC Library.
The Knitters meet on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in the Library. No matter your experience level - even beginners - you are invited to join, and the group's handiwork supports the Baby Hats Ministry. The Quilters meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month year-round in Linder Hall, sharing God's love through baby quilts, blankets, bibs, prayer pillows, and graduation stoles for other church ministries.
Merry Widows welcomes widows of all ages for support, encouragement, and friendship through monthly lunches at off-campus locations. Prime Timers, the fellowship group for adults aged 50 and over, participates in unique activities in and around the city and always enjoys food and fun. Feast Groups connect small groups of adults or families who decide when, where, and how to meet together, in spring and fall seasons. Via de Cristo offers a three-day retreat that inspires, challenges, and equips local church members, hosted at TVLC in spring and fall.
Music Across the Campus
Music is at the heart of TVLC's identity. The Chancel Choir sings at the 9:15 Sunday service, with teenagers and adults welcome to join; rehearsals happen on Thursdays at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. Saturday Night Musicians lead the Saturday 5:00 pm service with piano, guitars, and singers. The Modern Worship band fills the 10:30 Sunday Chapel with keyboard, drums, guitars, bass, and vocalists. TVLC Ringers create seasonal music with handbells and chimes, using arrangements for students and adults, beginners and skilled players.
Jennifer Wortman serves as Choir Director, Lars Andersen as Organist, and Russell Almand as Worship Leader. Sherri McClellan directs worship and administration. Musicians who want to give the gift of music to the church can join any of these groups; perfect pitch is not required.
The Tanque Verde Campus
The campus is built for shared life. The Sanctuary anchors the property; the Chapel sits within it as a more intimate worship space after its recent renovation. Linder Hall, the Tevah Room, the Education Building, the Choir Room, and the Library (a small house at the north end of the main parking lot) provide places for classes, meetings, and small groups. The NFLC, a large multi-purpose building, hosts fellowship meals and family events; the gym is filled with bounce castles, slides, basketball hoops, and laughter during Family Fun Days.
Pathways of the Cross, a contemplative prayer walk in the far north of the property, offers prayer stations that mark Jesus' journey to the cross, set against desert landscaping. The Columbarium provides a place for cremated remains, available to members and their immediate family. Memorial Wall Tiles, available for purchase, allow families to honor loved ones within the church gardens.
Parking is available in the eastern, northern, and western lots along the one-way U-shaped perimeter drive, with accessible parking in the western lot. All sidewalks and buildings are accessible for people using wheelchairs. The Sanctuary offers an audio induction loop system that transmits audio directly into hearing aids, and large-print bulletins are available from ushers on request. Songs and texts are projected on video screens.
Facility rental is available for outside groups, with several meeting rooms, the Sanctuary, indoor and outdoor chapels, industrial kitchens, and the gymnasium to choose from.
Reaching Out in Tucson and Beyond
Outreach at TVLC reaches across Tucson and around the world. Household Blessings partners with local ministries to supply New Home Starter Kits - kitchen items, linens, furniture, and clothing in clean, usable condition - to those setting up a home. Collections happen on the first full weekend of each month on the stage in the NFLC. The group especially needs pots, pans, and bakeware.
The Food Ministry collects food year-round, delivers holiday gift baskets at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and provides emergency food bags. Monthly food distributions support local ministry partners and refugee families, and the church also supports the UA Campus Pantry.
The Children's Christmas Gift Program has provided gifts to hundreds of children who might not otherwise receive them for over forty years. The Creation Care team hosts an annual electronics recycling and shredding day with medication disposal, and collects printer cartridges and cell phones for recycling.
Partnerships extend further. Lutheran Campus Ministry connects TVLC with university students. Interfaith Community Services (ICS) networks more than 110 faith communities working to help people in need achieve stable, healthy, and independent lives. Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) provides aging and disability services, children and family services, immigration and refugee services, disaster services, employment counseling, and emergency food assistance. Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona delivers diet-specific meals to homebound adults throughout Tucson.
Internationally, the Baby Hats Ministry has supplied more than 45,000 hats to newborns around the world to help prevent newborn deaths. A Haiti Mission sends teams from TVLC to support education, health care, and orphan projects.
What TVLC Believes
TVLC's beliefs are grounded in historic Christianity and Lutheran theology, summarized by the congregation in plain language. The church believes in God who loves all people unconditionally and created all for life and fulfillment; in Jesus, fully human and fully God, whose death and resurrection proclaim love, forgiveness, and redemption for all creation; that people are saved by grace through faith in Jesus; in the Holy Spirit as the active presence of God in the world, calling, comforting, empowering, and sending; and that the Bible is the inspired witness of God's people throughout history, telling the story of God's relationship with humanity.
The church's vision is to be a community that welcomes all, supports and cares for each other, reaches out to those in need, and helps connect the disconnected, grounded in Lutheran tradition but willing to be church in new ways. New Member Classes are offered twice a year for those interested in joining. Worship services are livestreamed on Sundays at 9:15 am, and giving is available online through Tithe.ly, by Zelle, or by check. The TVLC Connect weekly newsletter, delivered each Friday, keeps the wider community current on events and announcements.