The city of Napa has changed considerably from the quiet little town that it was in 1907, when St. John’s Lutheran was founded. St. John’s has changed substantially in that time as well, from a fledgling mission church to the congregation of today. Our 100th anniversary book, published in 2007, chronicled changes in buildings, leaders and location. Other changes we’ve seen over the years have been the start of ministries such as St. John’s Lutheran School, Faith Lutheran Church, and Mision de Jesus.
We celebrate more than 100 years of ministry in the Napa Valley. We rejoice in what God has accomplished among us and how the people of St. John’s have responded in faith over many years.
We can only tell part of the story in a book or on a web site. The work of God at St. John’s is not just the story of the facilities, staff, programs, and events. It’s also the story of God’s work in the hearts of people through the ministry of this congregation, the people brought to faith, the lives changed, the personal spiritual growth, and the hearts and hands extended in compassion and love. It’s also the story of the hard times and failures, when we were led to realize once again that we, the people of God, are also sinners, in daily need of the saving, forgiving, cleansing cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The true life of a congregation is this life of faith in the hearts and actions of the people, desperately dependent on the grace of the God we worship and serve.
In 1 Samuel 7, Samuel marked the Lord’s faithfulness in leading Israel to victory by setting up a large stone and naming it Ebenezer, “Stone of Help,” and proclaiming, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” You can think of this book as our Ebenezer: Thus far has the Lord helped us, St. John’s Lutheran Church. But Samuel didn’t set up that stone just as a remembrance of the past. It was also to serve as an encouragement and promise for the future.
Napa and its culture will continue to change. St. John’s will also continue to change as we seek to be faithful to the Lord’s mission in this and future generations. The Lord who has helped us thus far will continue to be at work among us and in us, so that St. John’s Lutheran Church, by His grace, will always be a place where people are connected to Jesus and equipped for life and ministry in His name.
Amy Thompson
What year was the current sanctuary
on Linda Vista constructed and built
from the ground up?
What is the name of the organ installed in the balcony?
What year did the parish hall slash gymnasium get added onto the site?
The history is interesting.
Amy