Ruthfred is located in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We invite you to be our guest as you explore our web page. Everyone is always welcome to visit us during our services on Sunday morning or on other Christian holidays.

The Ruthfred Lutheran Church is affiliated with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations. The AFLC's headquarters are located near Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1948 the Lutheran City Mission Society decided to sponsor a mission congregation at the corner of South Park and Patterson Roads. This land was purchased and a building planned for this corner. A loan of $30,000 was granted to erect a building 67' x 30' to seat 200 people. (As finally built, the chapel seated 125.) The basement was to be used for a Sunday School. The Rev. Alfred Goehle was named Mission Executive Secretary and was to serve Ruthfred Church as well as a new mission on Bower Hill Road as interim pastor.

On May 2, 1948, ground was broken to erect the building, and in October that year, the cornerstone was laid. On Christmas Eve 1948, the first service was held in the part of the building we now call the Chapel. This building was still in a somewhat unfinished state, but the Lord was honored, and thus was the beginning. Services have been held regularly since that time.

By April 1949, a charter was drawn and on the 10th of April (Easter Sunday) a group of people signed the paper which officially began the congregation of Ruthfred Lutheran Church

OUR CHURCH BEGINS TO GROW

In March 1949 plans were made to begin a Sunday School, Brotherhood, Women's Society, High School group and a choir which began rehearsals following Lenten services and sang at the first Easter service.

Once we had a full-time pastor, attendance began to increase. Instruction classes for adults were begun as well as confirmation classes for the young. Vacation Bible School was held each year and served children of our church as well as those of the community. Children's choirs were begun and were directed by Pastor Dennis who also led the adult choir for several years.

In 1951 a Junior Mission Band was organized and a Work & Sew group (now Craft & Sew) was begun.

Pastor Dennis attended the service and about sixty people greeted him. He accepted the call. In our Lutheran church, graduation from seminary does not make one a pastor, being a shepherd of a congregation does. On June 11, 1950, Pastor John Dennis was graduated fron Seminary. He was ordained on June 18, 1950 in his home church (where he was baptized and confirmed). Or July 23, 1950 he came to Ruthfred as the first full-time pastor. He was installed by his mentor and friend, Dr. William Nies of Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, Detroit, Michigan.

In the early days, Pastor Dennis lived in a small apartment above what is now Miller Hardware. That apartment served as his home, office, counseling room and study.

In 1952 the house at 309 Patterson Road was purchased for $14,250 for use as a parsonage. In 1953 a parsonage committee was named and it was decided to add a historian to the women's officers.

By 1954 the Sunday School had outgrown the space and an $18,000 addition to the basement was built. A second service was required each Sunday to accommodate the number of parishioners.

From the beginning, the Women concentrated on Bible study, service within the church and benevolences. Time and money were donated to projects such as: St. John's Lutheran Home in Mars, PA, Lutheran Student Foundation, the ALC Missions in India, and New Guinea, Lutheran World Action, and the Lutheran Service Association. In our own church, the women donated altar cloths, flags, docile cloth, communion service, choir robes, kitchen equipment and a church library. Today we still participate in many of these projects and contribute in various ways to AFLC missions. One of the large current projects is sponsorship of Angel Tree, Christmas gifts to the needy and to our AFLC Seminary staff.

Men's Brotherhood meets monthly for a dinner meeting, Bible study and current programs of current interest to Christian men.

Our Luther League has grown into a number of groups according to age.

In 1956 an Allen organ had been given to us and it was installed in the large church. We began planning for a pipe organ and when it was dedicated in 1969, the Allen organ was reinstalled in our Chapel.

God continued to bless our church and we soon realized that a large sanctuary was required. A stewardship campaign was successfully undertaken and in 1957 an architect was hired. Years of planning and construction culminated in the dedication of our large sanctuary on April 23, 1962. Clergy, members, and friends marched into the new sanctuary "in triumphal procession" as we celebrated our new house of worship.

The youth have always been a major concern and interest to our pastor and congregation, and we realized the need for more space for the Sunday School and for church office and administration. Once again we planned with an architect and builder so that by 1968, we were able to dedicate our Educational Building.

In 1976 Council approved the $40,000 purchase of the property at 310 Patterson Road for three additional Sunday School rooms and storage.

In our desire to become affiliated with a more conservative church body, a Transition Committee was formed to research all Lutheran bodies. After much study and prayer, the congregation voted in June 1994 over-whelmingly to affiliate with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC).

In 1995 a Call was issued to Pastor James D. Molstre to be our Co-Pastor. He began serving our congregation on February 1, 1996.