Expanding God’s Kingdom
In the years following World War II, the Home Mission Board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Synod planned to establish a second ELC congregation in Rochester in the rapidly growing northwest section of town. Since no rental property was available in 1951, the synod purchased eight lots in a cornfield across from Washington School and near Assisi Heights, both of which were under construction at that time. Pastor and Mrs. Joseph Shefveland of Chicago accepted the challenge of organizing the new congregation.

The first service in the new facility took place on Palm Sunday 1953. Pastor Shefveland’s sermon theme that day was “God’s Kingdom Expands Today.” Membership in the fledgling congregation expanded rapidly, and by the end of 1953, 100 families had joined.

God’s Kingdom Keeps Growing
In only three years, the congregation outgrew its original building, so an education wing was added in 1957 to accommodate over 250 children who attended our Sunday School.

IBM Comes to Town
Until 1956, Rochester had only one principal employer, the Mayo Clinic. In November of that year, IBM announced plans to build a new facility in northwest Rochester. Gloria Dei was a well-established congregation by that time and fortunately was located in an area that was convenient to the large number of new families building homes near IBM. By the time Gloria Dei was 10 years old in 1963, membership had grown to over 2,000 baptized members. The dream of a larger sanctuary was possible, and plans got underway to build it. In June 1965, our present sanctuary was dedicated.

Music
At Gloria Dei we treasure our musical heritage. From one adult choir in the beginning, our music program has grown to four choirs and two contemporary music teams. In 1986, we added our 43-rank Casavant pipe organ to further enhance our musical experience. We are blessed with near perfect acoustics in our sanctuary.

Outreach
Since our beginnings we have supported missionaries abroad. In the 1970's our efforts included sponsoring Vietnamese and Hmong families in our community. One of our biggest outreach programs, of which we are very proud, is our Sustenance Program that gave over $100,000 to hunger programs last year. A popular event for which our families enjoy volunteering is the annual Ability Building Center employee Christmas party held in our Fellowship Hall.

God’s Kingdom Has Expanded Again
In Summer 2005, we completed yet another addition to the building. Square feet were added to the building in the form of a larger Fellowship Hall, a Chapel, larger nursery, expanded narthex and a youth room off the balcony. The building was also made handicapped accessible by installing an elevator that reached three floors.

Glory to God
In our mission of “Making Christ Known” we’re reaching out to those in NW Rochester who don’t have a church home by establishing a second site. Thirty acres of land have been purchased on County Road 4 near West Circle Drive with plans to build a building for Glory to God Lutheran Church (the English translation of our name, Gloria Dei). In January 2006, worship began for Glory to God at the Rochester Athletic Center. Gloria Dei and Glory to God are two sites of one congregation.

As one of the largest churches in the ELCA Synod, we are able to offer a wide variety of programs for all ages and interests. We invite you to join us!