Holy Spirit

Lutheran Church
of the Holy Spirit

70 River Road
Montville, NJ 07045
973-263-1696
Handicapped Accessible

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Sunday
Sunday School - 9:30 am
Bible Study - 9:30 am
Divine Worship - 11:00 am

Monday - Saturday
Pastor's hours by appointment

Wednesday
KNIT & CROCHET GROUP
Wednesdays 7 PM - 8:30 PM

Free and open to all!

Thursday
BIBLE STUDY
Online or Phone
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Call for information

All are welcome!

Our History


LCHS doors

The history of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit began in 1961, when the Reverend Kenneth Schwengel, a missionary from the Atlantic district of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, arrived in Montville to establish a congregation. The nascent church was established and a parsonage was purchased on Pine Brook Road in Towaco.

Holy Spirit’s first service was held on January 28, 1962 in the gymnasium of Central School in Montville. By that December, the congregation had grown to 109 members and services were moved into the cafeteria of the school.

A search for property to build a church was begun in January, 1967, and 9 1/2 acres were purchased at the current site on River Road. Groundbreaking for the new church home was held on a snowy December day in 1969.

Work on the new building proceeded on schedule until a few months before completion when the contractor went into default. Holy Spirit’s council and parishoners took over the task of completing construction. This was accomplished two days after Thanksgiving in 1970, and dedication services were held on November 29.

The church building is a mid-20th-century modern structure. As the cross is central to Holy Spirit’s Christian message of “Christ, crucified and risen,” a simple, but impressive, 29-foot wooden cross dominates the welcoming, wood-panelled sanctuary. Centered just behind the altar and an integral part of the roof support, the cross rises dramatically to the ceiling of the six-sided room and is a powerful symbol of the congregation’s faith.

altarcross

Having firmly established Holy Spirit’s home in Montville, Rev. Schwengel held his farewell service in May, 1971. His successor, Rev. Charles Bunzel, served the congregation from 1971-1982, followed by the Rev. Jeffrey Lloyd who served from 1983-1986. In 1986, Rev. John M. Rieker was installed as pastor of Holy Spirit and served for over 20 years. After several years of vacancy and interim pastoral leadership, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit installed the Rev. Michael Patrick Dunne as its new pastor on May 31, 2015.

Reverend Dunne was born in Jersey City, NJ in 1957 and graduated from the Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN in 2008. He and his wife, the former Deborah Rindfleisch, reside in the parsonage on Pine Brook Road. Their son, Patrick, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer, reside in Panama. Prior to his installation at Holy Spirit, Rev. Dunne served as a vicar at Zion Lutheran Church in Clark, NJ and as pastor at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Manalapan, NJ.

“We invite our neighbors to come join in the great things that are happening in this new chapter of Holy Spirit’s life,” says ‘Pastor Mike.’ “The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit’s congregation is dedicated to spreading the Word and is committed to serving the needs of the community.”

Divine Worship Services are currently being offered online Sundays at 10:30 am. Please see the Home Page for attendance information. Adult Bible Study and Sunday School for children ages three and up are currently being offered online as well. The community is cordially invited to attend. For more information, please call 973-263-1696 or 973-334-0547 for more information.