Mount Olive Lutheran Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Records

In 1955 Rev. Martin Brauer of Immanuel Lutheran Church and Rev. Edward Lang of Saint James Lutheran Church surveyed Walker Township and northwest Grand Rapids. It was decided that this area would be a good place to establish another church. The two pastors worked with the Michigan Mission Board and secured a loan to purchase the 4 1/2 acres of land where Mount Olive is located. On January 8, 1956, forty-five people from Immanuel, Redeemer, and Saint James Lutheran Churches who lived in the general area met at the old farmhouse that was on the corner. They unanimously voted to begin services on the following Sunday, January 15, 1956. Pastors Brauer, Lang and Pastor Herbert Dorn of Redeemer conducted service through May 20, 1956. This group was unofficially known as "The Northwest Lutheran Mission". The Michigan Mission Board called Pastor Richard J. Scholz in March 1956. He moved his family to Grand Rapids from Mattoon, Wisconsin and was commissioned as a missionary for the new "Northwest Lutheran Mission" on May 20, 1956 at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Services had to be moved across the street to Zinser School so the farmhouse could serve as a temporary parsonage. A parsonage was purchased, and the farmhouse was remodeled into a chapel that could accommodate 90 people for services. The name Mount Olive Lutheran Church was chosen on June 10, 1956. Services were held in the farmhouse for three years while plans were being developed for a church building. Groundbreaking occurred on March 16, 1958. Dedication of the educational building was held on October 5, 1958. The second phase of the building program was to build a parsonage. The parsonage was completed and dedicated on October 1, 1961. The new church building was dedicated on May 26, 1968. Mount Olive celebrated the 25th anniversary of its organization on January 1, 1981, and the 25th anniversary service took place on January 4, 1981. The 50th anniversary was celebrated in 2006. Mount Olive disbanded on May 23, 2022.

• Rev. Richard J. Scholz 1956-1963
• Rev. Kenneth Fischer 1964-1966
• Rev. Arthur G. Krueger 1966-1991
• Rev. Steven C. Helms 1993-1999
• Rev. Dean L. Rippy 2000-2007
• Rev. Kenneth Bomberger 2008-2017