SELC District (LCMS)

The SELC District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS). It is one of the Synod's two non-geographical districts, along with the English District, and has its origins in the of the former Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church, which merged with the LCMS in 1971. The SELC had been formed in 1902 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and changed its name to the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1959 due to decreasing identification with the Slovak language and culture.

The district now includes approximately 53 congregations and missions (the fewest of any LCMS district), subdivided into 4 circuits, as well as 19 preschools and 3 elementary schools. Spread over 11 U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the great majority of congregations are in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions. Baptized membership in district congregations is over 17,000.

SELC District offices are located in Cudahy, Wisconsin; the Rev. Carl Krueger, Jr. has been the district president since 1997, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2006 [http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=10168] . Delegates from each congregation meet in convention every three years to elect the district president, vice presidents, circuit counselors, a board of directors, and other officers; the last convention was held on June 22-25, 2006, and the next will be held in 2009.

Presidents

*Rev. Albert M. Marcis, ?
*Rev. Carl H. Krueger, Jr., 1997-present

Oldest congregations

*1884 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Streator, Illinois
*1891 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Braddock, Pennsylvania
*1892 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Garfield, New Jersey
*1892 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Parma, Ohio
*1894 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Raritan, New Jersey
*1894 - Saint Stephen Lutheran Church, Dickson City, Pennsylvania
*1895 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Yonkers, New York
*1896 - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
*1902 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Pleasant City, Ohio
*1902 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Greenwich, Connecticut

Oldest in Indiana: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Whiting, Indiana, 1904
Only congregation in Missouri: Saint Lucas Lutheran Church, Boulevard Heights, St. Louis, Missouri, 1905
Oldest in Wisconsin: Saint John Lutheran Church, Cudahy, Wisconsin, 1906
Oldest in Virginia: Saint John the Baptist Lutheran Church, Emporia, Virginia, 1909
Oldest in Florida: Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Florida, 1912
Only congregation in Quebec: Ascension Lutheran Church, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Montreal, 1929
Oldest in Ontario: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Corso Italia, Toronto, 1942

Largest congregations

:"Membership totals are c. 2006."
*4233 - Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Florida
*1174 - Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Lake Mary, Florida
*865 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Cudahy, Wisconsin
*623 - Faith Viera Lutheran Church, Rockledge, Florida
*594 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Manchester, New Jersey
*578 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Massillon, Ohio
*560 - Saint Lucas Lutheran Church, Boulevard Heights, St. Louis, Missouri
*484 - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Streator, Illinois
*468 - Calvary Lutheran Church, Parma, Ohio
*432 - Zion Lutheran Church, Clark, New Jersey

Largest in Pennsylvania: Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 395
Largest in Indiana: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Whiting, Indiana, 268
Largest in Connecticut: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Greenwich, Connecticut, 201
Largest in Ontario: Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chatham, Ontario, 180
Largest in Virginia: Saint John the Baptist Lutheran Church, Emporia, Virginia, 148
Only congregation in Quebec: Ascension Lutheran Church, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Montreal, 140
Only congregation in New York: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Yonkers, New York, 114

Congregations and missions

:"Congregations established prior to 1930, or having 600 or more members, are noted (membership figures are c. 2006); in the absence of one or both of these within a circuit, the oldest and/or largest congregation is noted."

Circuit 1 (Eastern)
*Ascension Lutheran Church (French: Église Luthérienne de l'Ascension), Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Montreal, Quebec - est. 1929; 140 members
*Concordia Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - est. 1911
*Concordia Lutheran Church, Macungie, Pennsylvania
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Garfield, New Jersey - est. 1892
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Yonkers, New York - est. 1895; 114 members
*Peace Lutheran Church, Galloway Township, New Jersey
*Redeemer Lutheran Church, Manchester, New Jersey - 594 members (largest in New Jersey)
*Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church, Vienna, Virginia
*Saint John Lutheran Church, Hazleton, Pennsylvania - est. 1921
*Saint John the Baptist Lutheran Church, Emporia, Virginia - est. 1909; 148 members (largest in Virginia)
*Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - est. 1896; 395 members (largest in Pennsylvania)
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Greenwich, Connecticut - est. 1902; 201 members (largest in Connecticut)
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Westport, Connecticut - est. 1921
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Raritan, New Jersey - est. 1894
*Saint Stephen Lutheran Church, Dickson City, Pennsylvania - est. 1894
*Trinity Lutheran Church, Stamford, Connecticut - est. 1907
*Zion Lutheran Church, Clark, New Jersey - est. 1928

Circuit 2 (Central)
*Calvary Lutheran Church, Parma, Ohio
*Christ the King Lutheran Church, Lodi, Ohio
*Concordia Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Ohio - est. 1922
*Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Massillon, Ohio
*Grace Lutheran Church, Lakewood, Ohio
*Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Johnstown, Pennsylvania - est. 1914
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Parma, Ohio - est. 1892
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Pleasant City, Ohio - est. 1902
*John Huss Lutheran Church, Arnold, Pennsylvania - est. 1916
*Nativity Lutheran Church, Kingsville, Ontario
*Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chatham, Ontario - 180 members (largest in Ontario)
*Saint John Lutheran Church, Massillon, Ohio - est. 1909; 578 members
*Saint John Lutheran Church, Brackenridge, Pennsylvania - est. 1905
*Saint Mark Lutheran Church, Steubenville, Ohio - est. 1928
*Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Norton, Ohio - est. 1910
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Corso Italia, Toronto, Ontario - est. 1942 (oldest in Ontario)
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Braddock, Pennsylvania - est. 1891
*SS. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, Lorain, Ohio - est. 1905
*Saint Peter and Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Central City, Pennsylvania - est. 1918
*SS. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, Sharon, Pennsylvania - est. 1917

Circuit 3 (Western)
*Doctor Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Gage Park, Chicago, Illinois - est. 1913
*Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Alsip, Illinois
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Streator, Illinois - est. 1884; 484 members (largest in Illinois)
*Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Boyceville, Wisconsin - est. 1917
*Living Word Lutheran Church, Orland Park, Illinois
*Pentecost Lutheran Church, Racine, Wisconsin - est. 1908
*Resurrection Lutheran Church, Crown Point, Indiana
*Saint John Lutheran Church, Granite City, Illinois - est. 1923
*Saint John Lutheran Church, Cudahy, Wisconsin - est. 1906; 865 members
*Saint Lucas Lutheran Church, Boulevard Heights, St. Louis, Missouri - est. 1905; 560 members
*Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Whiting, Indiana - est. 1904; 268 members (largest in Indiana)
*Zion Lutheran Church, Norridge, Illinois - est. 1909

Circuit 4 (Southern)
*Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Florida - est. 1912; 4233 members
*Faith Viera Lutheran Church, Rockledge, Florida - 623 members
*Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Tampa, Florida
*Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Lake Mary, Florida - 1174 members

External links

* [http://www.selc.lcms.org/ SELC District web site]
* [http://www.lcmsdistricts.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=6809 LCMS: SELC District]