1970s
In 1971, Christ Lutheran celebrated 20 years as an active church within the growing town of Lake Jackson. The church now had 452 baptized members, and had confirmed 211 youth. The mortgages on all existing buildings and the parsonage at 245 Narcissus had been paid off and burned. Pastor Ribe wrote shortly thereafter:
“Greetings from Lake Jackson. This has become a really going place. Last week we opened a mall. There are lots of new shopping places in Lake Jackson and Clute too. Close to the church on Highway 332, apartment complexes have become the thing.”
All this growth, meant the church needed more space, so in 1971, Christ Lutheran broke ground on the present sanctuary. The building and a new pipe organ were dedicated in 1972.
The Christmas tree in the sanctuary was decorated with Chrismon ornaments. The word Chrismon is derived from the words “Christ” and “monogram,” meaning “symbols of Christ.” These traditionally white and gold decorations are centuries-old religious symbols of Christ. These ornaments, made by members of the church, are still being used today.
Music and worship go hand in hand at Christ Lutheran. In addition to the pipe organ, the church was proud to be the home of “Forever Family,” a youth folk music group formed in 1973. This talented group performed sharing God’s message at home and all around Texas: Brownsville, Geronimo, Dallas, Humble and Austin, until they disbanded in 1977. The members of this group formed lasting bonds and wonderful memories. One member, Sandy Naill, still plays for church services today.
In 1976 in order to more personally involve the congregation in the worship service, lay readers were added to read the lesson, Joyce Smith recorded that C.W. Matteck was in charge of securing liturgist and asked her to read. Joyce wrote that she did not think Pastor Ribe would go for that, but he did, and she did, becoming the first woman lay reader at Christ Lutheran.
Pastor Ribe answered a call to the mission development field that same year, and Pastor David Nordstrom was installed in 1977. Congregational involvement in the church continued to expand. In 1978, church members began serving as “Greeters” to informally welcome members and visitors on Sunday mornings, and in 1979, a sponsorship program to mentor new members was begun.
It is a well-known fact that Lutherans enjoy pot luck suppers and coming together to eat and talk. With this in mind, the men of Christ Lutheran constructed an outdoor barbecue pavilion and pit. Over the decades, lots of great meat was grilled and smoked by the men (and supplemented by the women in the kitchen).
Stewardship BBQ dinners on the back lawn were an annual event for many years. While not exactly the same, we have the annual BBQ is still an important annual event looked forward to by our members.