Jump to: Abiding Christ Lutheran Church | Arise in Christ Lutheran Church | Good Shepherd Lutheran Church | First Lutheran Church | St. John Lutheran Church | Emanuel Ministries
Abiding Christ Lutheran Church in Fairborn
A Suburban Ministry Our Anchor Church
Founded in 1965, Abiding Christ is a full service church of 600 members, averaging 250 a week at three services. Sunday school is offered year round at 9:45 for all ages. Abiding Christ offers three times to gather in Worship; Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m, and every Wednesday Evening at 6:30 p.m. around tables in the Fellowship Hall; where the focus is on relationships. Communion is offered at every service.
Abiding Christ practices the Priesthood of all Believers. At every gathering, leadership by laity is encouraged as volunteers assist as musicians, greeters, readers, communion and liturgical assistants and ushers.
The church is known for its active involvement in the community and is a leader both locally and in the Southern Ohio Synod for hospitality, technology and service ministries. Abiding Christ works in the greater community by actively support both Sonset Cafés (Wednesday and Thursday evenings), hosting the annual community Day of Caring Pancake breakfast supporting the Greene County Family Promise Network (for homeless families) operating an auxiliary food pantry for emergency needs. ACLC also hosts the GED and ESOL programs, works with the local school system to assist by providing “beds in a bag” and other material support for at risk children in our community. They are the host site for the Fairborn Civic Band and numerous other civic organizations. You can learn more about Abiding Christ at www.abidingchrist.org or by visiting their Facebook page.
- Pastors: June Fryman, Andrew Thompson
- Deacons: Robyn Poling, Nancy Trimble
- Musician: Marie Bliss
- Lay Ministry: Raleigh Sandy
- Youth & Fam: Heather McGee
- Nurse: Beth Ewing
- Admin: Molly Anderson
- Finance: Deb Dodson
Arise in Christ Lutheran Church in Donnellsville
A Rural Ministry
Founded in 2012, Arise in Christ Lutheran Church is a consolidation of St. Mark, New Carlisle and First in Donnelsville, who with the help of their LSIM partners joined to create Arise in Christ in 2012, Closing St. Mark in New Carlisle, they merged resources, people and dreams to begin in a new journey together! Today they see their mission as one of helping people make new beginnings through prayer, learning, hopeful living and fellowship, so that together they may grow to be faithful disciples.
They host a community garden on site where locals come and pick fresh produce. They are active in the Bethel Churches United outreach ministries, support a local food pantry, host a Cub Scout Pack, and join in the annual Christmas family adoption. As a small congregation, they make a big impact.
Sunday begins with a 9 am coffee fellowship, contemporary worship with communion follows at 10:00 am. You can learn more about the ministry of Arise by visiting their website at www.ariseinchrist.org or by visiting their Facebook page.
- Pastor: Tina Scheuller
- Musician: Tonya Reynolds
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in West Milton
A Small Town Ministry
Good Shepherd in West Milton, is a mid-sized congregation founded in 1958. It is active in its community through several programs, participating in a community wide home rehabilitation project “Helping Hammers” that rehabs homes of local residents in need, providing summer lunch for low income school-aged children, making “plarn” sleeping mats for the needy locally and around the world, providing an active and vital Senior Citizen’s Ministry in the community. The congregation also is active in Holiday Helping Hands, FISH pantry ministries, heliing to provide clothing and a weekly on site breakfast for the homeless in Downtown Dayton at First Lutheran, and the Ginghamsburg Clothesline which provides clothing and furniture for those in need. Good Shepherd hosts a Christian Pre School, now in its 43rd year of continual operation.
Traditional Worship with full communion is held every Sunday at 10:30; Sunday school for ages 5 – 11 is held during worship, coffee fellowship follows worship. You can learn more about the ministry of Good Shepherd at goodshepherdwestmilton.org or by visiting their Facebook page.
- Pastor: under search
- Admin: JoAnn Antonides
- Music Dir.: Marsha Fischbach
- Musician: Darrell Fryman
First Lutheran Church in Xenia
The County Seat
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we worship reach out, share the gospel, and serve!
We are a faith community located and serving in Xenia over 175 years. Our first building was destroyed by the April 4, 1974 tornado; we are the only congregation in central Xenia that rebuilt in the same location on the corner of Main and Church Streets. We are striving to be the Main Church in Xenia. The present building includes the 1980’s expansion of our narthex, classrooms, and hallway. All are welcome to participate in mission and ministry here. It is a joyous congregation that is warm and welcoming with a servant’s heart. We strive to live out the Gospel by worshipping, reaching out, sharing the gospel, and serving in the name of Christ.
Our primary community ministry is The Caring Place, a community-based feeding ministry each Thursday from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The ministry has served over 750,000 free meals over thirty years. We also relate and daily support people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and addictions using faith-based approaches and supporting a local homeless shelter called “Bridge of Hope”. We are active in other feeding ministries as well, suporting the local food pantry, and with our LSIM partners providing breakfast to the homeless in Downtown Dayton, clothing to those in need, and many other outreach activities. On Sunday mornings, we celebrate Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m. also; the children return to the sanctuary for the Liturgy of the Meal. Our services are available on Facebook Live or on the web at www.firstlutheranofxenia.org.
- Pastor: William Schwocow
- Admin: Erin Ennis
- Choir Dir.: Lisa Szwek
- Musician: Jim WIll
St. John Lutheran Church in Vandalia
A Suburban Ministry
We believe that this world would be a better place if everyone knew God’s loving care, that’s why we strive to create this world in our church, in the communities we live and work in, and everywhere we go. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you’ve been through, or where you’re headed, there is a place for you in our midst.
We offer children’s Sunday school classes at 9am and worship afterwards, on Sundays at 10am. On the first Sunday of each month, we serve the Vandalia-Butler community with a free community meal from 5-6pm. If you need food during other times than that, don’t hesitate to come to us, as well. We have a blessing box with free food in our atrium.
St. John’s loves kids. We proudly host cub- and boy scout troops 307, as well as girl scout troops 3008 and 34826. We are also home to Vandalia-Butler’s MomCo group (formerly known as MOPS).
On Thursday mornings at 10 and Friday evenings at 7, we host AA-groups. An SA-group is meeting in our lodge behind the church building on Thursday nights at 7.
Find out more about us here: https://www.stjohnsvandalia.org.
If you want to watch our worship services and listen to Pastor Benjamin preach, here is a link to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@stjohnsvandalia
Emanuel Ministries in Fairborn
A Downtown Ministry
Built in 1925 and located in the heart of historic downtown Fairborn, the old St. Mark’s building was deeded to Emanuel Ministries by LSIM in June of 2022. Emanuel has been a partner congregation in the Lutheran Saints in Ministry since 2021. They used the building as a center for worship and service in the Fairborn area. LSIM has been serving free meals to those in need in the community for over a decade through a ministry called “The Sonset Café” at this site, another Wednesday night site is located at ACLC. Emanuel also serves as host to the LSIM Summer Day camp in late July, and with LSIM partnership, annually hosts a Mission Fair on the front lawn to provide school backpacks to at risk children in Fairborn.
Emanuel Ministries is one of two African American congregation currently worshipping in Fairborn. They are noted for working in in the community to provide spiritual and material aid to their neighbors. The Fairborn Historical Society currently has a home here and uses the building for educational programs, museum displays and storage. Alcoholics Anonymous, Cub Pack 141, and other groups also make regular use of this beautiful and historic site for meeting and educational purposes.
- Pastors: Genna Caldwell, Rod Jones
lutheransaints.org 