History
The story of Faith Lutheran Church began in April of 1970 when a few families in the Pittsburgh area organized and contacted the WELS with a proposal to bring a church mission to the Pittsburgh area. After several meetings in April, May, August, and September, the WELS decided to hold a formal meeting. In October of 1970, those families held a meeting with the WELS mission board and formally requested the opening of a WELS mission in the Rostraver – West Newton area.
Between November and December that year, the WELS held several meetings with the new organization which had rented space in the Rostraver Municipal building. That Christmas Eve, this church held its first service with over 100 residents from West Newton and the surrounding communities. The service was conducted by pastor Elmer Miller who was a full time pastor at another church. Services continued to be offered on Sunday evenings until Faith received its first full time pastor, John Brug in July of 1971.
Pastor John Brug was installed on July 18th 1971. Faith began offering Sunday morning services on August 8th 1971. The regular attendance was 52. By the end of August, Faith had applied for full membership in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Additionally, a house and office space to accommodate our new pastor was rented in West Newton.
In September of 1971, the church recognized the need for a dedicated facility for our pastor and congregation. As a result, the church members began a building fund in order to finance the construction of a worship facility and parsonage in West Newton. From September of 1971 until December of 1974 the families of Faith work tirelessly to plan, finance, and prepare for the groundbreaking of their new parsonage and worship facility located at 820 Plummer School Road in the heart of West Newton, Pennsylvania, which occurred on February 16 1975. The parsonage was completed and occupied by Pastor John Brug in September of that year. On February 22nd 1976, just over one year from the groundbreaking date, the first service was held in the new building. By that time, membership in our church had grown to 118. Construction on our church’s most notable feature – the bell tower – would continue until it was dedicated in June of 1978, where, to this day, it rings before every service. That year also marked another transition, with the Synod making a call to Pastor Brug, and our church receiving a new pastor, Pastor Clayton Krug.
PASTORS of FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH
John Brug 1971 – 1978
Clayton Krug 1978 – 1982
Thomas Hilliard 1982 – 1986
Terry Yahr 1986 - 1994
Gary Schult 1994 – 2007
Steve Bauer 2007 – 2017
Michael Krentz 2017 - Present
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These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. ~ John 20:31
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