Our History

Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized in 1882 in response to the enormous influx of Swedish Immigrants employed to work in area mills. Early services were held in what was known as “The Mission Chapel” on the corner of Beech and Merrimack streets. As membership grew it was decided in 1885 to construct a new building in which to house the church. On land donated by Amoskeag Mills, the present Church building was dedicated in 1887. In the spring of 1894 a parsonage, which is now a real estate office, was built across the street from the church. Services were held in Swedish until 1907 when they were switched over to English due to the growing number of active younger members for whom Swedish was no longer a first language. Our Church has changed in different ways over the 140+ years since our Church’s founding, but we still are a warm and welcoming congregation, worshiping together and sharing the Good News through the word and through service in our community.

Click here to learning more about the history of our building.

Our Partners in Faith

We are a congregation within the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). The ELCA is largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, and is the result of the 1988 merger of three Lutheran churches (The American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America). Like all Lutheran churches, we trace our origins back to Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. Within American Christian Denominations, the ELCA is considered a mainline protestant church.

Other Denominations that we are in full communion with include:

• Presbyterian Church (USA)

• Reformed Church in America

• United Church of Christ

• The Episcopal Church

• The Moravian Church

• United Methodist Church

“Full communion is when two denominations develop a relationship based on a common confessing of the Christian faith and a mutual recognition of Baptism and sharing of the Lord’s Supper. This does not mean the two denominations merge; rather, in reaching agreements, denominations also respect differences. These denominations worship together, may exchange clergy and also share a commitment to evangelism, witness and service in the world.” To learn more, visit https://www.elca.org/Faith/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations/Full-Communion