Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church was sponsored by the Home Mission Department of the ELC in 1953. Money was set aside for the purpose of sending a pastor to the area, purchasing necessities to start a new congregation, find a temporary location, purchase a parsonage and purchase a piece of property for the church site.
The first service was held on November 1, 1953 in a rented store in the Southwood Shopping Center. A Sunday School was started the following week. In a few months, attendance had grown to the point where it was necessary to lease another store. Senior and Junior Choirs were started almost immediately. On April 4, 1954, the congregation was formally organized with 156 Charter Members (6 are still in the congregation today). Women’s and Men’s organization and a Luther League were formed.
The present facilities were built and completed in May 1955 and dedicated the following month. A good part of the construction work was done by members and friends, from digging foundations to the inside finishing touches.
The Sunday School was growing by leaps and bounds. By 1967, with double sessions meeting in every nook and even using “slumber rooms” at the mortuary across the street, the Fellowship Hall was extended. With the help of donations from the women of the church and the selling of Christmas tres, the project was completed–debt free. Here again, much of the work was done by members of the church.
A mini-park was developed on the frontage property on El Camino Real and in 1975, improvements and developments were made by the congregation to house the R. W. Drake Pre-School which is still operating today.