Immanuel has a long and storied history. The congregation was started by a dedicated group of families from Germany who traveled across the Atlantic to Michigan. For many years, they attended a Lutheran church in Lansing but eventually requested to form their own church in Grand Ledge. The first church was built in 1872 on North Clinton Street at Torrey Street using building materials gathered from members and local farms and properties.
The congregation was initially served by pastors who travelled from Woodland and Lansing. While the congregation’s growth during the first 63 years was slow, it continued to prosper and many hard-working, dedicated people shared their time and talents in the congregation. In 1934, the congregation was able to call its first full-time pastor and services were held in English for the first time.
Initially, the congregation had several names, but in 1977 it was finally named Immanuel Lutheran Church of Grand Ledge. In the following years, growth was more swift, programs and properties were added, and Immanuel’s history became its future. Some of the families who first started the congregation (Maier, Berner, Dingler, Kebler, and Richard) still have descendants as members!
In the summer of 1950, a new church building was built in its current location and was dedicated in March of 1951. That building served the congregation until 1989, when a larger sanctuary, fellowship hall, and classrooms were added to accommodate the growing and active church community. In 1991, a memorial/prayer garden was added, just in time for the 125th anniversary celebration in 1996.
Immanuel’s strength has always been its people and the ways in which the congregation serves the community. Immanuel has held many events and fundraisers supporting local and national causes– everything from donating to international organizations that supply aid around the world to supporting local emergency care workers and providing meals to local residents.
Christian education has also been the center of Immanuel’s outreach. Many years of Sunday school, communion and confirmation classes, and youth and adult programs have been provided not only by the pastors, but by volumes of volunteers and teachers focused on spreading Jesus’s good news both within the congregation and community. There have also been many shared programs with other faith communities in the area.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the congregation quickly adjusted to provide services online and on local radio broadcasts. Even through the worst of times, Immanuel and its members have shown resiliency in spirit and good works. We are a congregation truly blessed, and we celebrated our 150th anniversary in 2021!
As we look to the future, we understand that our church is not just “the building.” Rather, it is the embodiment of God’s people in spreading love and the good news of Jesus’s life, resurrection, and grace that surpasses all understanding. We’d love for you to join us!
Pastors Who Served Immanuel
| 1871-1873 | Rev. Henry August Wieltzon |
| 1873-1875 | Rev. Frederick Gerkensmeyer (resident) |
| 1875-1883 | Rev. Carl Adams (Woodland) |
| 1883-1889 | Rev. John M. Eiperle (Lansing) |
| 1889-1904 | Rev. Wm. Kramer (Lansing) |
| 1904-1911 | Rev. Frederick Kittel (Woodland) |
| 1912-1918 | Rev. G.F. Klindworth (Woodland) |
| 1918-1920 | Rev. Ernest Quail (Lansing) |
| 1920-1924 | Rev. E.G. Leyer (Lansing) |
| 1924-1928 | Rev. C.G. Althoff (Lansing) |
| 1928-1934 | Rev. G.C. Bubolz (Lansing) |
| 1934-1938 | Rev. Floyd L. Yokers |
| 1938 | Rev. Elmer Klingensmith |
| 1938-1947 | Rev. Leo P. Heintz |
| 1948-1953 | Rev. William Young |
| 1953-1960 | Rev. Arno Schelper |
| 1960-1963 | Rev. James Voelker |
| 1963-1975 | Rev. Walter Priebe |
| 1975-1983 | Rev. Leroy Beck |
| 1984-2011 | Rev. Richard McKenzie |
| 1995-2000 | Rev. Paul T. Pretzloff, Visitation Pastor |
| 2000-2002 | Rev. Cynthia Olson-Larson, Associate Pastor |
| 2011-2012 | Rev. Dawn Donato |
| 2012-2014 | Rev. Galen Knutson, Interim Pastor |
| 2014 | Rev. Erick Johnson, Interim Pastor |
| 2014 – Present | Rev. Charles Foerster |
| 2025 – Present | Rev. Christina Bright, Transitional Pastor |