Abiding Word Evangelical Lutheran Church History

In July of 1982, our first resident pastor arrived in Cincinnati to start a new congregation on the east side of the city. In October of 1982, our first Wednesday evening Bible class was held. On February 20, 1983, we began weekly worship services at the Kindercare on Loveland-Maderia Road. By the end of 1983, membership consisted of 12 communicants and 18 souls.

In 1986, we purchased land for a church building. On the same Sunday in 1987 we dedicated our newly acquired parsonage and broke ground for our church building. In June of 1988, the first service was held in the new church.

  • Pastor Nathan Cordes joined us in the winder of 1993. During his stay the church started many outreach activities and continued to grow.
  • Pastor Michael Otterstatter joined us in the winter of 2001. Pastor Otterstatter was instrumental in helping us complete our first expansion project, which included a large entryway, two offices, a new kitchen, and a beautiful worship space that seats 150.
  • Pastor Nicholas Guillaume served us for almost 10 years, from 2007 until early 2017. He was at a high school in Watertown, WI, before coming to our church.
  • Pastor Troy Jacobs is currently serving our congregation since November 19, 2017.  We have been truly blessed for the spiritual guidance he has been giving us over the years.

Over 300 people have been members of Abiding Word through the years. We are grateful to God for the opportunity to serve so many, and pray that God would continue to give us opportunities to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)

Abiding Word is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). The WELS started in 1850 by many churches in the Milwaukee area. Most of the pastors who served at that time came from Germany, and the Synod itself has retained a strong German influence. In 1917, the Wisconsin Synod joined with a number of other church bodies, including the Michigan Synod, the Nebraska Synod, and the Minnesota Synod, to form the current church body. The WELS operates across the country, and in 24 countries around the world. Current membership is about 390,000.