Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church is a member church of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). For many years a number of WELS families in Southern Maryland drove an hour or more to attend worship services at Divine Peace, Largo. In 1997 a small WELS group formed and started to meet for Bible class on Sunday evenings at the Garvey Center in the Governmental Center in Leonardtown. Much
of the original work and costs were covered by Divine Peace, and Pastor John Mittelstaedt guided the group. In the fall of 1998 Pastor Bruce Wietzke accepted the call to be a mission explorer, relocating here from Wisconsin. Bible study and Sunday school continued on Sunday evenings and the group chose the name Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church. The exploratory reached out to the people of the area by conducting door-to-door canvassing by members as well as WELS Kingdom Workers and OWLS (Organization of WELS Seniors) volunteers, manning booths at the county fairs, and one-day vacation Bible schools in several different locations. Beginning in the fall of 1999 the congregation met in the cafetorium of Dowell Elementary School and the Lord blessed us with many guests as well as new members. In late 2003 we purchased four acres of land as the future site of our church building. Shortly afterwards we experienced a major drop in membership mostly due to our transient society. Through the years the congregation has had its ups and downs. The “ups” brought excitement to the congregation; the “downs” brought much-needed spiritual growth and bonding together in love and fellowship. Land clearing began May 10th 2010. The groundbreaking ceremony was held June 2nd. The cornerstone was laid on October 22nd. And our first service was held on January 16th 2011 with 87 in attendance. The church dedication took place in two services on February 13th 2011 with 103 and 105 in attendance. More important than the numbers are the souls of those who are coming to hear God’s precious Word of life through Jesus Christ our Savior. In the spring of 2015, Pastor Wietzke accepted a call to a church in Wisconsin. The church began searching for a new pastor during the summer and in September 2015, Pastor Josh Olson accepted the call to be the next pastor at Shepherd of the Bay. Pastor Olson was installed as pastor on October 18, 2015. In January of 2022, Pastor Olson accepted a call to serve another church in Minnesota. In July 2022 Shepherd of the Bay installed Pastor Nathan Wong, a recent graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Our Church Home is a home for members, a place to meet, to serve one another in love, and to encourage outreach to our community, enabling us to draw in many more, and to foster the Spirit of Christ.
