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Organized 19 November 1901; Seventh and Main church dedicated 19 April 1903; moved to 16495 Ireland Road, occupied 8 May 1961; in a three-congregation consolidation course through 2026
The founding: First English Lutheran was organized on 19 November 1901 to do what its name says: hold Lutheran services in English, the first in the city, for the generation that had outgrown St. Peter's German. Its first building, at Seventh and Main streets, was dedicated on 19 April 1903, with a sanctuary added in 1911. On 8 May 1961 the congregation occupied its present church at 16495 Ireland Road, on the city's south side, where it also keeps First English Lutheran Preschool, an accredited program on the congregation's own published account.
The present state: First English stands active as an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod — the synod's 2024 list names the Rev. Patrick Ballard as its pastor, serving two congregations — worshipping Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the fall of 2026, on its own published schedule. And it is in motion: through 2026 the congregation is, in its own published words, journeying "toward the consolidation of our three congregations" with Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and Hilltop Lutheran Church of the Ascension, the three holding joint services on the last Sunday of each month through the year — 29 November 2026 at First English.
Sources:
- Ed Chamberlin, Mishawaka church-history timeline, South Bend Area Genealogical Society, 2016.
- First English Lutheran Church's own site (firstenglishmishawaka.org), 2026 — worship schedule and the consolidation journey.
- Indiana-Kentucky Synod congregation list, June 2024.