About Us
St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church of Grand Island, New York
For over fifty years, the congregation of St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church of Grand Island, New York has been reaching out in love to a world in need of God's healing. Our congregation in Grand Island, New York, is a member of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), and is the only Lutheran church in the Town of Grand Island. Our congregation has fellowship and worship opportunites for people of all ages, and we welcome new members! In August of 1991, St. Timothy's Lutheran Childcare Center was completed, which gave St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church the opportunity to provide a valuable service to the Grand Island community.
You are encouraged to join our worship service or activities as a welcomed guest, or call our church office with any questions.
What's In a Name?
St. Timothy - A Young and vibrant disciple of Christ.
Evangelical - Centered in the gospel of the crucifixion ans resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lutheran - Rooted in the scriptures and the historic Christian faith. Theologically gathered around law and gospel, justification by grace through faith, theology of the cross and the two kingdoms.
Church - The people summoned out by God for the work of Christ. Called together in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit to be the organ by which Christ is present and active in the world during the interval between his resurrection and his coming again.
Grand Island, New York - Located in the real world of real people with real joys and real sadness, real hopes and real dreams. Local, yet part of a larger world. Where God has placed us.
The ELCA
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a community of faith with a passion for making positive changes in the world. We work hard to put our faith into action, in order to make a tangeble difference in the lives of those in need across the world and in our own communities. There are over 4.5 million baptized members in 10,000 ELCA congregations across the USA. Regardless of age, race, or status in life, we welcome you to learn more about us, our place in the world, and how we can help you renew your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
We invite you to learn more about us! Visit the ELCA's website "Who We Are" or call the church office for more information.
Lutheran beliefs
Lutherans believe in the Triune God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died on the cross to wash away the sins of the world.
Lutherans accept as authoritative for its teachings and life the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. They recognize the Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed and Athanasion Creed as faithful summaries of the scripture witness.
Lutherans are Christians who accept the teachings of Martin Luther, a German theologian who recognized differences in the teachings of the Bible and actions of the Catholic Church in the early 1500's . Those who agreed with Luther's suggested reforms were known as "Lutherans" - a religious group that has been growing in number ever since.
Three ideas form the essence of Lutheranism: grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. We are saved by the grace of God alone. Our salvation is through faith alone in Jesus Christ. The Scripture alone is the standard of our teachings and faith (Holy Bible).
Our worship is about what God is doing in our lives and our response to God's action. Worship is an encounter with God, during which, we learn, celebrate, receive nourishment in preparation for our mission work in the community.
We invite you to learn more about our beliefs! Visit the ELCA's website "What We Believe" or call the church office for more information.
St. Timothy's staff
The Rev. Dean M. Hunneshagen, Transition Pastor
Pastor Dean serves as Transition Pastor 30-35 hours each week. He plans to organize his work around the following three goals. First, "Honoring the Past" by discovering and articulating St. Timothy's core character, theology and practices. Second, "Anchoring the Present" by assuring a vibrant worship life through faithful ministry to and with children, youth and adults. This includes outreach to the community through the daycare ministry. Third, "Launching the Future Next Generation St. Timothy" by building capacity to move forward as an organization and by becoming a viable force for God's work of reconciling all things unto himself.
The Reverend Dean M. Hunneshagen served Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Depew for 37 years before his recent retirement. He is an ordained Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He attended seminary at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Pastor Hunneshagen has been very involved in the communities of Western New York and received multiple awards for his work in social ministry and family services.
Now Hiring : Minister of Music
St. Timothy is a faith community with an appreciation for strong musical leadership both instrumentally and vocally. It is a faith community that desires to grow in depth of spirituality and faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. Over the past three years the community has undertaken major initiatives to improve its culture, focus, organization, facilities, outreach and financial support. While it has accomplished much, St. Timothy is just beginning to become a new and vibrant entity. As a step in this direction, the congregation on January 27, 2012 adopted a fresh and clear mission statement that will guide us into the future. Our mission is “to send forth disciples of Christ.” This speaks to the work of formation internally and our focus outward to Grand Island and the world around us.
As we go forward, we are looking for a person of faith who desires to grow with us. We are looking for a person who appreciates the importance of a powerful worship experience and the role of music. We are looking for a person to serve as our Minister of Music who is oriented toward playing an important role in shaping lives. This occurs as we minister to one another.
We are open to multiple styles of music. We have a good organ but expect the use of piano regularly and other instruments occasionally. We desire good vocal lead and appreciate it when the lead person can provide some of it. We have a relatively small cadre who make up the choir but one which performs very credibly.
At the present time, our needs are essentially oriented to Sunday. We have two services, one at 8:00 a.m. and one at 10:30. Most of our rehearsals and work with individuals or small groups is done between the services or after the late service. We conceive of the position requiring on site work mostly Sunday mornings. The exceptions are the occasional midweek services such as at holidays and Holy Week. Responsibilities include collaborating with the Pastor in the selection of music for congregational singing and the liturgy. The minister of music is responsible for selecting and coordinating all other music.
For terms of hire and further information, please contact:
Pastor Dean Hunneshagen at 773-4400 or 440-7739
(posted February 16, 2012)
Lydia Shiposki, Director of STLCCC
Lydia has been director of STLCCC since 2005. Prior to this leadership role, Lydia was our Senior Pre-K teacher. Lydia earned her degree in Early Childhood Development from SUNY at Buffalo. Residing in Niagara Falls with her husband and two children, Lydia has enjoyed working with children for 26 years!
Church Office Manager
Adrienne Neutz
Church Board President
Carol Wright