Separation of Church & State

Brief History About RedeemerRedeemer is the fifth oldest congregation of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod in San Antonio. Organized in the spring of 1942, Redeemer actually has roots going back as far as the fall of 1937. In October of that year, tent services sponsored by the Lutheran Men's Club of San Antonio, in cooperation with the Pastor's Conference, were conducted on Grammercy Place between Fredericksburg Road and Elmendorf, near the Woodlawn Community Center.Known as the Woodlawn Terrace Mission, we moved from tent services to holding services in the Monticello Building, which was located at 1921 Fredericksburg Road. While attendance at worship in those early days averaged from twenty to thirty souls, in October 1940, Woodlawn Terrace Mission was declared a permanent station.Ground-breaking ceremonies for the permanent chapel were conducted on November 2, 1941, and building operations began on November 26. Steel had already been restricted before building operations began, so materials were scarce. In spite of the outbreak of World War II on December 7, 1941, the Lord allowed building operations to continue without interruption. On January 25, 1942, the cornerstone was laid. While austere conditions prevailed throughout the construction, and in spite of the outbreak of World War II, a gracious wonderful God enabled the building to continue without interruption. The church dedication was held on Palm Sunday, March 29, 1942.