ABOUT ST. JOHN'S
St. John's Lutheran Church was founded in 1791 and has seen many changes over its 234-year history! From the frontier days of the late 18th century to the latest technological advancements of the 21st century, the congregation continues to adapt to new challenges.
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The church building has undergone many transformations as has the congregation! Originally founded as a "Union" church (meaning there were two congregations - one Lutheran and one Reformed - which shared the church building), St. John's has been a part of different parish ministries over its history. In 1965, the Reformed church and the Lutheran church had both grown to the point that a joint building was no longer working. A vote was taken by both congregations and the Reformed congregation (also named St. John's) relocated to a vacant church building in Friedensburg.
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Today, St. John's Lutheran Church remains a church where all are welcome to come and experience the goodness of God! We offer two worship services. At 9:00am, we gather for traditional Lutheran worship and at 11:00am we come together for a contemporary worship service. In between the services, at 10:00am on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month, our children gather for Sunday School. Whichever service you choose to attend, please know that you are always welcome here!
WHO WE ARE
We are people - from all circumstances and walks of life - who come together to worship God.
We are sinners who gather together to give thanks to God for the gift of salvation given to us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
We are saints, empowered and sent by the Holy Spirit to bear the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
STAFF
The Rev. Matthew Carpenter
Pastor
Pastor Matthew Carpenter grew up in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania where his parents still reside. He graduated from Boyertown Area High School in 2003. He then continued his education at Gwynedd Mercy University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History and Certification in Secondary Education in 2007. He received his Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg in 2011. As a part of his seminary education, he spent a year on internship where he served six churches in and around Rural Retreat, Virginia. Pastor Matt was ordained in 2011 and began his ministry at Grace Lutheran Church in East Tawas, Michigan where he served for nine years. His family then moved to Defiance Ohio in the summer of 2020, where Pastor Matt served at Bethlehem Lutheran Church near Okolona until December 2024. Pastor Matt began serving as the pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in January 2025. He enjoys movies, sports cars, cooking, target shooting, fishing, and spending time with his wife and children.
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Deacon Mandy Carpenter
Deacon Mandy Carpenter was born in Muscatine, Iowa. Her family moved around northern Missouri and Iowa due to her father’s first career in retail management and his second career as an ordained pastor in the ELCA. She graduated from Pella High School in 2005 and Wartburg College in 2009, with a Bachelor of Arts in both History and Religion. She attended Luther Seminary, receiving her Master of Arts in History of Christianity in 2013. Deacon Mandy served as the nursing home chaplain for The Tawas Area Ministerial Association, where she led worship and provided pastoral care for four different nursing homes in the Tawas area for seven years. She was consecrated as a deacon in 2019 and took her first call at St. Paul Lutheran Church in AuGres, Michigan which ended in August 2020 when her family moved to Ohio. There, Deacon Mandy served a two-point parish (Bethlehem/St. Mark’s Lutheran Churches) in Defiance, Ohio until December 2024. Deacon Mandy started serving as the deacon of St. John's Lutheran Church in January 2025. She enjoys reading, cross-stitching, gardening, fishing, and spending time with her wonderful husband and kids.
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Pastor Matt and Deacon Mandy met in 2008 in Waverly, Iowa. They were married in 2011 and together they have four children: Gabriel, Cecilia, Michael and Isaac.
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