History

Salem Lutheran Church of Woodbury has been serving the community for over 140 years with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The congregation began in 1863, when a number of German-speaking families issued a call for pastoral services. The first church building was completed in 1866, but in less than ten years a larger building was necessary, which was dedicated in May of 1876. That facility served the congregation until 1990, when the congregation began worshipping in the current facility about at the current location, which is 1 1/2 miles west of the old location, where only the church cemetery remains. In May of 1990, the current worship facility was dedicated. By September, 1996, the distinctive stained glass windows were donated and installed.    

 As the community continued to grow, Salem saw an opportunity to reach out with a Christian education program. A two classrooom addition was completed in 2005, and a preschool began in January of 2005. From 4 students enrolled in that first half-year, the prechool has grown to a max capacity of 30 students in the 2008-2009 school year. Each year, the preschool has expanded, either adding a new class, or a teacher's aide that allows the class size to increase. Plans are in place to exapnd the class size once again in 2009 - 2010. Over the years, Salem has experienced two mergers with other Lutheran congregations in the area. In 1987, Mt. Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, lcoated in the Highwood area of St. Paul, joined offically closed and joined with Salem. In 2005, Risen Savior Lutheran Church, a small mission church in Woodbury, closed and joined with Salem. Through these mergers, along with the rapidly changing community over the years, Salem has been "reborn" as a new and vibrant congregation that reflects the community in which it is located. 

In May of 2009, the congregation went forward with plans for the addition of a Kindergarten program, to compliment the existing preschool program and make use of the additional classroom that was built in 2005. Along with that, other programs were added, including parent-toddler classes and a school days off program. These and other community outreach events have enhanced awareness and engaged the membership over the past several years, as many new faces have come through Salem's doors.

But while much has changed over the 140 plus years, both at Salem and the community that surrounds it, something has remained the same. The grace of a loving God, expressed perfectly and fully in Jesus our Savior, has not changed. And throughout the history of Salem, that grace will continue to sustain us and give us reason for joyful expression of our faith.