By B.C. Manion
Atonement Lutheran Church is a busy place on Wednesday mornings.
That’s when people stream in to pick up food at the Wesley Chapel church’s Helping Hands Food Pantry.
It’s a ministry that began in the spring of 2009 and has helped thousands of people since then.
“It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” said Scott Lindner, pastor of the church for the past six years. “It’s very visible.”
The ministry is one of many at the church, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The ministry began with the simple desire to feed the homeless, Lindner said. “It kind of morphed into a food pantry.”
After the Christmas dinner, some of the people who put it on said they wanted to open a food bank, Lindner said.
“At first, we talked about having it open once a month,” Lindner said. “People insisted, ‘No, if we’re going to do this, we want to be there for people. We’re going to do it once a week.’ … I admit, I was one of the naysayers. I said, ‘We’re just too small. We don’t have enough volunteers.’
“People said, ‘You just step aside, pastor,’” Lindner continued. “‘We’ll take care of this.’ And, they did.”
The ministry is helped by donations from Sweetbay, Publix, Bagelicous and Grace Family Church, Lindner said. He added, many service clubs also pitch in.
“It’s the community that makes this work,” the pastor said.
The church understands, firsthand, what it feels like to struggle.
“It was on the verge of closing down,” Lindner said.
That was in 2003, well before the current pastor arrived.
“They had come into some financial difficulty once they got this building, and they had trouble making the mortgage. There was some conflict. People left,” Lindner said.
Nils Lenz, who is chairman of the church’s anniversary committee, remembers it well.
“We were down to 20 and 30 per service,” Lenz said.
The church has rebounded since then and now reaches out to serve the community in many ways.
In addition to the food pantry, the church opens its doors to groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, scout troops and Relay for Life organizers, Lindner said. A Hispanic congregation also uses the facility for its Saturday service.
“We’ve kind of made a decision that this building is God’s, not ours,” Lindner said. So, it shares its space with organizations that are providing service that they believe aligns with God’s work.
Outreach is nothing new for Atonement Lutheran.
In its early days, it drummed up members by knocking on more than 3,000 doors in the community extending an invitation to join them.
Atonement Lutheran had its first worship service on Nov. 1, 1987 at J.F. Hunt’s restaurant. It had 117 members.
It has had six pastors throughout the years, including those serving interim appointments. The first pastor was Matthew Cox, who came from Montana.
When church leaders began making plans for Atonement’s 25th birthday, they had to decide whether to celebrate the anniversary of its first worship service or when it was officially chartered as part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at the Professional Building of Wesley Chapel.
They chose to honor the anniversary of the church’s first worship service.
Atonement has had three locations during its quarter-century history. It began at the restaurant, moved to the professional building and then moved in 1992 to its current home at 29617 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel.
About 150 families are registered at the church, coming from communities including Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.
When Lindner arrived, he began looking at ways to enliven the worship service.
He also looked for ways to get church members more involved.
“I really looked at who was here and what their talents were,” Lindner said, noting that the number of ministries grew.
“We believe everybody is gifted by God. Everybody has a talent, an ability, a passion, something that was given to them uniquely to tie in with what God is doing,” Lindner said.
As it looks toward its future, the church is planning a $114,000 facelift to the front of the church in 2013.
It is also launching a $300,000 capital campaign to pay for a multipurpose building behind the church.
The new building will enable the church to gather as a community for meals. It may also have classrooms, so the church can use the building for a daycare or school, Lindner said.
Atonement Lutheran anniversary events
Nov. 1 at 5:30 p.m., ribbon cutting and open house at the church with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, 29617 SR 54.
Nov. 3 from noon to 4:30 p.m., church celebration and luncheon, Quail Hollow Country Club, 6225 Old Pasco Road at Wesley Chapel. Tickets are $10 or free for kids younger than 5. For tickets, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491 or email .
Nov. 4 at 10 a.m., Bishop Ed Benaway will preach with fellowship to follow.
Atonement Lutheran Church milestones
—1985: The Florida Synod of the Lutheran Church in America, the predecessor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, purchases 13.3 acres for a church on SR 54.
—1987: The church’s first pastor, Matthew G. Cox arrives. The church has its first worship service on Nov. 1, 1987 at J.F. Hunt’s Restaurant.
—1988: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) forms on Jan. 1, 1988, merging the Lutheran Church in America and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, after years of discussion.
—1988: Atonement Lutheran Church is organized as a congregation of the new ELCA on March 27, 1988, at the Professional Building of Wesley Chapel Village Market. It began with 117 charter members.
—1992: Groundbreaking for the new church was on June 21, 1992. The building was finished in early 1993 at a cost of $796,000.
—2009: The church opens its Helping Hands Food Pantry. It also sold frontage for $360,000 to accommodate the widening of SR 54.
—2010: A youth group from Atonement goes on a mission trip to Tallulah, La., to help start a community Bible school and help clean up in the aftermath of tornadoes.
—2012: A new parking lot is constructed and new landscaping is completed. Church celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Third annual Help Stock our Shelves Pancake Breakfast and Fall Festival
When: Nov. 10, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
What: pancake breakfast, games, pony rides, bounce house, dunk the pastor, face painting, duck pond, clown, popcorn and more.
Participants are asked to bring canned goods to help those in need at Thanksgiving and to help stock the pantry.
Where: 29617 SR 54 in Wesley Chapel
