Genesis
Three of Faith Lutheran's newest members pose
with the new building in 1962
Photo courtesy Robert & Sally Vogel Collection, Gardner
Family Collection
Faith Lutheran's original building is all about beginnings. Faith's history began as an endeavor of faith, when a young pastor, the newly ordained Robert L. Vogel just two weeks out of seminary, arrived in Golden in 1960. He was sent here by the American Lutheran Church to establish a new Lutheran congregation here. Bob Vogel had already done much in faithful service, having been president of the national Luther League, but organizing a whole new congregation was a tall order, something usually done by a seasoned, charismatic minister in Golden's history. But Vogel was energetic and charistmatic too, with a special gift for reaching out to young people in this college community. On September 19, 1960 meetings began to form a new congregation at what would become the Parsonage at 405 Ford Street.
Vogel immediately reached out to the community, and quickly advertisements with his purposeful crew-cut face appeared in many issues of the Transcript newspaper, offering compelling reasons to come check out the new congregation, which began worshipping in Golden's Seventh Day Adventist Church. On February 5, 1961 Faith Lutheran Church was officially organized, Golden's largest organizing congregation to this day, less than 6 months after Vogel had arrived. Soon the congregation eagerly sought to build a new church home of their own, acquiring land on the southern slopes of South Table Mountain to do so.