145th Anniversary Announcement…
Founded in 1880 by Danish immigrants, Lutheran Community Church (95 Alta Vista, Watsonville) celebrates 145 years of multicultural worship, education, outreach and service on Sunday, September 21, 2025. A festive bilingual Spanish/English worship service will take place at 9:30 am, followed by a lunch reception and program. Bishop Jeff Johnson, of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will be joining us. All are welcome and encouraged to celebrate with us and get to know our many friends!
Over the years, Lutheran Community Church (LCC) has received honors and awards from the City of Watsonville, the California Legislature and many partners in its expanding vision to become a bilingual, antiracist and multicultural congregation that is a healing, reconciling and unifying presence in the Pajaro Valley.
Lutheran Community Church, originally known as the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watsonville, has been a fully inclusive bilingual congregation for decades and has long been a congregation that has championed the dignity and worth of all people.
Beginning in 1968, Lutheran Community Church provided a much needed, widely known pre-school education program serving thousands of families until 2016. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake left so many in our community homeless, Lutheran Community Church joined with other churches to provide meals and shelter to those in need. Lutheran Community has steadfastly continued this commitment over the years, and has provided thousands of meals and many nights of shelter in their facilities. Service and building partnerships with the greater community is its “DNA.”
In 2003, after the flooding and devastation of the Pajaro Valley, Lutheran Community Church gathered with other houses of faith and institutions to found the Communities Organized for Relational Power (COPA). COPA continues to organize the community around issues such as affordable housing, healthcare access, safety, immigration, education and economic development. In 2007, Lutheran Community Church co-sponsored with two other churches (Mt. Calvary Lutheran in Soquel and Trinity Lutheran in Watsonville with the later participation of Watsonville 1st United Methodist Church) the Community Information Center for Migrant Assistance (CIMA), which assisted countless immigrants with obtaining records, applying for US Citizenship and legal support. This project was an expression of God’s calling to identify with the “alien and stranger” in our midst and join the struggle for justice and equality. In 2015, when our local jails were used to house immigrants awaiting deportation, Lutheran Community Church joined the Santa Cruz County Latino Affairs Commission and its efforts to hold our then-sheriff accountable. In 2015, Lutheran Community Church became publicly affirming of LGBTQA+ persons as a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. These are but a sample of many stories of service and empowerment.
Currently, Lutheran Community Church hosts the Alta Vista Neighborhood Parking Lot Sale (“La Pulga”) each Saturday, which is an established economic support for many families. Lutheran Community Church provides shelter for the Association of Faith Communities on Sunday nights. Lutheran Community Church celebrates their work with Second Harvest Food Bank, the Salvation Army, Tierras Milperas Gardens, Community Life Services, Teen Kitchen, many community Support Groups, Santa Cruz El Salvador, Immigration Action Group, the Community Information Center for Migrant Assistance (CIMA) and Communities Organized for Relational Power (COPA).
Introducing Pastor Trudy…
Lutheran Community Church is pleased to announce the arrival of Pastor Trudy Franzen in October 2024. Pastor Franzen grew up in Southern California and attended CSU, Fresno, where she earned a degree in Spanish and minored in Music. She taught Spanish, English, and English as a Second Language for eleven years before beginning theological study at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and was ordained to Word and Sacrament Ministry in 2007. She is married to Gary and has five children: Nency, Nereida, Grace, John, and Amy. Although she has yet to achieve high yields, she loves to work in her garden. She is also a glass mosaic artist and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. Her many interests in ministry include Full Inclusion, Service with the Community and Multicultural Ministry.
Who we are…
Lutheran Community Church is a congregation that embraces all of God’s people and celebrates the diversity we have been given in our community. Our worship is bilingual and multicultural. We sing and read in Spanish sometimes and in English at times, following the bold print in the bulletin. At other moments in our service we will also be worshipping in both languages at the same time. Every Sunday is a Pentecost experience! The Spanish and English are usually written alongside each other so that we can all follow at all times. Please feel free to use either or both languages as you are comfortable and know that you are most welcome to join us as we explore the adventure and blessing of being the people of God in this place.
Lutheran Community Church 