We believe that all those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are part of the one Christian Church. The name “Lutheran” refers to our historical roots in the efforts of Martin Luther to reform the Church in the 16th Century. Lutherans are one of the largest mainline Christian denominations in the United States. Lutheran Christians have a unique identity that is rooted in the Lutheran Confessions, writings which help Lutherans understand how it is that God is at work in our lives, and which serves as an anchor to keep us firmly in Christ. The most famous of these writings is Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.
On Thanksgiving night, November 26, 1953, at the American Legion Hall, the first Lutheran worship service was held in Twentynine Palms. The congregation called itself Immanuel Lutheran Church and affiliated itself with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. And on November 3, 1963, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was organized as a congregation of the Lutheran Church in America, having begun worshiping in the American Legion Hall in October of 1962.
By 1971, Prince of Peace was struggling to pay their mortgage and approached Immanuel to see if they might use their building for worship. Arrangements were made for the two congregations to hold joint Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible School and Lutheran Women’s group meetings. Prince of Peace began worshiping in a separate service lead by Immanuel’s pastor, Rev. Goetzke. The two congregations quickly discovered that two separate services were unnecessary. So after careful planning and the working out of a special liturgy that combined the traditions of both churches, the two congregations conducted their first joint worship service on Reformation Sunday, October 31, 1971. Four weeks later, both congregations voted to continue worshiping together.
During the next year, the two congregations grew closer and closer together, until they were inseparable and indistinguishable. Their ministries became one. In October 1972, the two congregations elected a joint Church Council to handle administrative affairs of the now-united congregation. With each congregation responsible to its affiliate Lutheran body for mission and benevolence pledges, the people became very mission-minded. It was decided that both names should be kept instead of coming up with something new, to demonstrate to other Lutherans and to the community, the unique and special unity of Immanuel Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
For the 38 years since then, IPOP has been served by Pastors Wm. Goetzke (LC-MS), Norbert Muellor (LC-MS), John Hershberger (LCA, now called ELCA) and Joseph Matoush (ELCA).
Over the years, the join fellowship grew closer so that in rather short order, no one really knew who belonged to which congregation. Although each legal corporate identity was maintained, in practice the faith community was a seamless weave. Church funds were co-mingled and the church body was led by a joint church council consisting of 10 persons.
That was the situation until now. On Reformation Sunday 2009, a now smaller number of parishioners belong to Immanuel Lutheran Church voted unanimously to dissolve and sever its relationship with LC-MS. Each individual member still maintains LC-MS membership and can choose which course of action is appropriate for their circumstance. January 2010 at a congregational meeting, a motion was offered and passed to change the name of the remaining Prince of Peace Lutheran Church to Immanuel Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. This was done to recognize and preserve the rich join history of worship enjoyed by both the “I” and the “POP”.
Since Pastor Joe Matoush (who also served Faith Lutheran of Joshua Tree) retired n September 2010 we are now served by Interim Pastor Ron Geikow until our new pastor is called. May God bless us all in His service.