History of St. Matthew

Welcome to the St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church family. We pray that the Lord will bless your membership with us. You are invited to be a part of any and all of the activities of St. Matthew and become an active participant in this congregation.

A BRIEF HISTORY
In 1962, thirteen families from Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Dayton and four families from Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Fairborn merged into a group that was interested in establishing a congregation in the rapidly expanding community of Huber Heights. In June 1962, St. Matthew Lutheran Church was officially established as a mission congregation of the Missouri Synod.

On July 1, 1962, the Rev. James E. Juergensen, a graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, was commissioned first as missionary-at-large and later as the first pastor of St. Matthew. On September 16, 1962, the new congregation held its first service in the Wayne High School cafeteria. Soon after, the congregation launched its first building program. Two years later, on October 11, 1964, two services were held to dedicate the new church building and the educational unit. A new education wing was added in 1972 and in 1988 a new Sanctuary and Narthex were added to the church complex.

In the more than 50-year history of St. Matthew, the church has had five senior pastors: Rev. James E. Juergensen, 1962-1971; Rev. Paul Tomasovic, 1971-1973; Rev. Melvin F. Younger, 1973-1999; Rev. William Schreiber, 2001-2013; and Rev. Kelly W. Reagan, 2015-present.