"How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the fragnant anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard, and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing even life forevermore. "

Psalm 133

Church Beginnings

The present Latvian Evangelical Lutheran United Church was founded when two other older Kalamazoo Latvian churches joined and pooled their assets in 1995.

After World War II, the new Latvian emigres who came to Kalamazoo, founded the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Latvian Church on December 1, 1949, with pastor Jānis Turks serving the congregation. Initially, the church services were held in the Kalamazoo Trinity Lutheran Church. Then later the congregation decided to build its own church, and the new church building was dedicated on December 10, 1961. Pastor Turks served the church until his retirement in 1992. Pastor Leons Vīksne then replaced pastor Turks.

On August 12, 1950 another Latvian congregation was born - the Kalamazoo Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Kristaps Hermanis from Grand Rapids served the church until 1951 when pastor Arturs Piebalgs assumed those duties until his retirement in 1985. The church held its services in the Zion Lutheran church until 1965, when the congregation purchased a church building on Portage and Rose streets. Following pastor Piebalgs retirement, pastor Leons Vīksne was called to serve the congregation.

In 1991, pastor Vīksne was serving both Latvian churches. At that time both congregations began merger talks, and on January 1, 1995 the congregations agreed to use the St. John sanctuary for the church services, and sold the other church building. Following the retirement of pastor Vīksne at the end of 2003, pastor Biruta Puiķe was called to serve the congregation.

All regular Sunday services have always been in Latvian, and continues to be so in the future, with the occasional exceptions for baptism, weddings, funerals or some special church functions. At this time, the congregation does not have sufficient numbers of English only speaking members to warrant a special service also in English.