Since 1992, Community Lutheran Church has been located in the Cascades Town Center in Sterling, Virginia. Founded in 1972, the congregation currently numbers about 750 active members, of whom 450 are confirmed.

In September 1969, The American Lutheran Church purchased a three acre site for a new mission start in Sterling. In August of 1970, the Rev. Glen H. Nelson arrived to begin the new congregation. On April 23^rd, 1972, a Service of Organization was held and Pastor Nelson was installed as the first Pastor of the congregation which chose as its name Community Lutheran Church (CLC).

The congregation met in various locations until the summer of 1973, when it began to share Sterling Middle School along with Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.

Pastor Nelson resigned in July 1975, and Pastor Edward W. Simonsen was installed on February 1^st, 1976. Later that year, the process began which led toward the building of a church facility at the corner of Highway 7 and Route 637. Groundbreaking was held in October 1978, and on May 1980, the congregation began worship in its new facility, with Dedication taking place later that year on September 7^th. A small building was constructed on the site to house activities of the ecumenical service organization, LINK, which this congregation had helped form in the early 1970s.

Pastor Craig M. Endicott was installed as the third Pastor at Community on October 6^th, 1985.

On January 1^st, 1988, The American Lutheran Church united with other Lutheran church bodies to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This congregation became part of the newly formed Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod of the ELCA. Pastor Endicott served this parish until July 1988.

Pastor Paul D. Opsahl began serving as the fourth Pastor of CLC in November 1988. In early 1989, a Feasibility Study Committee was established to look into possible building and site plans. In September of that year, the congregation voted unanimously to relocate approximately one mile away to its present site, and to sell its property to the Community Church, the Rev. Arlie Whitlow, Pastor. On August 26^th, 1990, the last worship service was held in the original facility, and the congregation moved in procession to the intersection of Palisades Parkway and Whitfield Place in Cascades for a blessing of the new site. During the interim, worship services and Sunday School were conducted at Algonkian Elementary School, with office space generously provided by the Guilford Fellowship, an affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Rev. James Ailor, Pastor.

The building process slowed as the nation’s economic climate became more unfavorable. With architectural and financial assistance from the ELCA, however, loan documents and building plans were readied for congregational approval in November 1991. Groundbreaking was held November 17, 1991, with Bishop E. Harold Jansen present for the event. Actual construction began in March 1992.

On April 26, 1992, the congregation celebrated its first twenty years of life and mission at a festival service at which former Pastor Craig M. Endicott preached the Anniversary sermon.

Cornerstone Laying for the new building took place October 4^th, 1992. On the afternoon of November 8^th, the first service was held in the new facility, celebrating the Ordination of Pastor Geri A. Opsahl, with Bishop Harold Jansen as Ordinator, Pastor Paul Opsahl as homilist, and Professor Eric Gritsch from Gettysburg Seminary as Presenter. Building Dedication followed on Sunday, February 7^th, 1993, with Bishop Jansen preaching and former Pastors bringing greetings.

In April, 1997, the congregation began a year-long celebration of its 25^th Anniversary of ministry and mission. Bishop Theodore F. Schneider preached at the festival service, and former Pastors, Vicars, and members were present as specially invited guests.

Emerging educational needs led to an expansion program, and on October 15^th, 2000, Bishop Theodore F. Schneider dedicated the new classroom and social hall space.

CLC has been blessed with a number of seminary student interns. The first was Laura Griffin, 1983-84; in 1995-96, Anne Dwiggins; in 1996-97, Lillian Nicolai; and in 1998-99 Marsha Gallagher; all from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg.

From 1999 – 2000, CLC’s Vicar was Tiffany Towberman, who graduated from the Lutheran Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. In February 2001, she was ordained in her former congregation in Ohio. She was then installed as Associate Pastor at CLC on May 6^th by Bishop Theodore F. Schneider, in a service at which her Father, the Rev. Alden W. Towberman, preached the sermon.

The congregation has added several new functioning ministry teams to the congregation council in recent years. In 1996, a Hedgerow Habitat Trail, had been dedicated, and in 1998 an Earthkeeping Ministry was added to the Council, along with another new Council position, Spiritual Nurture, a spin-off from the Ministry of Evangelism. In 2001, an additional ministry, Technology, was added to harness the potential of emerging communication possibilities.

A Long Range Plan adopted in 1991, and updated periodically through the years, has been helpful in discovering and meeting new challenges. One example of a dream realized is a highly successful Pre-School, which began operating in the Fall of 2001 and has already expanded to include afternoon as well as morning sessions. The Director of Community Kids Christian Pre-School is Joan Dedman.

In November of 2002, CLC celebrated two anniversaries: its 30^th as a congregation and the 10^th in its present mission facility. Pastor Geri Opsahl, whose Ordination had coincided with the initial worship in the new building, preached the Anniversary sermon.

On April 23, 2006 Pastor Paul preached at a service to honor his ministry and to begin the retirement phase of his life. The people of Community joyfully pray that God blesses Paul's retirement as much as his ministry life was blessed.

The people of this Congregation move forward prayerfully with the promise of Ephesians 3:20-21 in their hearts:

We warmly invite you to join us as a welcome partner in spreading the Good News about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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