The first Lutheran worship services in the Parksville area were held in 1937 by pastoral student Hans Petersen, who was based in Port Alberni. His main mode of travel was hitchhiking, as he traveled up and down the entire east side of the Island. After his departure, services were sporadic until, in 1949, Rev. Gordon Schultz was called to Port Alberni. He arranged for regular services to be held in a succession of churches in Coombs, and then in the United Church here in Parksville. The use of these buildings, which continued into the early 1960s, was a great blessing to the small group.

  The next breakthrough came in 1974 when Pastor Carl Beiderwieden began serving Parksville on a regular basis and helped our little assembly become formally organized as a congregation. Worship services were held at Sands Funeral Home. In 1977, the Alberta-BC District purchased a double-wide mobile on Wembley Road, which became both a chapel and a residence for pastoral student Dan Georg.  was assigned to our congregation to serve a one-year vicarage here. The next year, 1978, Rev. Ernie Lassman was installed as our first full-time pastor and, during his time here, with the help of a loan from the Alberta-BC District, we were able to purchase the Sands Funeral Home at 795 Island Highway West. Soon after moving in, our congregation’s willing workers installed a kitchen and converted the hearse drive-through into a fellowship hall.

  In 1984, Rev. Lassman moved to Chilliwack, and in July 1985, we welcomed Pastor Arnie Jurchen, his wife Tamara, and their children. Under his leadership, our passion for community outreach flourished. Almost 250 people attended one Christmas Eve service, and our Vacation Bible School grew to become one of the biggest in Lutheran Church-Canada.

  Following Pastor Jurchen’s departure in 1996, Rev. Robert Hasselstrom of Port Alberni served as our vacancy pastor until Rev. Bob Koebernick arrived in February, 1998. His driving passion and enthusiasm was contagious. Our Vacation Bible School grew even more. Shelley Brown, an artistically gifted member of the congregation, designed a stained-glass window for our 25^th anniversary in 1999. The artisan commissioned to do the work, Rolf Bernstein, suffered health issues and the installation was delayed. Once it was installed, it truly enhanced our little church.

  In 2000, a new outreach ministry called “The BC Mission Boat” set sail. The BC Mission Boat Society was formed, adding a board of directors as it expanded over the years. Over time, The BC Mission Boat evolved into a land-based ministry, utilizing the ferry system and water taxis. Our Saviour Lutheran Church is proud to have been the BC Mission Boat’s home base for many years, and we continue to be strong partners with the group following its strategic move to Courtenay in 2019.

  In September 2006, Pastor Bob was called home to the Lord. Pastor Irwin Pudrycki (‘Pastor Pud’, as he preferred to be called), who was visiting our lovely community at the time, agreed to be our interim Pastor. He served from October 2006 to the end of February 2007. His wife Donna created three beautiful sets of paraments for our Altar. One was gifted to the congregation. The other two were commissioned by Church Council. Even now, these paraments are proudly displayed at the appropriate seasons of the church year.

  Pastor Craig Tufts answered our call in May 2007. He and his wife Donna, a superb musician, were ‘instrumental’ in forming a choir and guiding the update of the sound system so all the congregation could hear all the words of God. They helped us sponsor some exciting Vacation Bible Schools, continue a family group, and later organize a youth group which reached several unchurched youth.

  In April 2013, Pastor Tufts took a call to Vernon. We were blessed that Pastor Bryan Rosnau had retired to our community and filled the void as our interim pastor until Pastor Mark Smith accepted our call. He and his wife Darlene arrived in April 2014 from Fort McMurray, and retired to Washington State in July, 2020. During this time, a new outreach venture, “LifeTree Café,” fostered numerous contacts with the wider community, while Bible studies deepened our roots in Scripture and the Pony Express program strengthened our commitment to the Lord’s work.

  The congregation of Our Saviour Lutheran Church was served by another team of willing workers during the pandemic while awaiting a new pastor. We are deeply thankful for the help of Andy Pickard, who led on-line worship services for an entire year, facilitated by Al Pastars and Gary Zielke.

  With God’s blessing and guidance, we look forward to a new chapter with Pastor Chambers and Brenda, who welcome our support and prayers as we work together in God’s mission field, Oceanside.