Hope Lutheran Church has merged with the former St. John Lutheran Church to form the new Hope Lutheran Church Lake Weir Campus. The Lake Weir property includes the church building, which was completed in 1997, as well as the church’s lakefront land and the parsonage.
The merger was made official on June 4.
St. John Lutheran Church opened in 1922 at another location near Lake Weir. The new church building was finished in 1997 after a donation of land from the estate of Esther Anderson and her brother, Howard Smith. The church has accommodated the activities of many ministries, as well as groups from the Boy and Girl Scouts of America and Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Hope Lutheran Church Lake Weir campus is now an extension of Hope Lutheran Church, which has been serving the communities in and around The Villages since 1998. Hope Lutheran Church Central Campus has more than 2,000 members and over 60 active ministries.
The merger was punctuated by shared congregational activity at both campuses, as well as the welcoming of Lake Weir members to the Hope Lutheran community. A larger merger event is planned for the future.
