NATIVITY
LUTHERAN
CHURCH
History
The beginnings of Nativity Lutheran Church start well
before the actual establishment of the congregation. In
the early 1960s, the New England Synod of the Lutheran
Church in America (LCA) began to survey the Rockland
area to determine the potential for establishing a
Lutheran mission. The Synod discovered enough potential
to warrant a mission, and the LCA began to set plans in
motion to establish  its newest congregation.

In July 1963, the Board of American Missions assigned the Reverend Peter J. DeRuiter -- fresh from
seminary -- to serve as Nativity’s first pastor. Then in September 1963, the LCA purchased the 53-acre
Perry Rich farm on Old County Road in Rockport, where this small group of people, excited and eager to have
their own congregation, worked together to convert the loafing barn or cattle shed into a place of worship;
they hoped to later build a church on a plot of land on the opposite side Old County Road. This conversion led
the congregation to take the name Nativity. The congregation remodeled the attached house – the birthplace
of Hanson Crockett Gregory, the inventor of the doughnut hole – and it became the parsonage for Pastor and
Mrs. DeRuiter. As work progressed on the building, the new group met at the Community Building in Rockland
until they completed the work on the new sanctuary.

As Nativity began to come into existence, a number of its new members came from a small, struggling Lutheran
congregation in Thomaston. This congregation was Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and was a part of the Finnish
Suomi Synod. Uncertain about its future, Holy Trinity had earlier moved out of its building and was meeting
in Rockland. The eventual closing of Holy Trinity provided Nativity with a strong nucleus of people to help in
its establishment.

By November of 1963, the congregation had completed renovation on the building and parsonage. On
November 27, Thanksgiving Eve, the first worship service was held in the new sanctuary. On March 1, 1964,
Organization Day, Synod President O. Karl Olander accepted Nativity into the New England Synod of the
Lutheran Church in America with a total of 74 members on the rolls. On March 10, 1964, Nativity was
incorporated with the State of Maine. Pastor DeRuiter was installed on July 19, 1964 and served the
congregation until June of 1965 when he left to become a chaplain in the United States Navy.

Reverend Ronald B. Wisecarver was installed as Nativity’s second pastor on August 29, 1965. He served until
April 1968 when he accepted a call to serve Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bangor.
Reverend George M. Stadler and his family arrived at
Nativity in June 1968. Pastor Stadler brought the
experience and dedication to make Nativity a viable and
active congregation, and he established a vibrant Sunday
school program, building on the successes of the previous
pastors. This was not to be an easy task because of severe
financial constraints and a small membership. However,
Nativity overcame problems  paid off debts, and at the
service on July 27, 1974, burned its note of
indebtedness. Six years later, Nativity went off mission
status. Despite budget constraints, Nativity was able to reach out and minister to the needs of the community.
Renovations and additions to the church building also occurred. In 1979, the house serving as the parsonage was
demolished after a failed attempt to move it, and the barn was sold and moved across Old County Road. The
congregation added a 20-foot addition to the north end of the sanctuary: they also added a narthex and
steeple. In January 1986, Pastor Stadler retired from full-time ministry and now lives in South Thomaston.
Reverend Robert G. Gustavson’s arrived in October of
1986. He had graduated  from Yale Divinity School in
1981 and had previously served at Immanuel Lutheran
Church in Holden, Massachusetts. Pastor Gustavson
served us well until he accepted a call to Emmaus
Lutheran Church in Falmouth, Maine in 1994. During the
time he served, we were able to reach further into the
community and serve more people with needs as well as
local charitable organizations. Pastor Gustavson also
helped Nativity to become more involved ecumenically in

the area. By 1989, our membership had increased to 156. Nativity also acquired a new pipe organ during
Pastor Gustavson’s leadership, and the church office became computerized. In 1988 the Nativity was part of
the merger among the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, and the Association of
Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America. This merger created the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
which is the largest Lutheran body in the United States.
Reverend Glenn Palmer came to serve Nativity in June 1995. Pastor
Palmer was a newly ordained pastor, who had graduated from the
Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and he was also a Maine
native from Bath. He served us well until he went into active duty in the
Army in May 2002, as a chaplain. During that time he was able to build
on the success of previous pastors as regards Nativity’s outreach,
ecumenical matters, and involvement in the community. Nativity was also
able to modernize the sanctuary. Pastor Palmer also helped us plan for
the eventual expansion of our church facility.

Reverend William Luger served as interim pastor until the arrival of
Reverend Jerry LiaBraaten in April 2003.
Pastor Jerry LiaBraaten came to us after
graduating from Wartburg Seminary in Iowa and
serving congregations in Virginia since 1986. Pastor
LiaBraaten brings experience and dedication to keep
us moving forward. Since his arrival, much has
happened at Nativity, such as the installation of our  
new Rodgers organ -- but most exciting, was the
groundbreaking that took place in June 2005 for
Nativity’s new sanctuary AND our first worship
service in that sanctuary on Sunday, July 23, 2006.

And this is only the beginning!
179 Old County Road
207-594-4665