Historical Highlights
July 11, 1943 – First service was conducted by Rev. Arthur Haake at the Empire Theatre on West Portal Avenue with 127 people in attendance.
January, 1944 – Congregation numbered 125 souls with 30 communicant members.
April 10, 1944 – Congregation was formally organized with 11 charter members.
June, 1944 – West Portal Lutheran Church was received into membership of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
September, 1944 – Fund drive was begun to purchase a building site.
December, 1944 – First annual budget was adopted. Total budget for 1944 was $6,768.08.
April, 1945 – Church site was purchased.
May 27, 1947 – Ground-breaking service
October 19, 1947 – Laying of the cornerstone
January 1, 1948 – West Portal Lutheran Church became a self-sustaining congregation.
March 14, 1948 – Dedication of West Portal Lutheran Church and parsonage at 200 Sloat Boulevard
September, 1951 – Elementary school dedicated. First part of school opened with 59 children and 4 classrooms.
1951 (to 1957) – School Principal – Mr. Wayne Zahnow
August 25, 1957 – Dedication of $250,000 school building with approximately 300 children enrolled (Haake Hall)
1957 (to 1961) – School Principal – Mr. Willis Bredehoft
November 28, 1958 – Pastor Haake’s death
May 10, 1959 – Rev. Ihno Janssen’s installation
1961 (to 1963) – School Principal – Mr. Paul Schwarting
1963 (to 1964) – School Principal – Mr. Adolph Leitz
1964 (to 1971) – School Principal – Mr. Theodore Geheb
April, 1965 – Purchase of property at 72 Avon Way (Upper Yard) for $50,000
1971 (to 2001) – School Principal – Mrs. Shirley Merrill
August, 1974 – Purchase of property at 1701 – 37th Avenue for school expansion (site of current Sunset Campus).
October, 1974 – 30th anniversary of West Portal Lutheran Church
August, 1975 – Addition of new room at Moraga Campus
1981 – (to 2003) Mr. Arthur Frese, Deacon, is appointed as Assistant to the Pastor
October, 1981 – 30th anniversary of West Portal Lutheran School – Enrollment-560
1982 – Purchase of parsonage (now teacherage) in South San Francisco
June, 1982 – Dedication of Janssen Hall and addition of Fireside Room to the church
1983 – Installation of Rev. Michael Keyne
1986 – Dedication of the Bungalow classroom and Upper Yard playground
1987 – Addition of computer classroom – Sloat Campus
May, 1991 – Installation of Rev. David Stechholz
May, 1991 – Renovation of Moraga Campus
February, 1993 – Purchase of Luther House
July 11, 1993 – 50th anniversary of West Portal Lutheran Church
Faculty & Staff – 1993
1993 Confirmation Class
2001 (to 2008) – School Principal – Mrs. Margaret Finley
July 22, 2001 – Groundbreaking for Sunset Campus after tearing down the old Moraga Street school building
January 12, 2003 – Dedication of Sunset Campus at 3101 Moraga Street for Kindergarten through 3rd Grade students
June 1, 2004 (to present) – Minister of Music, Wayne Kerr, is installed as Kantor
2006 – Bequest of new parsonage on Lakeshore Drive
September, 2006 – Installation of Rev. David Stechholz as Bishop/President of the English District – Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
2006-2008 – Rev. Dr. Lee Settgast served as Interim Pastor
July 6, 2008 – December 31, 2016 – Rev. Todd W. Arnold
August, 2008 – June, 2014 – School Principal – Mr. Gary Beyer
October, 2009 – Dedication of the Shirley Merrill Administrative Offices in Haake Hall on the Sloat Campus
2010 – West Portal Lutheran School voted KRON4’s “Best of the Bay”
August 1, 2010 to August 13, 2017- Pastor Jonathan Wayne Kerr is additionally commissioned as Pastoral Deacon
2011 – Exemplary status was issued by National Lutheran School Accreditation, Department of School Ministry.
October 16, 2011 – Reunion Sunday along with the celebration of West Portal Lutheran School’s 60th anniversary.
September, 2012 – Black granite sign in front of church on Sloat Blvd. completed
August, 2014 to May, 2015 – Mrs. Eva Fronk – Interim Principal
August, 2015 to May, 2017 – School Principal – Miss Anna Hu
January, 2017 to October, 2017 – Vacancy Pastor – Rev. Curtis Binz
March 5, 2017 Dedication of the Sloat Campus Gym – Finley’s Court In Honor of Margaret and Jim Finley
June, 2017 – June, 2018 – Mr. Les Morris – Principal
Associate Pastor Jonathan Wayne Kerr Ordination and Installation, August 13, 2017
August 13, 2017 to January 8, 2023 – Associate Pastor – Rev. Jonathan Wayne Kerr
Senior Pastor Curtis Binz Installation, October 8, 2017
October 8, 2017 to Present – Senior Pastor – Rev. Curtis Binz
July 2018 to June 30, 2021 – Mrs. Mickey Angerman, Principal
July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 – Mrs. Melissa Murphy, Principal
January 3, 2022 to October 2022 – Miss Sherise Lee, Interim Principal
November 2022 to Present – Miss Sherise Lee, Principal
