Photos courtesy of Jackie Muir

Christ Lutheran Church in Radford supports the Radford food pantry, soup kitchen, the Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley and the Radford Clothing Bank.

The Rev. Stephen Shackelford was the first pastor to be hired by the church in two years.

Name of church and information: Christ Lutheran Church, 201 Harvey St., Radford

Contact information: 639-2671, www.lutheransonline.com/clcradford

Church hours: Sunday worship, 11 a.m.; Sunday school, 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.. Holy communion is celebrated weekly at the Sunday worship service. Nursery care is provided.

About the staff: The Rev. Stephen Shackelford was employed by the church just last month. He is the first pastor to be hired there in two years.

Shackelford, born in Harrisonburg and raised in Virginia by a Lutheran pastor, graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2000 with a Master of Divinity degree in theology. He was ordained in 2004. Before his service at Christ Lutheran, he was pastor at Glade Creek Lutheran Church in Blue Ridge. He lives in Troutville with his wife, Wanda, whom he married in October. Shackelford is a full-time clinical transporter at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

Other staff members: James "Butch" Akers, president of church council and financial secretary; Bob Whitmer, council vice president; Jennifer Mooney, council secretary; Jackie Muir, council member; Ilene Crigler, council member; Emilie Thompson, council member; Nancy Brower, church treasurer; Rosemary Anderson, organist.

Community involvement: The church supports the Radford food pantry, soup kitchen, the Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley and the Radford Clothing Bank. It also supports the newly formed To Our House ministry for homeless men. Internationally, the church supports Lutheran World Hunger. Last year, the program supported victims of the earthquake in Haiti along with others in need of lifesaving assistance.

Church history: The Rev. S.S. Rahn began working to organize the congregation of Christ Lutheran in March 1891. Four months later, a constitution was adopted and Christ Luther, Radford was born with a membership of 21. In 1895, Christ Luther Church, East Radford, was dedicated. The building which housed the original church stood on the present day campus of Radford University near the corner of Adams and Fairfax streets. The congregation stayed at this location for three years, then sold the church to First Baptist Church. After the church was sold, the congregation was homeless for 11 years, relying upon the courthouse, fire station or other churches for a place to worship.

Throughout the next several years, the city of Radford began to grow, attracting more families and more Lutherans to the area, leading to the need of a permanent church building. The cornerstone of the present church on Harvey Street was laid in 1910. The new church building was dedicated in May of 1911. The church still stands there today.

In 1920, stained-glass windows were installed in the building. They are believed to have been made in Germany after World War I, according to James Akers, a church member. After years of enduring wear and tear, the windows are getting a makeover. The plexiglass on the outside of the windows -- now clouded and discolored -- is being replaced with a clear coating.

Personality of the congregation: Akers described the small, mature congregation as a "very close-knit group."

"We're a family," he said.

On average, about 25 people attend Sunday worship. Akers has been attending Christ Lutheran since he was 19 and was later married there to his wife, Sue.

"It's like my second home," he said.

Although a small congregation, the church is very active.

Members gather every Sunday after worship for an informal coffee hour. They hold luncheons and potluck dinners on holidays and special occasions. Birthdays of congregation members are recognized every month.

Akers said the church is working to become a more viable church within the community.

"Our goal is to take the message beyond these four walls."

The church is in the process of "all things news," he said, as it strives to find new ways to reach out to others.

Congregation members are sprucing up the property, adding updated shrubbery and flowers to the grounds, along with the ongoing efforts to sustain the building's stained-glass windows.