About Us

A Message From                        

The Rev. John R. Klatt, Pastor

Martin Luther, the 16th Century reformer of church, once wrote that every Christian is at the same time, “both a saint and a sinner.” St. John’s congregation seeks to be a congregation where we both uphold and support each other in seeking to be disciples of  Jesus-even as we are both saints and sinners. We work at putting faith into practice and practicing the faith in a genuine and loving way. Thank you for your interest in St. John’s and please join us for worship and fellowship in Christ.

  Peace in Christ,  

Pastor John R. Klatt

 History

St. Johannes Evangelishe Lutheranishe Gemeinde was formed by a community of  German families who emigrated to the USA to escape religious persecution. Services were held in German until the middle 1930s when English service was added.

The new congregation met in a schoolhouse until a new church was built on Clinton St. in 1870. A parsonage was added in 1872. The growing congregation built the current Church in 1913 and used the old church for Sunday Church School and social activities, renovated the basement in the early 1950s, added a parish hall in 1954, an educational building in 1967, and connected the buildings in 1990 making the complex handicap accessible. Between 1960 & 2000, the church interior was renovated three times. In 1994, we dedicated a new Austin pipe organ. In 2003 the kitchen and parish hall were renovated

Two pastors served St. John's for more than 35 years, The Rev. John Lehmann who retired in 1939 and The Rev. Jack Printzenhoff who retired in 1995. Our current Pastor, The Rev. John R. Klatt, accepted our call in 2003.

Mission Outreach

St. John's Church contributes to many agencies and programs in the Greater Buffalo Area, New York State, the nation and the world. These include:

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)

ELCA World Hunger & Domestic Disaster Relief

The Upstate New York Synod of ELCA

Lutheran Charities

Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center

Missionary Support

American Cancer Society

Native American Children

Shared learning for all ages

St. John's sponsors events throughout the year, which are designed to bring people of all ages together. This generational approach to learning has rich blessings; especially as both young and old find opportunity to experience the faith together. An example of such an event is the Rally Day program as the Sunday Church School begins in September each year.