HISTORY OF SON LIFE
During the winter of 1983, Pastor Mike Housel was called by the FL/GA District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) to start a mission church in Boynton Beach. The first meeting place was Golfview Harbor Clubhouse. Officially organized December 31, 1984, the congregation grew and moved to Congress Middle School, where the membership continued to expand. As the vision grew, a plot of land was purchased on Boynton Beach Blvd., west of Military Trail. Services moved to the Boynton United Artist Theaters, but the facility proved too large, so subsequently the services moved to the Christa McAuliffe Middle School on LeChalet Blvd. until 1998.
The plot of land owned by Son Life was condemned by the city and Pastor Housel moved back to Michigan as the church attendance slowly declined. A handful of faithful worshippers decided Son Life would not end there. They contacted the District to let them know a Lutheran church was still needed in Boynton Beach and was in need of a Pastor. This handful reached out and brought back approximately 50 people, who together supported a “new” church. Rebuilding began as Pastor Eugene Krug, a retired Pastor, came to help get Son Life back on track. He served as “Interim Pastor” for over five years. The membership adopted Articles of Incorporation in 1987, and received their Incorporation status from the State of Florida in 1990. The members voted to call a full-time pastor and negotiated the purchase of a new parcel of land on Jog Road, north of Boynton Beach Blvd.
Pastor John D. Johnson accepted the call as full-time pastor of Son Life, installed on November 6, 1994. Organist David Hulse joined Son Life early 1995. We broke ground on our first building in 1997 and the first service and dedication were on All Saints Day, November 1, 1998. We praise the Lord for our beautiful facility. The growth in membership and dedication of our congregation brought about the amazing acceleration of our debt reduction efforts, culminating in our “mortgage burning” celebration January 2008. Our current facility and land are debt free, and we are blessed to own the adjoining vacant land for future expansion to the north.
Our family-friendly church continues on. Please browse through our website to learn more. We look forward to future growth, and to the future opportunities the Lord will bless us with to share the Gospel and expand our ministry here at Son Life.