"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. " ( 1 John 4:8 )
History
Community Lutheran Ministry (CLM) is an urban outreach ministry which serves the 14621 zip code in northeast Rochester, NY. It provides hope to children and families living in the poorest section of the inner city with it’s Community Center located at 942 Joseph Ave. The Rochester Lutheran Mission Society is an agency of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregations since 1929 serving to establish new Lutheran churches in the area, and also sponsoring or supporting Nursing Home Ministry, Monroe Community Hospital Ministry, Campus Ministry, Congregations in Ministry with the Elderly (COME), Deaf Ministry, as well as Community (Urban) Ministry.
Community Ministry (now CLM) has been operating in Rochester since 1972, ministering from St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 1015 St. Paul Street, with youth programs and a tutoring program, from which a separate worshiping community developed. This ministry moved to 942 Joseph Avenue in 1980 to serve better in the center of the community. The RLMS purchased the current building, which was a former bakery. From this an employment project (JET Enterprises) was conducted until 1989, when changes in the work force necessitated more support services than JET was able to provide for. After door-to-door interviews and interviews with former JET workers, and meetings with neighbors and former JET workers prioritized their list of needs to develop a Community Christian Center where children in elementary school and their parents could receive first attention. The Community Ministry Committee of the RLMS also took into consideration the fact of the Community Minister’s retirement in January 1990.
The Mission Society extended a call to Deaconess Maggie D. Harris, who began her ministry on October 1, 1990. This ministry has concentrated on after-school programs for elementary school children, counseling with teens and single mothers, and the recruitment of volunteers from congregations and the neighborhood, in addition to refining and furthering developing outreach strategies. A traveling Summer Day Camp has been our greatest ministry outreach strategy. We have over 300 applicants each summer. Community Ministry Day Camp has become a very viable ministry to families in this community.
In November of 1998, Community Lutheran Ministry, Inc., became incorporated. Rochester Lutheran Mission Society merged with the Martin Luther foundation to become Lutheran Charities of the Rochester Region. We are tax-exempt under 501 (c) 3 of the IRS.