Founded in 1894, for more than 100 years Mount Olive (a member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) has been bringing the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to our neighbors in the Washington Heights and the surrounding community. We are an active, thriving congregation with a quality Christian Day School.
For an in-depth description of Mount Olive's beginnings, three histories published in celebration of Mount Olive's 50th (1944), 75th (1969) , and 100th (1994) anniversaries are available below.
50th Anniversary | 75th Anniversary | 100th Anniversary
(Be advised, the PDF links range in size from 5 to 10 MB.)
Our faith
is based solely in the writings of the Sacred Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments which witness to Jesus Christ our Savior. "No
other foundation can anyone lay than that which has been laid, which
is Jesus Christ." The Holy Scripture is God's inspired and inerrant
Word. With the Christian church we confess the faith of the three
ecumenical creeds, the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian.
With the Evangelical Lutheran Church we confess the faith of the Book
of Concord of 1580 including the Augsburg Confession, the Apology
(i.e., defense) to the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles,
the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, the Small and Large
Catechisms of Dr. Martin Luther, and the Formula of Concord.
Our God-given
mission is to faithfully proclaim and witness to the Christian faith.
This faith is the greatest gift anyone can possess. We believe that
human beings are born sinful and separated from God and His love. They
would be lost eternally without the work of God's grace. We believe
that by grace the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has worked
decisively in history to bring about our salvation. We believe that
Jesus Christ, God's only Son, was born, lived a perfect life, was crucified
and rose again from the dead. We believe that we have forgiveness of
sins, and the promise of eternal life through faith which trusts in
God and the work of Christ. We believe that faith is the work of the
Holy Spirit who uses the Word of God as a means of grace. The sacrament
of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) are also means
of grace. We believe that Baptism is the washing of regeneration and
renewal by the Holy Spirit. We believe that in the Lord's Supper the
body and blood of Jesus Christ are truly present and offered to believers
for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of faith. We believe
that the Christian life is a life of service and praise in thankfulness
for this gift of salvation. This is what we believe.
A Brief Guide in the Christian Doctrine for Adult Catechumens
