About Us
At Lakeside Lutheran we welcome all to come worship our Savior in a loving, friendly, comfortable atmosphere. No matter who you are or where you’re from, whether you are visiting, seasonal or a permanent Floridian, we are here to share the joy of Jesus with you.
Our church has been in Venice since 1954. Was there a lake back in the day ("Lakeside")? Yes, but it was filled in years ago, and the name remains. Each week we worship with full members, associate members (people who have a "home church" elsewhere), and people who casually attend or visit.
At Lakeside, through services and bible studies, we hope and pray the Holy Spirit equips and refreshes you to go into the world inspired and energized to bring kindness, love and compassion to others -- to "be Jesus" in the lives of other people, especially those who need to hear good news.
Lakeside Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).
How It All Began
Lakeside Lutheran Church was started by two Lutheran congregations in Venice and Englewood as a “drive-in” church on Sunday, July 18, 1954, with 48 people in attendance. Members would remain in their cars and listen to the service through a public address system. The name Lakeside was selected because of a small body of water located on the property near South Tamiami Trail which was later filled in with the expansion of Highway 41 in 1969.
The first Sunday School session was held on Aug. 1, 1954, with seven pupils in attendance. The students and their teacher met under the trees following the Drive-In service. The first communion service was held on Aug. 8, with 10 persons communing. A Ladies Aid group was organized in 1955, which later became the Women’s Guild. Women were able to vote starting in December 1965.
By the late 1970s, the congregation had doubled in size and was able to establish a daughter congregation in Englewood, Redeemer Lutheran Church. Groundbreaking ceremonies for the present sanctuary, which can accommodate 500 worshipers, were in 1981. Throughout the years, additional buildings were added to Lakeside’s Campus, including the Preschool Building, Meyer Hall and the Children and Youth Building.
The Rev. Melvin Meyer served the congregation as pastor from 1955 to 1968, followed by the Rev. Walter Holzheimer from 1969 to 1991, and the Rev. Randy Winkel from 1992-2017.
Our Vision
Lakeside Lutheran Vision Logo
The Lakeside Lutheran Vision Logo is a visual representation of our vision statement. The logo is the word “JOY” centered on the letter “O” as a circle consisting of three blue marks with a cross in the middle. The bible verse “Philemon 1:7” completes the logo.
What Does It Mean?
A vision statement answers the question, “What does God want us to do?” Our vision statement is “Joyful Christians Who Inspire Spiritual Growth and Discipleship.” God is working in all of us to bring Jesus to others in love, peace and joy.
The three blue marks in our logo represent the three tenets of our vision: Joyful, Inspiring and Discipleship. The cross in the center of the circle is the focal point of our vision and shows the world that Jesus is the center of our lives.
The word “Joy” reminds us that real love, peace and joy come only from God. Christian joy is a good feeling in your soul, produced in us by the Holy Spirit and overflowing from us to the world. Regardless of situations and circumstances in this world, we can respond with joy when we know and trust God has a purpose for us and is alive in our lives.
In Philemon verse 7, Paul writes, "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, my brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." Paul is praising Philemon’s selfless acts of love, inspiration and generosity toward others. In the same way, at Lakeside Lutheran Church we strive to live our lives trusting and praising Jesus as the sole source of our joy, refreshing the hearts of others, and being Jesus in the lives of all God’s people.