Lutheran Church begins outreach in Thibodaux

Published: Friday, March 6, 2015 at 1:32 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, March 6, 2015 at 1:32 p.m.

Beginning on Feb. 28, Grace Lutheran Church of Houma offers Lutheran worship services at 5 p.m. on Saturdays in the sanctuary of St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux.

"Grace Lutheran Church has long desired to do some type of outreach in Thibodaux," said the Rev. Richard D. Rudnik, who has been with the church for more than seven years. "Our hope is that this will ultimately grow into a separate Lutheran church."

With an exception to Grace Lutheran in Houma, the nearest Lutheran churches to the Houma-Thibodaux area are located in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Because of the small number of Lutheran churches in the area, many of Grace Lutheran's 250 members commute long distances to attend worship services.

While benefitting Lutherans in north Lafourche, the Thibodaux services also will offer a more convenient location for the churches members who travel from as far as Morgan City and Patterson.

Jeannie Thalheim, of Thibodaux, and her family have been members of Grace Lutheran Church for nearly three decades.

"We want to support the outreach effort here (in Thibodaux) as long as it takes to make that happen," she said. "Right now, we're in the early stages of development. This is something we've prayed about for a long time."

Prior to Rudnik's arrival at Grace Lutheran, the church had attempted a similar outreach effort in Thibodaux in 2005, but their work was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina.

"When Katrina hit, everything went topsy-turvy," Rudnik said. "They shifted gears and focused on hurricane relief, and later, the effort just fell apart. It barely got off the ground before Katrina, and it was a game changer."

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Lutheran Church begins outreach in Thibodaux