Indonesian Worship Services

Every Sunday around 1:00 PM, Imanuel Indonesian Lutheran Church holds a service in the Indonesian language. The IILC is recognized as part of the ELCA.

Holy Trinity is proud to host our Indonesian brothers and sisters, and to give them their own time to worship in their home language.

History of Imanuel Indonesian Lutheran Church

May 20, 2007, was truly a milestone in the life of the Imanuel Indonesian Church. With much fanfare and celebration, the Imanuel Indonesian Church was accepted into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Imanuel was the fourth Indonesian congregation in the ELCA, the 108th Asian ministry. Preparation to make the transition into Lutheranism began in 2005, and May 20 was the culmination of many months of hard work. Pastor Robert Waworuntu had successfully passed all candidacy requirements, a constitution and bylaws had been written and accepted, and Imanuel had formally called Pastor Robert as their Lutheran Pastor.

The history of the Imanuel Indonesian Lutheran Church dates back only a few years, but much was accomplished in that short period of time. Beginning in the middle of the year 2000, a group of Indonesian Christians living in the Portsmouth-Rye area began worshipping in house fellowship on Saturdays. By September 10 of the same year, they began to meet Sundays in the function hall at White Cedar Apartments in Portsmouth, with Rev. Sandra Longdong as their first pastor. In October they moved to the Comfort Inn in Portsmouth. It was here on October 14 that the new congregation named itself the “Imanuel Indonesian Protestant Church of New Hampshire”. The next month, with the blessings of Pastor Linn Opderbecke, Imanuel found a permanent church home, worshipping on Sunday afternoons at Holy Trinity, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Imanuel formed its first church council that fall. In January of 2001, Pastor Longdong announced her retirement from ministry. With the help of Atty. Ronald Indorf, Imanuel registered in June as a congregation in the state of New Hampshire. The next month, on July 15, 2001, Rev. Robert Waworuntu was called as pastor.

In March 2002, Imanuel’s church council began talks with the ELCA, New England Synod, on how to begin the process of joining ELCA. Pastor Hans Arnesen, then Mission Director for the New England Synod, met with the council in May. It would prove to be a long process, interrupted by Pastor Waworuntu’s need to return to Indonesia to renew his visa and Pastor Arnesen’s leaving office. Imanuel was served in Pastor Waworuntu’s absence first by Pastor George Kountul and then by Pastor Longdong.

In the Synod offices, Pastor Jane Shields was called to become the new Mission Director. Pastor Waworuntu returned to the U.S. in October of 2003 accompanied by his son Robert, Jr. By the following summer, his wife, Veronika, and daughter Pamela would finally join him.

In February of 2004, Pastor Opderbecke entered into Synod conversations about Imanuel’s process to join the ELCA. Two years later, in February 2006, the ELCA formally received Imanuel as a new mission congregation. Pastor Waworuntu completed his candidacy to become a rostered ELCA pastor. In April Imanuel voted to change its name to Imanuel Indonesian Lutheran Church. On May 6, Imanuel signed its ELCA charter. On May 20, 2006, the congregation celebrated its official acceptance into the ELCA and the installation of Pastor Waworuntu and the church council under the ELCA.

In 2001, the Imanuel Protestant Church was established on the seacoast by a handful of Indonesians fleeing religious persecution in their home country. Today, Imanuel has 150 members. They are not only the first Indonesian congregation to join the New England Synod, but the first to attain full status in the ELCA.