The Garden of Gethsemane is the place where Jesus and his disciples retreated to pray after the Last Supper, on the night before Jesus was crucified. It was located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in what is now the City of Jerusalem. The word "Gethsemane" comes from other words meaning "oil press," and evidentally the olive trees in the garden had something to do with its name.
Our church gets it name from this famous garden. We, too, have olive trees on our grounds at the church.
Gethsemane Lutheran Church is part of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Gethsemane was officially organized with a charter membership of 68 people on June 28, 1959. At Gethsemane, we follow the leanings of the great reformer, Martin Luther, as we interpret the Bible. All of our teachings are Biblically based.
Our church was established 50 years ago, as a mission outreach of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Riverside. The current church building, located on the corner of Blaine and Canyon Crest in Riverside, was built in 1961 with over 3,000 hours of volunteer labor by members and friends. The Education Building and Courtyard area were added in 1990.
Our worship services seek a blend of Lutheran traditions along with more contemporary practices. We have several community events which take place at our church or on our church grounds. Among these are the annual Halloween event for children and the Fourth of July celebration. We host an AA group, an NA group, a Korean church, Girl Scouts, an Indonesian church, a Spanish-speaking Bible study, and a Chinese church meeting. We have an outreach to students at UCR and Vacation Bible School.
