About Us - Charitable Giving - History - Leadership

Concordia Lutheran Ministries celebrated its 125th year in
service to God and His people
in 2006. The organization evolved from a small, safe haven for orphan children to one of today’s premier continuing care retirement communities in the nation. It’s a remarkable story filled with practicality and leaps of faith; discord and harmony; tragedy and joy; uncertain finances and unexpected providence.

Encouraged by local religious leaders, Margaretha Oertel ceded her 46-acre farm to local ministers in memory of her late husband, Christian, on December 4, 1882. The Evangelical Lutheran Concordia Home for Orphans and the Aged was one of the area’s first facilities dedicated to serving the special needs of those groups.

Current President and CEO, Keith E. Frndak arrived in August 1983, and by 1990, the first retirement living apartment (Concordia Haven Apartments) opened. Five years later Haven II was completed and in 2002 the third retirement living apartment was built, bringing the number of units to 328. In 1998, Concordia dedicated a new assisted living, skilled care facility, Lund Care Center. Home care and rehabilitation services were added to the continuum at this time.

In the last five years, the off-site facilities The Orchard, Ridgewood Place and Rebecca Residence were acquired. In addition, partnerships provided pharmacy and hospice services to the wealth of treatment options. In the Fall of 2006, the Lund Care Center was expanded to double the space for patient care and focus on rehabilitation services, including an aquatic therapy pool, doctors offices and diagnostic and laboratory services.

The new assisted living rooms became home for more than 100 retirement living residents who were displaced following the November 5, 2006 fire that destroyed the first retirement living building, Haven I.

For more information or to obtain a copy of our history book “We Put Our Faith In Caring”, please call the office of public relations and development at (724) 352-1571, ext. 8266 or toll free at 1-888-352-1571.