With this mission of service in mind, NLCS is here to help older adults get more out of life: more friendships and new pursuits, more comfort and spiritual fulfillment, and more security and freedom to live the life you love. As a National Lutheran community, The Village at Augsburg continues to progress, leading the next generation of retirement communities from a foundation of experience.
The Village at Augsburg has been caring for seniors for over 100 years. It was first conceived as an orphanage in 1892, when Caroline Lang, a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, learned about two orphaned children with no place to live. She shared her vision of caring for orphans with friends, and together they created an orphanage fund, raising $3 to support their efforts. Today, this initial $3 collection is remembered as the “Augsburg Acorn.”
The ministry quickly expanded its vision to also care for seniors and formed The Ladies Society of Augsburg Home to help raise funds, purchasing a building in downtown Baltimore and later building a campus on our current 52-acre property on Campfield Road. In 1970, we shifted our focus completely to serving older adults, adding independent living and additional services to become the thriving community we are today. In 2020, The Village of Augsburg affiliated with National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS), which has allowed us to continue our mission of serving older adults throughout the Baltimore region.
As a faith-based ministry with more than a century of serving older adults, The Village at Augsburg believes we are called to provide supplemental financial support to residents who have been good financial stewards yet have outlived their resources and can no longer afford the services or care they need.
What once started as a small cottage for seniors in Washington, D.C. is now a family of retirement communities and services located in Maryland and Virginia. As older adults’ needs have changed, National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) has adapted to better meet those needs. Although the heritage of NLCS is rooted in the Lutheran expression of faith, people of all beliefs and backgrounds are welcome here.
The first National Lutheran Home welcomed residents in 1895 and has undergone a number of expansions over the past century, always focusing on service first and our ministry of care. In 2020, NLCS acquired The Village at Augsburg, a well-established community whose ministry began as an orphanage in 1892. The community began providing senior housing in Baltimore in the 1970s, and by 2020 The Village at Augsburg was a highly regarded Continuing Care Retirement Community. The community’s ministry and commitment to care aligned with NLCS values and has made a wonderful addition to our communities.
NLCS continues to answer the call to meet the needs of older adults in its region. In addition to The Village at Augsburg, the National Lutheran family includes The Village at Rockville in Rockville, Maryland, The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, Virginia, The Legacy at North Augusta in Staunton, Virginia, The Village at Providence Point* in Annapolis, Maryland, myPotential at Home and Impact1890.
*The Village at Providence Point is pending final approval by the Maryland Department of Aging.