About us

Visiting a church for the first time can be an anxious experience. Knowing what to expect is helpful. Here is something of what you can expect when you visit Faith Lutheran. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.

How should I dress?

We don’t have a dress code at Faith Lutheran. Some of our parishioners, as an expression of their reverence for God’s presence, prefer to dress more formally; others, intending no irreverence, prefer to dress casually. Wear what feels comfortable!

Where should I park?

There is plenty of off-street parking in our large parking lot. Handicap accessible is available by the back entrance to the sanctuary, under the big oak tree. Enter through the back door.

What about children?

We always welcome children in worship and aim to help families worship together. Our liturgical form of worship, with its weekly repetition, makes it easy for everyone to participate in worship.

What is the worship service like?

Our worship service uses a liturgical format that follows a consistent pattern from week to week. The entire order of service, complete with directions for when to stand, speak, etc., is printed in the bulletin that will be handed to you when you enter the sanctuary. A bulletin with a sidebar guide is also handed to everyone as they come into the sanctuary. Our pastor also gives verbal guidance regarding the service.

Our music is organ music by means of a music box. Live organists are hard to come by these days! Hymns are sung from common Lutheran hymnals.

If you are unfamiliar with liturgical worship, don’t be concerned. You may find at first that you just want to stand back and observe; that is perfectly acceptable. You will discover that after only a few weeks you are learning the words and motions. For more information visit the Worship section.

Should I receive Communion?

Holy Communion is joyfully celebrated every Sunday and held in very high regard. Out of concern for those who commune, and in faithfulness to the Scriptures, we therefore encourage only baptized Christians who share our confession to receive Communion:

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (I Corinthians 11.27-29)

For those who are not baptized or do not share our confession, you are welcomed and encouraged to come forward for a blessing. Simply join those in your pew when they are ushered to the altar, then at the communion rail cross your arms in front of your chest to indicate you would like a blessing, not the Sacrament. If you are interested in Baptism or learning more about what we believe, teach, and confess, please contact the pastor. He would be happy to talk with you.

What happens afterward?

After the service you are, of course, free to go, but for those who would like to get to know us better there is always plenty of coffee and refreshments available in the Fellowship Hall, followed by Sunday School at 10:30am-please join us! 

Lutherans refer to worship as the “Divine Service.”

Our Lord is the Lord who serves. Jesus Christ came into the flesh not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many….Our Lord serves us today through his holy Word and Sacraments. Through these means He comes among us to deliver His forgiveness and salvation, freeing us from our sins and strengthening us for service to one another and to the world. (From our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, page viii)

Worship at Faith Lutheran Church reflects what we believe, teach, and confess and therefore is Christ-centered, biblical, and sacramental:

• Christ-centered—rooted and grounded in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross.
• Biblical—saturated with Holy Scripture, read, sung, and proclaimed.
• Sacramental—nourished by grace God gives us through Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Liturgy

As part of the one universal Christian Church we worship in the same biblical, historic and global way Christ’s Church has worshiped in all times and places. The ancient liturgy is saturated with the Word of God and focused on the cross of Christ. We gather around Word and Sacrament to receive God’s grace.

We use the orders of service from the Lutheran Service Book. The music is usually organ and piano-led, and most of the liturgy is sung.

Lectionary

A lectionary is an ordered pattern of readings from Holy Scripture that correspond to the Church Year. Each Sunday a reading from the Old Testament, the New Testament Epistles, and the Gospels, are woven together to convey a particular theme. In the so-called “festival” half of the Church Year, from Advent through Pentecost, the focus is on the story of salvation. The latter half of the year, from the Feast of Holy Trinity to the Last Sunday of the Church Year, focuses on the various teachings of the faith.

Faith Lutheran Church uses the three-year Lectionary.

Simply stated, we believe, teach and confess that salvation is in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone on the basis of Scripture alone.

Scripture Alone: the belief that the Word of God (Holy Bible) is the sole authority and measuring stick when it comes to the faith and life of the Christian Church.  (Matthew 22:29; John 17:17; Acts 17:11)

Grace Alone: the teaching of the Bible that salvation is—from beginning to end—completely by God’s grace apart from any good works of man.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Faith Alone: the teaching of the Bible that only faith can receive the freely-given gifts of God’s grace.  (Romans 3:28)

Christ Alone: the teaching of the Bible that salvation is to be found in Christ Jesus and no other.  (John 14:6)

For a summary of what we believe about certain subjects click the boxes below: