What to Expect

Coming to a new congregation for the first time can be a little intimidating, since you never really know what to expect. Here's some quick info to help you get your bearings

What are the services like?

Our worship services are based on traditional Lutheran worship. They follow a regular structure each week and are designed to help keep our focus on God's invitation to us sinners to come to Him as He offers us forgiveness and cleansing, and frees us to live as His people. Services usually consist of several traditional hymns accompanied by an organ, frequent prayers, three scripture readings, a sermon based on the readings that aims to apply God's Word to our lives, and often a celebration of a special meal called the Lord's Supper.

Currently, we print out complete copies of the order of service, to help make it easier to follow along.

How long do services last?

Our services typically run approximately 50-70 minutes.

What do I do during the Lord's Supper?

During worship services on the first and third Sundays of each month, we celebrate a meal we call the 'Lord's Supper' or 'communion'. We believe that in this meal, Jesus is sharing His body and blood with us as we eat bread and wine. We also believe that Jesus promises to forgive us as we receive His body and blood. Because of the nature of this meal, we respectfully ask that only those who have formally stated that they agree with our beliefs concerning the Lord's Supper by becoming members of an LCMS congregation join in sharing the Lord's Supper. If you are not a member of an LCMS congregation, you may simply remain in your seat when the ushers come by to invite people forward to receive the Lord's Supper. If you would like to share the Lord's Supper with us, please speak with the pastor about what to do to make that happen.

What about my kids?

Children are welcome at our services. They are God's children too, and we firmly believe that God speaks to them through worship just as He does to us, even if they wiggle and make noise. There are lots of families with smaller children in our congregation, so don't worry about being the only family with kids making a bit of a ruckus.

Before service, at 9:00am, there is a Sunday school where kids pre-k to 8th grade are separated into classes by age group and learn Bible stories, do crafts, sing songs, and play games. Parents are welcome to join the adult Bible class held at the same time in the fellowship hall. We typically all gather in the church worship area at 9:00am before going to our separate groups.

How can I learn more?

If you want to learn more about our beliefs, values, and mission Pastor Rutherford is always glad to talk to you, whether you're just wanting to get a basic sense of things, or a solid handle on what Lutherans believe. If you're looking for a firmer understanding of our main beliefs, pastor is happy to lead you through an information class either one on one or in a group setting. Typically, the information courses consist of 6-8 sessions that each run about 30-60 minutes, depending on the needs of the people in them.