Welcome to Visitors

Pentecost Good ShepherdWe welcome all visitors to the Divine Service, including families with young children. A nursery is available downstairs if needed, but we understand that all children make in the sanctuary and that’s O.K.   Children are most welcome in worship because Christ Himself said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).

Our worship could be called “traditional” because we follow a structured format for the Divine Service. Another way to say this is that we are “liturgical.” It means that some parts of the Service stay the same from Sunday to Sunday, while other parts change according to the season. You might want to read more about the structure of the Service on the Liturgy page of our website. We also observe the Church Year. It includes major festivals such as Christmas and Easter, and it provides a regular cycle to the Bible readings and themes throughout each season.

The Lutheran church has been called the “singing church” because we have a rich treasury of hymns and we like to sing them. We encourage everyone’s participation in the singing and for this reason the hymns are set to tunes that can be learned fairly quickly. The singing is accompanied by the organ because history and experience have shown that this instrument naturally supports the human voice and can underline meaning in the text.

Jesus Christ promised that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). We believe that Jesus is truly present during the Divine Service, and that He brings us His gifts through His Word (the Bible) and through the Sacraments He instituted (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Although our minds cannot understand it, we know that He is among us in a special way. Therefore the Divine Services are both joyful and reverent, and the music is both uplifting and solemn. We rejoice at His presence while remaining mindful of the fact that He is God.

We invite you to explore our website to find out more about what we believe. Who We Are and What Lutherans Believe may be particularly helpful.

Please feel free to contact our Pastor at any time if you would like to discuss matters of faith. He is happy to offer Christian instruction to anyone interested.