We are Christians, we are Lutherans, and we are members of the CLC (Church of the Lutheran Confession)
They are great! The Bible does not tell us exactly how to worship except to say that we should worship with a pure heart in an orderly way. The majority of our services are “liturgical,” or traditional, meaning we follow an established order of service often consisting of prayers, hymns, psalms, readings, and a sermon. We do have less formal worship services on special occasions. Every worship service is an opportunity to learn God’s word and praise His name. Feel free to preview our services online!
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” We do not mind a fussy child or an instructing parent. But if you feel uncomfortable, you may always step out into the narthex or into the basement fellowship hall. Please bring your children to church!
All the more reason to come! We are all here to learn. Worship and Bible study are opportunities to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and faith in Jesus. You won’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer. You won’t be called on to answer anything! We simply hope to be a place where you can grow.
Sometimes visitors expect to enter a church and find “perfect people” there. We make no such claims about ourselves. The church is a spiritual hospital. It’s not for healthy people; it’s for sick people. Jesus himself said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12) Jesus is the Great Physician of our souls. So don’t come to Faith Lutheran Church expecting to find perfect people. We’re far from perfect! As the bumper sticker says: “Christians aren’t better, just better off because we are forgiven.”
We appreciate your visit and certainly do not want you to feel obligated to make an offering to our church! We are happy to have you simply come and grow in your understanding of God’s word with us. Scripture teaches that our offerings to God should reflect our belief that everything we have is a gift from God and we are simply returning a portion to Him as a thank offering. The Bible tells us that “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) We want all offerings to be made freely and with joy, out of thanks to God for what He has done for sinners like us. Like most Christians, our members bring offerings to God through their church. Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one dictates what each person is to give. We pass an offering plate after the sermon so that our worship may include bringing gifts to God.
We practice communion or the Lord’s Supper often during our worship services on the first and third Sunday of each month. According to God’s Word, partaking of the Lord’s Supper with other Christians implies a oneness and unity of faith and belief. God wants us to be like minded in our beliefs before we enter into fellowship such as Holy Communion. (1 Corinthians 1:10). Therefore, if you have not publicly declared your agreement with the teachings of this Christian congregation through formal membership, we ask that you please speak with our pastor before coming to the Lord’s Supper. In practicing close communion, we are not entering into a judgment concerning the faith of individual members of other churches. We rejoice over all those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ. Fellowship at this altar is established by sharing in a common confession of faith, anchored in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We sincerely want all people to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood with us, but we want them to receive this sacrament in accord with the words of our Lord. As a steward of God’s mysteries, our pastor stands ready to assist you in preparing to come to the Lord’s Supper with us by teaching you His Word. Classes are offered, as needed, throughout the year.
As Christians and members in God’s eternal kingdom we have the great opportunity and responsibility to administer the sacrament of Baptism, which washes away sin (Acts 22:16) and gives eternal salvation (1 Peter 3:21; Titus 3:5). We encourage all willing adults and all children to be baptized. Please talk to the pastor about your concerns and circumstances. We have instructional courses and informative booklets available.
Our pastor offers a Bible study course on an individual or group basis depending upon scheduling needs. This course takes the student through a review of the basics teachings of Christianity and Lutheran doctrine. This course is offered with two primary goals in mind: 1) That the individual may learn to properly examine themselves so they can partake of the Lord’s supper in a proper and God pleasing way, and 2) so the congregation and individual may have the confidence of knowing that they share the same beliefs (1 Corinthians 1:10) and therefore fellowship in a God pleasing way according to His Word. Please contact our pastor if you would like more information or would like to schedule classes.