What To ExpectThere are two parking lots at Faith Lutheran. The entrance off of West Markham Street has wheelchair accessible entry and the doors lead right to the entrance of the Sanctuary. The entrance off of Mississippi Avenue leads to the basement where our Fellowship Hall and Sunday School classrooms are. There are stairs and a chairlift which lead to the entrance of the Sanctuary. Our ushers will greet you at either entrance, to welcome you to Faith Lutheran and give you a bulletin which describes the order of worship.
When you are ready, enter the Sanctuary and find a place you are comfortable sitting. The red books in the pew racks are our hymnal, the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). The hymns listed in the bulletin can be found in this book or the lyrics will be printed in the bulletin. Children are expected, encouraged, and welcome at all worship services. The Wee Worship Place is a space in our sanctuary for young children. This space allows young children to be a part of worshipping God in a way that is comfortable and natural to them. We do have a volunteer staffed nursery if your child needs it. If you have children in the worship service, we recommend sitting close to the front so they can see what is going on. Sunday School for children and adults begins at 9:00 am and worship begins at 10:00 am on Sundays. The worship service is followed by fellowship including coffee, snacks, and conversation. Our Wee Worship Place, a space for young children to worship with us.
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What We DoWe are a liturgical church, which simply means our worship service follows a pattern weekly which is ancient in tradition but vibrant and alive in practice. This pattern includes gathering, hearing God's Word, sharing the communion meal together, and being sent into the world to share God's love with others.
We Gather
We gather as a community including people who have been members for decades or days and people who have visited many times or for the first time. We gather from many walks of life, with a variety of ages, family make-ups, gifts, and passions. We gather as a community longing to hear God's word, share in God's grace, and celebrate this in worship and praise of God. We Hear the Word We hear God's Word through the reading and preaching. Readings from the Bible include verses from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Psalms, New Testament, and Gospels. We follow the Revised Common Lectionary, so we encounter the same scripture readings that are being shared in many churches of many denominations. We Share the Meal The Meal, also known as Communion or Eucharist, is an experience of remembering Jesus in the bread and wine, his true body and blood. This remembering is more than a nostalgic practice but is an encounter of God's grace by receiving what we can hold in our hands. This Meal was given for you, just as God's grace is freely given for you and all are welcome at the Lord's Table. We are Sent As the service concludes, we are sent from the church and into the world. This is not a way to close our worship time together but is an extension of worship to go out into the community and into our daily lives. Often the worship leaders will say something like, "Go in peace, serve the Lord" or "Go in peace, Christ is with you". |