About Us
Who We Are
We are sinners declared clean and holy before God (justified) by no effort of our own, but rather through God's gifts of His Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. We gather together to receive these gifts so that we may be strengthened to go forth into the world and proclaim Christ crucified for all sins. Our congregation is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
What We Believe
- We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God..
- We believe that God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--one God in three persons.
- We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, walked the earth, was crucified, suffered and died, and was buried in a tomb. On the third day he rose from death in his own body and appeared to his disciples and many others. He ascended into heaven and will return again on the last day to judge the living and the dead, raising all believers to eternal life.
- We believe that God created man to live with Him, but at the fall, man brought sin into the world and separated himself from God ultimately leading to death, even eternal death and condemnation in hell. Today, we remain sinful and rebellious.
- We believe that we cannot overcome sin and achieve salvation by any merit or work of our own, but that Christ has won salvation for all believers by his work on the cross and his resurrection.
- We believe that the benefits of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection (forgiveness, peace with God, even the faith to believe) are given to us in the ways He specified, namely, His Word, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution.
- We believe that Christians should gather together often to receive Christ's gifts to us and to be strengthened in faith and love by these gifts so that we may go forth into the world and perform good works for our neighbors through our daily callings.
- The Lutheran Confessions are discussed in detail in the Book of Concord (1580). The Book of Concord contains the following documents: the three Ecumenical Creeds, the Augsburg Confession, the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, the Epitome of the Formula of Concord, and the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord. We believe that the Book of Concord is a faithful and true exposition of Scripture.
Worship
Our worship is liturgical and traditional in style, focusing on Christ crucified for the sins of the world and the gifts he provides to us in His Word and Sacraments. All ages will be found in attendance at worship and attire varies from T-shirt casual to suits and dresses. Scripture readings usually follow the LCMS three year lectionary. Preaching is in the typical Lutheran Law/Gospel style that convicts the hearers with our failures to fulfill the Law and then restores us with the sweet promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation found in the Gospel. The hymns we sing confess and teach our understanding of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We receive the Lord's Supper at every Sunday worship service. Since receiving the Lord's Supper is a confession of belief that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine, since receiving the Lord's Supper without discerning the real presence of Christ can harm the recipient, and since receiving the Lord's Supper is a confession in unity of doctrine, we ask that visitors speak with the pastor prior to communing. Anyone not communing may come to the altar to receive Christ in His Word, a blessing spoken by the pastor to you. Those desiring a blessing may place their arms across their chest like an "X" to indicate that they will not commune but desire to receive Christ in His Word.