Worship

Sundays

We offer two identical, liturgical services each Sunday Morning. Our choir alternates between the services each week, September – May. The Eucharist is always celebrated when we gather.

8 a.m. Worship
9:15 a.m. Faith Finders for all ages.
10:30 a.m. Worship (Children's story time during the sermon)
fellowship/coffee hour follows each service

Child care (Nursery) for children 8 months to age 3 is available 9 a.m. – noon each Sunday, September – May. During the summer, the nursery is open for the 10:30 a.m. service. Also, a "wiggle room" is available in the narthex during each service for little ones who need to move!

Saturdays

Beloved Community is a Christian community offering a multicultural opportunity to worship and be in community with each other.

Weekly beginning February 2, 2019

Tea Fellowship/Gathering Time:  5:00 - 5:30 PM

Worship 5:30 PM

Potluck Dinner following worship on the First Saturday

Praise & Worship and informal style (Services are held primarily in English).

Cultures shared through our stories, talents and gifts during worship services.

Fellowship and deepening of relationships over coffee/tea and food.

Worship with Holy Communion led by Rev. Dr. Surekha Nelavala.

Music, songs and readings in global (including local) origins reflecting the multicultural nature of the worship service such as Tanzanian, Tamil, Spanish Telugu and English, that is expandable.

All cultures are welcome and will be respected and included in the worship services.

Cultural heritage clothing encouraged, as you feel comfortable.

For additional service times, click here!

We Believe

We believe that we receive God's grace through faith, granted to us by the Holy Spirit. For us, God's word is seen and received most clearly in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And the church is the body of Christ in the world.

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We believe that God's word is living and active among us, chiefly as we gather in assembly each week around the Lord's Table. As we hear God's grace proclaimed to us through song, scripture, preaching, singing, praying, and offering we celebrate the real presence of Christ himself in the bread and wine of the Holy Eucharist. These things are what shape us. When we gather, the Spirit moves to make of us something greater than the sum or our individual selves.

In Holy Baptism, we are received into the family of the church. Baptism is God's gift to us. In baptism God names us and claims us as a child of God. Baptized into Christ, fed by his word and holy communion, we are sent out into daily life as the gathered, then sent, people of God.

If you are interested in baptism for your child or yourself, please Contact Us and a pastor will get back with you right away.

Our communion distribution varies by the season of the year. All baptized Christians are welcome to commune at First. You will be directed by the ushers to the altar; gluten-free bread is available.

 

Volunteers

To sign up to serve during a worship service, click here to use sign up genius! For help using sign-up genius, contact the church office.

 

Communion

A variety of names demonstrate the richness of Holy Communion. Those names include the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, Eucharist, Mass, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Divine Liturgy, and the Divine Service.

We believe that through this bread and wine, Jesus makes Himself present to us and strengthens us for service.

Communion at First Lutheran

All baptized children and adults are invited to participate. If you are new to First Lutheran, this might help you understand how we conduct the Lord's Supper so that you can comfortably participate. Remember: All are welcome at Christ's Table.

At the time of communion, an usher will direct you to the altar rail.  If you are unsure where to go, follow the ushers' directions or simply follow the person to your left in the pew.  Children and adults who are not taking communion are welcome to come forward to the altar rail to receive a blessing from the pastor.

First Holy Communion at First Lutheran

Baptized children begin to commune on a regular basis at a time determined through mutual conversation that includes the pastor, the child, and the parents or sponsors involved. Ordinarily this beginning will occur only when children can eat and drink, and can start to respond to the gift of Christ in the Supper. Infants and children may be communed for the first time during the service in which they are baptized or they may be brought to the altar during communion to receive a blessing.

Holy Communion Instruction
In all cases, participation in Holy Communion is accompanied by instruction appropriate to the age of the child. When infants and young children are communed, the parents and sponsors receive instruction and the children are taught throughout their development.

Religious instruction, continuing throughout the life of the believer, emphasizes the sacrament as a gift, given in faith by and for participation in the community. Such faith is not simply knowledge or intellectual understanding but trust in God’s promises given in the Lord’s Supper (“for you” and “for the forgiveness of sin”) for the support of the baptized. Sunday Church School classes, Holy Communion Instruction, and Confirmation classes will continue to add to the instruction children receive. Please contact the Church Office or the Director of Children's Ministries for information about these classes.