WHAT TO EXPECT
We believe going to church is a laundry service for your soul. We are by nature sinful and unclean. We bring our burdens, our evil thoughts, words, and deeds. We leave rejuvenated, filled with the promise of salvation, washed clean by the Means of Grace -- God's Word and Sacraments.
At Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, you will find:
A worship service that tells you what Christ has done for you.
- Bring your sins and cares with you to church
- You will hear that Christ paid the price for them on the Cross
- You will leave the service knowing his Grace Forgives and Liberates you from sin
A Sermon that contains God's Word, both Law and Gospel
- The Law will condemn your sins
- The Gospel will comfort you with the assurance of God's Grace and forgiveness
A church where both deeds and creeds are important
- The creeds will affirm the doctrines of "The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints"
- Our deeds are for our neighbors and, as the book of James teaches, show that faith is living
What should you wear? You will feel at home whether you come in jeans, dress, or suit & tie.
We encourage entire family attendance; areas are available for the care of infants and toddlers
_____________________________________________________________
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT
Don't expect to find yourself in a crowd of perfect people. We are a group of sinners who fellowship together because Christ has paid the price for our sins on the Cross. Only the Word of God is infallible, the people and the pastor are not.
Don't expect to find yourself in the latest self-help program. Rather, come expecting to lose your sin, guilt, and shame in the Confession and Absolution at the beginning of the service.
Don't expect that you will hear songs that sound similar to those you may listen to in your car. However, you will hear the Gospel expressed through traditional hymns, and sometimes in more contemporary songs, that tell you what Christ has done for you. You will hear both yourself and your neighbor singing along with the piano, and you will often hear the voices and instruments of our gifted choirs and ensembles.
Don't expect a sermon series designed by the pastor to improve your lifestyle. Each Sunday, you will hear about what God has done for you from His Word, as prescribed by the Lectionary of the Church.
Don't expect a message that sends you away with a list of things to do to make you more pleasing in the sight of God. But you will be given assurance that God, through Christ, and by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, has given you a desire to serve Him and your neighbor, according to His written Word.
Don't expect to leave the Sunday morning service with all of your personal problems solved. Instead, you will leave with the assurance that your conscience need not be troubled, because God offers you the gift of faith in Christ and eternity with Him.
In summary, when you visit or become part of the Hope Lutheran community, you will experience:
- Christ centered, sound biblical teaching.
- Christ who was crucified for your sin.
- Christ’s forgiveness and the Means of Grace He offers through His Church
- Christ’s love that grants us peace, liberty, and joy.
- Christ’s Salvation freely given to you.
- Christ’s Church, His people, caring for and enjoying one another, serving together, and struggling together against their own sin and the devil, until Christ comes again to make all things new.
To learn more about what Christ has done for you, we encourage you to visit us at Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, your neighborhood Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation, situated just a few miles north of the village of Sunbury, and just a few miles south of Centerburg, the geographical center of Ohio. click here >>
To learn more about The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, click here >>
QUESTIONS? CONTACT
HOPE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, LCMS
CLICK HERE >>
Adapted and used with permission from, Konsvinger Lutheran Church