What should I wear to church?
There’s no “dress code” at our church. However, we want to remember that we’re coming into the house of the loving and merciful Almighty God. It’s not as much about what we wear as the attitude we have. We humbly come into God’s presence, wanting to honor him with our best. We also don’t want to wear clothing that might distract other worshippers from focusing on the service.

How do I find my way around the facility?
There’s plenty of on-site parking and several handicapped spaces are available. The door facing the lower parking lot is reserved for the child development center and requires a passcode, so please enter through the upper doors that face Providence Road. The restrooms and drinking fountain (bubbler for all you Wisconsin folks) are in the entryway, and the sanctuary will be off to your right as you enter. Both restrooms have changing tables for your convenience. Just inside the entry doors is a guestbook for you to record your visit with us.

What if my child acts up?
If you have young children that make a little extra “joyful noise unto the Lord,” during the service, you can take them out into the entryway or into the upstairs classroom next to the women’s restroom until they quiet down. Our members are very understanding when it comes to children in the worship service. They’re delighted you’ve joined us. The best place for children – even those who are a little noisy – is in church with their parents where they can learn by example and grow in faith through the Word that’s proclaimed. We do provide children’s bulletins, and you’re certainly welcome to bring other activities to keep them busy.

What worship “style” describes the service?
Our service style is a mix of traditional and contemporary. We do everything we can to apply God’s Word to the people of today. There are hundreds of excellent hymns from the past in our hymnal, but we make use of some of the excellent contemporary hymns as well. We’re more traditional in that we are a “liturgical” church. We follow the church-year calendar, because we want to focus on the key events of Jesus’ life. We use several different “liturgies,” or orders of worship to lead us through the service.

Why all the singing?
We sing hymns (spiritual songs) to express the joy that we feel in our hearts. Some of the hymns are prayers set to music, asking God to give us his blessings. Others are strictly praise songs, giving thanks to God for who he is and what he has done for us.

What happens during a typical church service?
As you enter the worship space, an usher will hand you a service folder that contains the entire service minus the hymns. Hymn books and Bibles are conveniently located in the racks underneath each chair. The hymns are all towards the back part of the book, with the numbers in bold at the top of each page. The hymns that we’ll be singing that particular day are listed in the service folder and posted on the hymn boards on both sides of the altar area. The pastor will also give plenty of direction as the service moves along.
All of our liturgies follow the same basic outline. We begin with an opening hymn – usually one that asks God to keep our minds focused on what we’re about to hear for the next hour. Next is the Invocation, or greeting. The pastor greets the congregation in the name of the Triune God and they greet him in return. A general Confession of Sins follows, because Christians are both saints and sinners at the same time. We ask God to forgive our sins and then have the privilege of hearing our pastor announce God’s forgiveness (Absolution) to us. Out of joy for this forgiveness, we sing a response of praise. There’s a short Prayer of the Day, which corresponds to the particular Sunday of the Church Year. The next part of the service alternates between hearing God’s Word and praising him with sung responses. There’s a reading – usually from the Old Testament – followed by a Psalm. Then there’s a second reading – usually from one of the Epistles (the letters in the New Testament) – followed by the Verse of the Day and response. We stand as the Gospel lesson is read, out of respect for the words and works of our Savior. After the Gospel reading there’s a short response of praise. What happens next depends on which order of service we are using. Sometimes the order is Hymn of the Day - Sermon - Creed. Other times it is Creed - Hymn of the Day - Sermon. The sermon is usually based on one of the three readings. The Creed is a confession of faith spoken together by the congregation.
After the sermon, a thank-offering is gathered. This is our members’ way of thanking God for his goodness and to support the work of our congregation. A portion of our offering is sent off to support the training of pastors and teachers and also to support the work of world missionaries. Visitors to our worship service should not feel compelled to give an offering, unless they desire to do so. Then comes a longer Prayer of the Church - including any special prayers that members have requested - followed by the Lord’s Prayer. The conclusion of the service includes a hymn, usually focusing on one of the thoughts of the sermon, another short prayer, the Blessing (Benediction), and a final hymn of praise.

What’s the Lord’s Supper all about?
On the first and third Sundays of each month, we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The Bible has given us several guidelines to follow. First of all, only those who recognize the “Real Presence” may join us at the Lord’s Supper. The Bible teaches that we in fact receive Jesus’ true body and blood along with the bread and wine. They’re really present, not just represented. Secondly, the Bible teaches that the Lord’s Supper is a confession of our unity in the faith. Those who celebrate it in effect are saying, “We’re one in all that we do!” We don’t know if that type of unity exists between us and our guests, so we ask that all our visitors respectfully refrain from joining us in the Lord’s Supper until they’ve had a chance to meet with the pastor. This “close communion” is biblical and has been practiced throughout the Christian church from the time the Sacrament was instituted by Jesus. It is important to point out that this practice is BY NO MEANS A JUDGMENT ON AN INDIVIDUAL’S FAITH. We cannot look into the heart, but only can go by a person’s outward confession. It’s comforting, though, that the forgiveness this Sacrament gives is no different from the forgiveness that the pastor pronounces to all at the beginning of the service. You are forgiven because of Jesus’ payment for sin!