What to Expect at Grace
How We Worship
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Our services typically last about an hour. We’ll work hard to make sure you feel welcome. But we’ll also tell it like it is—helping you come face to face with your living and loving God. Our worship services are followed by a time of fellowship before an opportunity to join in Bible study.
The focus will always be Jesus and the Bible. To make that happen, we are a church that follows an order of service—a liturgy. In the message and sacramental meal, in specially selected Bible readings, and in carefully crafted songs, prayers, and creeds, the liturgy proclaims the good news about Jesus from start to finish. |
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Learn more about our worship services here.
We work to keep the entire body together
We seek to enfold young people into the life of the entire church and encourage them to participate in worship with the whole body of Christ. Children can learn about God next to the people who play the most important role in their formation as people—their parents.
Several of our members have small children—we love hearing the sound of those little ones echoing inside the walls of our church. During our service we hold a children’s church during the time of the message in our worship.
Several of our members have small children—we love hearing the sound of those little ones echoing inside the walls of our church. During our service we hold a children’s church during the time of the message in our worship.
We often celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and we’ll politely ask you to abstain
— for now
With the exception of months that have a fifth Sunday in them we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. This sacramental meal is an expression of unity, agreement, and spiritual intimacy between the people who have committed themselves to membership in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). That's why we ask guests and visitors not to participate unless they belong to the LCMS.
We sincerely desire that all who come to us will eventually join us in the privilege. We also understand that no one can make that kind of commitment without proper instruction. To help people along that path of commitment we offer instructional classes that, upon completion, open the door to join the congregation and participation in the Lord's Supper.
We sincerely desire that all who come to us will eventually join us in the privilege. We also understand that no one can make that kind of commitment without proper instruction. To help people along that path of commitment we offer instructional classes that, upon completion, open the door to join the congregation and participation in the Lord's Supper.
We gather an offering, but we don’t require that you donate any money
The members of Grace Lutheran have joined together to support the Lord’s work in this community and around the world. The offering is their way of contributing to the financial needs of that work. Without it we would not be able to continue our work in Modesto California.
So, while an offering plate will be passed, no one here expects our guests to donate money unless they wish to.
So, while an offering plate will be passed, no one here expects our guests to donate money unless they wish to.
We are theologically Scripture Based Lutherans
The Lutheran Church traces its history to a man named Martin Luther, a church reformer who lived primarily in the 16th century. That was a long time ago, but his work has influenced churches ever since that time.
Our church is set firmly in the Lutheran tradition. Though not all Lutherans are similar, we reflect what the Bible teaches with Lutheran theological emphasis.
We believe that people are born sinful, in other words people can’t help but do wrong and need to be rescued from sin and wrongdoing. Jesus is that rescuer. He is given to us by God’s undeserved love. We come to know him through the Bible. We are saved only by faith in him.
Our church is set firmly in the Lutheran tradition. Though not all Lutherans are similar, we reflect what the Bible teaches with Lutheran theological emphasis.
We believe that people are born sinful, in other words people can’t help but do wrong and need to be rescued from sin and wrongdoing. Jesus is that rescuer. He is given to us by God’s undeserved love. We come to know him through the Bible. We are saved only by faith in him.
