The Triune God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—one God in three Persons (“triune” means “three-in-one”). God has always existed, and He created all things out of nothing by His powerful Word.

When the first man and woman sinned, their sin changed everything in God’s perfect creation. Sin brought pain and death. All people inherit this sin, which means they deserve to be punished eternally by the holy God.

Because God still loved humankind, the Father sent His only-begotten Son to take on human flesh in the Virgin Mary’s womb. He had to become a man, so He could live a holy life in the place of all people and suffer and die for their sins. He was named “Jesus,” which means “the LORD saves.”

God the Father sent His Son to save us because we could not save ourselves. Because of our sinful nature, we are unable to believe in Him by an act of our own reason or strength. God the Holy Spirit works faith in hearts by the power of His Word.

Forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus went up into heaven where He rules over all things. He is no longer visibly present on earth, but He is still present with His believers. He brings them His blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments.

Jesus will return visibly on the last day to judge all people, both the living and the dead. All who believe in Him will be glorified and brought to heaven, while all who rejected Him in this life will be condemned to hell.

All of our beliefs come from the Bible. The Holy Spirit moved certain men of God to write down His Word. The Bible is unlike any other religious book. It is the only one which teaches that salvation comes by the grace of God and not by our own efforts.

The history of the Christian Church spans thousands of years, and our worship reflects that. We use the outline of the traditional Christian liturgy, and we sing hymns from the ancient Christian Church to today.

The teachings of God’s Word never become outdated. Our pastor applies the Word of God to our lives by preaching the Law (for repentance) and the Gospel (for forgiveness).

What happens in church is very different than what happens in the world. In church, the songs we sing are not meant to entertain, but to teach and comfort. Our actions, like standing up and sitting down, bowing our heads and folding our hands, are not meant to draw attention to our work but to keep the focus on God’s work.

One of the most unique and special things we do as a congregation is receive Communion together. We go forward to the altar rail to eat bread and drink wine, but we receive more than these earthly elements. By the power of His Word, Jesus gives His body along with the bread and His blood along the wine for us to eat and drink for the remission of sins.

We want everyone to have the blessings of Communion, but God gives certain instructions for how Christians should prepare for this Holy Meal. He tells us that everyone present should be in agreement about what the Bible teaches (1 Corinthians 1:10). He says that all communicants should believe that Jesus truly gives His body and blood to eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:16). And He says that they should humbly recognize their sinfulness and their need for the Lord’s Supper, so they do not receive it to their harm (1 Corinthians 11:27-32).

Because of this, we ask visitors to learn more about our teaching and practice and to talk with our pastor before they join us for Communion.