Worship
Worship stands at the center of Immanuel Lutheran Church life of faith. We gather around God’s word, and the Holy Sacraments to nurture our faith, and then we go out into the world to serve our neighbor and share the Good News.
Worshipping and praising the Holy Trinity is essential for our service. However, from Lutherans’ perspective, the primary purpose of our worship is to receive God’s priceless gifts to us: God’s Word and the Holy Sacraments. Our Lutheran Confessions explain this truth as follows: "The service and worship of the Gospel are to receive good things from God" (Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article IV.310).
God gives God’s gifts, and we receive them. God through the power of the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Gospel and the Holy Sacraments: Holy Communion and Baptism. The worship at our church is Christ-centered. Jesus Christ’s life is our focus. We believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is present for us and with us in his Word and Sacraments.
Our worship is relevant to our everyday life. We preach the Good News and relate it to our daily life. We intercede for the needs of our parishioners, our community, and the whole world. Our worship connects us with God, one another, and our neighbors near and far.
Singing is very important in our worship. We sing traditional and contemporary hymns. The handbell choir enhances worship through the inspirational music of handbells. Our choir is well-trained. The choir sings a wide variety of sacred pieces in Sunday worship services. Their hymns are from different parts of the world.
Our church visitors enjoy our worship service and feel welcomed. We welcome people to worship with us regardless of their gender, race, class, color or sexual orientation. We believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to us all and unites us despite our differences.