Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS)

Zion’s ministry is to support the family of Christ that God has gathered around His Word and Sacraments, equipping His people to point others to Jesus and His gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation.

At Zion Lutheran Church, we believe in what the Bible says as the Word of God, declaring the creation of the world by the Triune God, our fall into sin, and our forgiveness through Jesus's death on the cross.  As a reminder of all of this there are three aspects of our faith that we follow, baptism into Christ's forgiveness, the creeds that declare our faith, and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  

Baptism is more than just water, it is water combined with the Word of God.  This combination of water and Word washes us from our sins and allows us to be reborn into the forgiveness of God.  Those who are Baptized in this way and believe in God's Word are rescued from death and receive eternal salvation.  More information on baptism can be found in Luther's Small Catechism and on the LCMS website.

The Creeds serves as a reminder and foundation of our beliefs.  The Apostles' Creed serves as the basis for our faith, stating that we believe in one Triune God.  This God is three persons as one, and each person is described in their own article of the creed.   The Father is the creator of the world and all that we know.  The Son came to Earth, became man, lived a perfect life according to God's word, and sacrificed himself to save us from our sins.  The Holy Spirit works in us all to help us remain in strong faith, and bring others to believe in the Word of God.  The Apostles' creed can be found in whole in our hymnal, The Lutheran Service Book, and here.  Further explanation can be found in Luther's Small Catechism and on the LCMS website.

Every Sunday and most Wednesdays you may receive Holy Communion.  God transforms bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.  He gave us these gifts for the forgiveness of our sins.  However, due to the divisions in Christianity today, we cannot invite everyone to the Lord's Table.  This practice of Closed Communion is to protect those from the potential spiritual harm that can be caused from partaking in the sacrament while not fully prepared, for it is stated in 1 Corinthians 11: 27 -29: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.  Let a person examine himself, then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself."  Further explanation of Holy Communion can be found in Luther's Small Catechism and on the LCMS website.  Further information about closed communion can be found on the LCMS website.

If you would like to learn more about the doctrine and practice of Holy Communion, or about anything else that Lutherans believe, teach and confess, please contact Pastor Thomas.  It is our hope, and the hope of Christ, that divisions cease and that we can all enjoy fellowship together.