Times and Location:
Sunday at 9:00 AM Sunday School and Adult Bible Study
Sunday at 10 AM Divine Service
Who We Are
WE BELIEVE, TEACH, AND CONFESS…
There is only one true God – the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), as taught in the Bible and confessed in the three Ecumenical Creeds of historic Christianity, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all Things.
All people are born in bondage to sin, death, and the devil, and are unable to save themselves or make themselves right with God by their own powers. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Lord and Savior from sin, death, and hell. He is both true God and true man, born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a perfect and holy life for us, shed His blood for us on the cross to atone for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day declaring His victory over Satan and the grave for us.
The Holy Spirit calls us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ by the Word of God, and that the Holy Spirit delivers Christ’s forgiveness, life, and salvation to us—fully and freely as God’s undeserved gift of love —through the preaching of the Word, and through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. Christ works in us, through His Word and Spirit, so that we trust in God and live in sacrificial love toward others in the vocations to which He has called us.
The Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God and the final judge of all doctrine and practice in the Church and in the lives of Christians.
The sanctity of all human life from conception until death, of marriage between one man and one woman, and of human sexuality within marriage as an expression of love between a man and a woman and for the procreation of children.
Christ will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead and to give eternal life to all who believe in Him.
WORSHIP: THE LORD'S WORD AND SACRAMENT
We gather regularly for the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, not because He needs our service, but because we need Him. The divine services of the Lord’s Word and the Lord’s Supper are at the center of our life together. They are coupled with many opportunities for daily devotion and prayer within the congregation. Christ ministers to us in the Divine Service, calling us to repentance for sin, and bestowing upon us His gift of forgiveness. By His forgiveness, we learn to live in the freedom of His salvation and the joy of loving service to others.
- Sunday Divine Service 10:00 AM
- Wednesday Advent Service 7:00 PM
- Wednesday Lenten Service 7:00 PM
CATECHESIS
We gather regularly for instruction in the Word of God, not simply to learn knowledge about God, but that our faith in Jesus Christ might be strengthened, and that we might live by that faith in our lives. We call this kind of teaching “catechesis.” Receiving our Lord’s teaching from the Holy Scriptures is a way of life for us, young and old alike, from the cradle to the grave. Our Lord is with us wherever His Word is faithfully taught and received. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Sunday Morning:
- Adult Bible Study 9:00 AM
- Children’s Sunday School 9:00 AM (Classes for pre-School, elementary, Confirmation, and confirmed youth)
The Catechumenate
- Youth Instruction for Confirmation after Divine Service on Sunday
- Adult Membership Instruction 7:00 PM on Thursday (or arranged with Pastor)
CHILDREN IN WORSHIP
At Zion Lutheran Church, we want your kids in the Service and not out! We are very happy that you are here today! We we want you to feel at home.
First, please relax. Enjoy your time here. Jesus knows that children tend to wiggle and squawk a bit, so please don’t feel embarrassed by it. Your children are welcome at Zion.
To make it a bit easier on your family, please dare to sit toward the front where your children can easily see the front of the church, note the colors, hear the bells, smell the candles, watch the pastor, wonder about the stained-glass windows above the altar, and embrace the action at the altar. What Jesus does here promises to engage them.
As we go, softly explain the Liturgy to your children, encouraging them to chime in on their parts: Amen! Lord have mercy! And with thy Spirit! I believe! Our Father! All of that belongs to them too.
Be sure to sing and say and pray your parts too as you stand and sit. Your children learn by following your lead.
If you and your child must leave, please hurry back. We want you and your children here very much.
If you need a little help, just ask. There are lots of folks here who will lend you a hand. Please know that while you are caring for your children, the rest of us will be rejoicing in Jesus’ words, “Let the little children come to me and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Luke 18:16).
We know that your children are a gift to the Church, so we will do our best to welcome, smile, encourage, help, and bless you all. Welcome to Zion!
HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS
The canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
The three Ecumenical Creeds, namely, the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds are faithful testimonies to the truth of the Holy Scriptures. The Unaltered Augsburg Confession is a true exposition of the Holy Scripture and a correct exhibition of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Small Catechism and Large Catechism of Martin Luther, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, and the Formula of Concord—as contained in the Book of Concord (1580)—are also in agreement with this one Scriptural faith. The life of the congregation and the pastor of the congregation are pledged to live and carry out their responsibilities according to the Holy Scriptures and these confessions.
PASTORAL CARE OF SOULS
We receive the Word of God individually from our pastor to comfort us when we are troubled by our sins, to strengthen us against the struggles of life, and to give us counsel and direction from God’s Word. Our pastor cares for the soul of each of our members, not only through the public preaching and teaching of the Word of God, but also by bringing that Word to us in our homes, when we are hospitalized or convalescing, and at other times of grief or great burdens of conscience.
- The Congregation at Prayer
- Pastoral counsel from God’s Word
- The Ministry of Individual Absolution
- Visitation of the sick, shut-in, and distressed
OUR PASTOR
A May 2019 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, Pastor Joshua Ralston was installed as the sole pastor of Zion Lutheran Church on August 25, 2019. While at seminary, Pastor Ralston received the Classical Association of the Middle West and South Award for Outstanding Accomplishment, given in recognition of excellence in Greek. He received in 2015 a Bachelor of Arts in World and Intercultural studies. Pastor and his wife, Rachel, were married in August 2018.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH — MISSOURI SYNOD
Zion Lutheran Church is a member congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God’s Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
What does “Synod” mean?
The word “Synod” in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod comes from Greek words that mean “walking together.” The term has rich meaning in our church body, because congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Though diverse in their service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions—which they believe are a correct interpretation and presentation of Biblical doctrine.
Being “Lutheran”
Congregations of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone.
Sola Gratia—Grace Alone
God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him, and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
Sola Fide—Faith Alone
By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.
Sola Scriptura—Scripture Alone
The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.