Sunday Services

Sunday School

Saturday Service

Saturday Education Hour

Hope offers worship services on both Saturday and Sunday. A nursery is available downstairs on Sunday for those families with children ages birth through five-years-old.

Pastor begins the service by taking general prayer requests from the congregation, followed by an opening prayer from a member. Next is confession and absolution, where we are reminded that we are by nature sinful and unclean. After a moment of silent confession and reflection, Pastor announces God's grace unto us. We sing a song of praise and thanks to our merciful and loving Father.

Then the children come up to the front for a special, interactive message given by a youth and family ministry servant. Sometimes this can be a message for teenagers.

After children's time we hear the Word - a servant from the congregation reads one scripture passage from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. Then we stand for Pastor's reading from the Gospel. Next comes the ministry of welcome, where a servant welcomes all members and visitors to the service and we stand and greet each other with the words, “peace of the Lord.” Our offering follows this, then we sing a medley of worship songs.

Music at the Sunday services is a mixture of traditional hymns taken from the Lutheran Hymnal and contemporary Christian worship songs. The Hope band, choir, or the Youth 4 Hope ensemble often accompanies our music director.

After the medley, Pastor delivers the message for the week (we have a guest speaker about ¼ of the time). Following the message, Pastor offers up the prayer requests at the altar and the church body recites the Lord's prayer in unison.

On the second and fourth Sundays of the month, Holy Communion is consecrated and distributed. For those visiting Hope, we ask that you speak with Pastor before service if you want to receive communion. Finally, service is closed when, after the blessing, all those gathered stand, join hands, and sing a final hymn. Everyone is then invited to have coffee, snacks, and fellowship in the narthex.

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Between the services there are educational opportunities for pre-school kids to adults. Sunday school sessions for children are held downstairs, and are divided into classes for pre-school, kindergarten & 1st grade, 2nd & 3rd grade, 4th & 5th grade, a middle school class for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and a single class for all high-school age students.

Adult education is held upstairs in the wings or the sanctuary itself. There is a men's bible study, a mixed bible study, and usually one other class with a specific focus - for example, a class for new members or a class on spiritual gifts.

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The Saturday service has a different feel than either service on Sunday. Set in the evening, it has a “devotional” feel, for lack of a better word. Maybe you just have to come and see for yourself what “devotional” means.

After the Pastor takes prayer requests, one of our servants opens with prayer. A medley of three songs follows. Most of the time, our band leads the Saturday music.

The Scripture readings follow and then the Pastor’s message.

After the message, the Saturday service gathers its different feeling. We spend about three minutes in silent confession while music is playing in the background and the lights are lowered. Then, we join our voices in a sung confession. There is a solemn feeling of reverence in this singing.

The Pastor then announces God’s grace and forgiveness. The congregation greets each other with God’s peace.

The offering on Saturday is brought forward by each family to the altar while singing a song of praise. This is a vibrant, family-oriented part of the service. Communion follows, if observed, and then prayers. On Saturday, our habit is to sing the Lord’s Prayer.

Service finishes with the blessing and then the people join hands and sing the last hymn.

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