To take a pictorial tour
of
St. John's, start here.
| It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry |
| Man walks the moon but his soul remains riveted to earth. Once upon a time it was the opposite. Elie Wiesel |
| If there is light in the soul, There will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, There will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, There will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, There will be peace in the world. Chinese Proverb |
| For the truly faithful, no miracle is necessary. For those who doubt, no miracle is sufficient. Nancy Gibbs |
Worship at St. John's
“Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, and with all your Soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
When do we meet for
Worship?
St.
John's members and visitors gather for worship on Sundays at 8:30
a.m. for our Traditional Worship and at 10:45 a.m. for our Informal Worship.
You will find that being in one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the
area, and listening to the wondrous tones from St. John's pipe organ during the traditional service or to the praise band during the informal
service, will
enable you to feel God's presence and peace. With the hectic pace of
life today, Sunday Worship is a great way to reconnect with what is truly
important.
What do we do?
We offer
praise to God in word and song, we hear His Word in Scripture reading and
in preaching, we pray - for God's forgiveness, for His healing, and to
thank Him for everything that he has given us, which is everything we
have!
On the first Sunday of the month, we are given the privilege of celebrating Holy Communion. In this sacrament we experience the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ as we receive His body in the distribution of the bread, and His blood in the distribution of the wine.
On weeks where Holy Communion is not celebrated, there is a special Children's Sermon given. The children gather around the Pastor to listen to a message which emphasizes the scripture lessons on their level.
What
do
We believe?
We,
the members of St. John's Lutheran Church, Ridge Valley, believe that...
- God has created and still sustains us, and all that exists;
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who has redeemed us by His death and resurrection, and lives and reigns as Lord of the Church;
- the Holy Spirit creates and sustains the Church through the Gospel; in the same way the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies all believers with their Lord and with each other in the fellowship of faith.
The Lutheran church is a confessional church where the Apostle's Creed or Nicene's creed is professed weekly. If you would like more information about what it means to worship in a Lutheran church, check out what the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has to say about Christianity and the Lutheran Religion. In addition you can call our church office at 215-257-9643 and a packet of information can be sent to you.
What
if I've never been to church before?
If you've never been to a worship service before, don't worry that
you won't know what to do. It's all laid out in a worship bulletin, which
gives you the order of the service, and the page numbers that you need to
go to in our Lutheran Book of Worship. Just keep in mind that we're all
there to praise God and feel His presence, so if you don't know exactly
what's going on at first, just relax and absorb the words of song,
scripture and prayer.
If you choose to become a member of St. John's, you will learn more about the meaning and history of the worship service and liturgy in a New Member Class conducted by the Pastor.
Our
Sanctuary
To
view our sanctuary, please take the pictorial tour.
I'm sure you will
agree that with the stained glass windows, mural of Jesus with the
children, beautiful woodwork etc., it is exceptional. There is also a
balcony for sitting in that you can't see in the picture. And of course
you can't see the air-conditioning, but it's there when we need it! There
is a staffed Nursery available for children of Kindergarten age and under
if needed, although children of all ages are welcome in the sanctuary for the whole
service.
Special Services
Keep your eye on the happenings
page for special services throughout the year. Some of these, such as
Harvest Home, take place at our regular Sunday worship time. Others, such
as our Easter Sunrise Service, are scheduled at a special time in addition
to our regularly scheduled service.
Coffee Fellowship
Join us after worship for our
weekly Coffee Fellowship. This is a chance to meet some of St. John's
members as you enjoy a donut and coffee or juice. Please don't hesitate to
ask anyone questions you may have about our church.