Discipleship

The mission of Grace Lutheran church is “Bringing People Together and Becoming Disciples for Christ.” Our life as disciples is centered in our worship together. Yet as we live and grow as Christ’s disciples, our faith life expands beyond the walls of the church building and beyond Sunday morning.

One of the ways our Mission Statement comes to life is through our Cross Marks.  The Cross Marks are reminders of how the life of Christ can become our way of life each day.Cross_

  • The cross marks are based on Matthew 16.24, Mark 8.34 and Luke 9.23, and Luther’s belief that the Christian life may be characterized by daily cross bearing.
  • The cross marks are also a reminder of the words in the baptism service as the sign of the cross is placed on the baptized:  “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”
  • The cross marks are an overview of Christian living.  It is not exhaustive or all encompassing but attempts to address the broad range of Christian living.
  • Worship is at the top of the cross to say that worship is to claim Jesus as Lord of our lives.  Worship is the head of the cross as a crown is on the head of a king.  This mimics the Grace Lutheran altar reredos (that’s the wood carvings behind the altar) which has a crown as its highest point.
  • Witness, service and giving reach out from the heart of the cross to remind us that they are intentional expressions of outreach, though all the cross marks are in some form outreach.
  • Reconciliation is central to the cross because it is central to Christian living.  God has reconciled with us through Christ and we share that reconciliation in our relationships with others.
  • Giving, learning and prayer make up the body of the cross to remind us that each of these help us grow in our faith.
  • Prayer is at the base of the cross to remind us that prayer is a connection point in our relationship with God.  Prayer is our connection point between heaven and earth so prayer is the connection point on the cross between the ground and the heavens.  Prayer is also connected to worship.

Annoucements about Discipleship:

Grace Lutheran Church to conduct a Feasibility Study! We need your participation!

As you may know, the church leadership has been working on a vision for Grace Lutheran Church’s facilities. We are now conducting a feasibility study, which assesses our capability to move forward with a capital campaign to fund enhancements to our facility.

Mark Davy & Associates, a firm with twenty-seven years of experience working with churches, has been hired to conduct the study. The feasibility study will take place later in the month and focus on the following areas:

  • The awareness and importance of our vision
  • Grace’s strengths
  • Areas of concerns that may affect a capital campaign
  • Communication preferences of members
  • The level of potential volunteers to conduct a successful campaign
  • Financial support available

The congregation will be invited to participate through personal interviews and surveys (that will be sent to you via mail).  Please respond as soon as possible.  Results from the study will be shared with church leaders and the congregation to help in deciding our next steps.