Visiting

What to expect if you have never been here before.

Nothing on this page is a formality. If you are thinking about coming on Sunday, these are the things worth knowing beforehand, and none of them require you to speak to anyone first.

Where do I park?

There is a small lot behind the church, entered from the alley off Ehrenfeld Street. It holds about twenty cars. Street parking on Ehrenfeld is unrestricted on Sundays, and there is always room.

Which door do I use?

The red doors at the top of the front steps, on Ehrenfeld Street. If steps are difficult, the door on the parking-lot side is level with the pavement and is unlocked from half an hour before the service; it opens into the narthex by the same route, and someone will be nearby.

What do people wear?

Whatever they own. Some of the men wear a jacket and tie and a good many do not. You will not be the only person in jeans, and you will not be the only person who dressed up. Nobody is keeping track.

How long is the service?

About seventy-five minutes. It runs a little longer at the festivals and a little shorter in the summer.

I have never been to a Lutheran service. Will I be lost?

For a while, probably, and that is all right. Most of the service is sung, and the whole of it is printed in the bulletin with page numbers announced aloud. Everyone around you is reading from the same page. Follow along a beat behind; most of us did for months.

Are children welcome in the service?

Yes, and we would rather they were with you than anywhere else. Children learn the service by being in it. Nobody here minds the noise — we have all made it, and the ones who complain about children in church are not in this congregation. There is a quiet room at the back of the nave if you would rather, and you can still hear everything from it.

Will I be singled out?

No. You will not be asked to stand, to introduce yourself, or to fill anything in. There is a guest book in the narthex if you would like to sign it, and it is entirely optional. Someone will likely say hello over coffee afterwards, because we notice a new face in a room of seventy.

What do I do at the Lord’s Supper if I am not communing?

Either stay in your pew, which is entirely ordinary, or come forward with everyone else and kneel at the rail with your arms crossed over your chest. The pastor will give you a blessing instead of the Sacrament. Those who commune may take the common cup or an individual glass from the tray beside it; both are offered at every service.

Is there anything after the service?

Coffee in the parish hall, through the door to the left of the chancel. Stay if you like and leave if you would rather; both are ordinary.

I would like to speak with the pastor.

He is at the back of the nave after the service, and he answers his own telephone during the week. You do not need a reason, and you do not need to be considering membership.

I would like to join. What do I do next?

Speak with the pastor. Adults ordinarily go through the Small Catechism with him first — eight weeks or so, at whatever hour suits you both. Being baptised or confirmed elsewhere does not change the welcome; it changes the conversation.

The Lord’s Supper

Finding Us