Welcome
What should I do when I get here?
Inside the front door, you will be greeted by someone who will hand you a worship folder, which will help guide you through the worship service. Then you can head into the church and take a seat. If you have any questions ask the person at the door or any one of us and we’ll be happy to help. For anyone needing it, there is a ramp at the front of the building.
What Can I expect in a Worship service?
Our worship services typically last an hour and the focus will always be Jesus and the Bible. Every Sunday expect to hear God’s Word convict you of your sin and then to proclaim your forgiveness. You and your children will hear this message in the Bible readings, in the songs we sing, and in the Sermon.We are a church that follows an order of service, or a liturgy, some of these orders of services were used by Christians almost 1500 years ago.
Perhaps this YouTube video will help you better understand the lutheran liturgy.
What should I wear?
Some people wear shirts and ties and dresses. Other people wear jeans. Don’t worry too much about your apparel; we are just happy to be able to tell you about Jesus.
What About Family?
We believe that when parents are in God’s Word they are better parents. They become models of love and forgiveness. When husbands are in God’s Word they are better husbands. They show the same love to their wives that Christ showed to people like us. When wives are in the Word they are better wives. They show the patience and support that God showed his people throughout the Bible. And when kids are in the Word they become better children. They become models of the love of Christ. We believe it is important to teach the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism to the family as a whole.
Do you have Sunday School?
Each Sunday morning at 8:45 am we have Sunday school where children pre-school through 8 th grade will learn a bible story, play games, make a craft, and sometimes sing songs. During Sunday school we also hold a High School and an Adult Bible study.
Will I be asked for money?
During the Divine Service we do not take an offering. We have two offering baskets at the back of the church where people may leave an offering to the Lord as they come to the Divine Service or leave the Divine Service. It is the way that we continue God’s work in the Central Illinois area, without it we could not carry that work out. However, when you come you are our guest and we do not require anyone to give an offering.
What exactly is a Lutheran?
Lutheran history really begins with a man named Martin Luther. He was a German pastor in the 1500s who led a straying church back to God’s Word and the work of Jesus. Though not all Lutherans are similar, we reflect what Luther taught and what the Bible teaches. We believe that people are born sinful, in other words people can’t help but do wrong and we need to be rescued from sin and wrongdoing. Jesus is that rescuer. He is given to us by God’s undeserved love for people. We come to know him through the Bible. We are saved only by faith in him. Lutherans are all about the problem of our sin and God’s solution to that problem. Historically, Lutheran teaching is summarized in the Lutheran Confessions.
You can read the Lutheran Confession online here.
We also hope these three videos will help you better understand what Lutheran’s believe, teach and confess.
An Outsider Visits a Lutheran Church
An Outsider Talks With a Lutheran Theologian (What do Lutherans Believe?)
Is Lutheranism the True Catholic Church? (and other stuff with a Lutheran Theologian)
How do I know Redemption is for me?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” No matter who you are, no matter your beliefs we invite you to come visit us at Trinity and hear more about this wonderful good news.
What is Closed Communion?
The first question you might have is, “Why closed Communion?” Many, particularly in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod have heard it called “close Communion.” It may have been explained to them along the lines of a close family meal. That is nice sounding, but it has nothing to do with the idea of not letting some people commune at your altar. This practice comes from the early Church. There the deacon would declare that all those not in fellowship with their altar should leave. Then he closed the door. A Historic Practice that Still Goes on Today – In the first four centuries of the Church, the rule was this. If you believed it really was the Body and Blood of Christ on your altar, you practiced closed Communion. If you did not believe it was the Body and Blood of Christ really, actually present on your altar, you practiced open Communion, that is, you let people decide for themselves whether or not they should take Communion. An analogy to these practices in life today is found at your pharmacy. The pharmacist keeps under lock and key certain medicines. You cannot have them unless you have a prescription. That is because those medicines are the real deal. If you take them wrongly, if you take them when they are not meant for you, they can harm you or even kill you. Doesn’t St. Paul say the same thing about misusing the Holy Communion? “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick and a number of you have fallen asleep” (I Corinthians 11:29-30). A faithful pharmacist keeps his or her real, powerful medicine under lock and key and doesn’t distribute it to everyone who wants it.
Can I commune at Trinity?
In our church and other LCMS churches, only those persons who have been properly instructed in the meaning, use, and benefit of the Sacrament may receive the Sacrament. Practically speaking, this means that Holy Communion is offered only to those persons who are confirmed members in good standing of LCMS congregations and those church bodies in full pulpit and altar fellowship with us.
It is best to speak with the Pastor prior to requesting the Holy Sacraments.
Non-members may still approach the alter during communion to receive a prayer only – they should signify their desire for this prayer by crossing their arms in front of their chest and refrain from accepting the Sacraments. Please know that when we decline to give Holy Communion to persons not of our church body, we are not doing so because we think they are “bad people” or because they are “not Christians.” But rather, we practice a “closeness” at our communion rail because we sincerely believe that this is what the Word of God teaches and what God would have us do with his Son’s precious body and blood. Closed communion is not meant to be a judgmental practice, in the sense that we are condemning people. It is a practice which preserves and upholds the truth and power of the Sacrament. It is a practice which we Lutherans feel protects those who do not believe the same things as we do. It is a practice which recognizes that a person’s church membership does mean something. To belong to a church means to confess what that church believes and confesses. To commune at a church’s altar is the highest expression of confessing oneness with what that church teaches. A person must determine for oneself if what one’s church teaches is what the Word of God teaches. We respect each individual’s decision in this matter, but we cannot in good conscience create the impression that differences between churches are of no significance. Because the differences between churches concern the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ, we know that the differences are important and do matter. This is why we choose to practice closed communion, a practice which is found in the historic, orthodox Lutheran Church since the time of the Reformation and a practice which can be traced back to the very early years of the Christian church. We hope that our beliefs will be respected by those who differ with us. We certainly do not intend to offend anyone or do we wish to create ill-will and hurt feelings. Hopefully, this brief explanation will help you or someone else understand that our love for the Sacrament, and our love for the individual, are the motivations for our practice of closed communion. (taken from Communion Fellowship: A Resource for Understanding, Implementing, and Retaining the Practice of Closed Communion in the Lutheran Parish).