Hi! Come on in...

We're glad you are here. If you have never been to Peace, this is your chance to get to know us - who we are, what we do, what we believe, and a whole lot more. We would love to meet you in person and invite you to join us for any of our weekend worship services. We worship on Saturdays at 5:30 pm (contemporary) and Sundays at 8:30 am (hymnal liturgical) and 11:00 am (blended) with Bible classes for all ages beginning at 9:45 am. Please join us. 

If you are a regular visitor at Peace, our web site is a place to take the next step in your journey of faith - to get connected. If you are a member of Peace, our web site can help you take your next step in intentionally following Jesus and growing in your faith. We never stop learning and experiencing along this amazing journey of faith. Our prayer is that anybody, young or old, brand new to Peace or founding member, will join us in living on purpose by following Jesus. Take a little time on this page to get to know the basics of our web site.

How to Navigate This Web Site

There are certainly many events, groups, and much information to find on this web site, but our main reason for this site is not to simply communicate information. We want people to know God better, to walk closer with Him and each other, and to grow in their faith while on this site. There are three foundational aspects to navigating this web site: 1) Jesus is at the center 2) calling us to follow Him as intentional disciples 3) growing in five essential areas (worship, word, relationships, mission & generosity).

Jesus

at the Center

Everything at Peace (worship, Bible studies, service projects, ministry teams, leadership...) is intended to grow out of a vital connection to Jesus. Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  Without Jesus, our lives have no power, no energy to produce anything of eternal value. But when we are "in him," we can live lives that have deep and lasting significance. Who doesn't want to live that kind of life?

A lot of this web site is about being an intentional disciple - about bearing much fruit. But don't be fooled into thinking that it's all about you! Because it isn't. It's about Jesus. He's the one who showed up in this world filled with grief (and He didn't have to). He's the one who carried the sins of the world to a cross (and He didn't have to). He's the one who rose from the dead three days later, not to destroy the people whose sins He carried, but to pardon them and give them life in His kingdom (and He didn't have to)! Don't you want to follow that kind of King? Don't you want to live in that kind of love and acceptance? That's why Peace spends so much time calling people to live on purpose - to follow Jesus as intentional disciples.  It's what He did! It's what He still does!

Whenever you find yourself weighed down by the cross of discipleship - the burden of following Jesus - remember that He is the one who gives you life. He is the one who gives you a future. He is the one who 100% accomplishes everything you couldn't to make you right with God. Whenever you feel burdened, look for Martin Luther's seal (the one to the right with the heart and cross in the middle) and click on it to be reminded of the center of your faith, the one you are following - Jesus.

The apostle Paul writes some amazing words to the Christian church in Corinth in his first letter to them:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
[1 Corinthians 1:11-15]

Paul reminds us that the center, the foundation of our faith, is Jesus, and no other. But then he talks about what each of us will build upon that foundation - our discipleship. We can build something that will survive or something that will burn (notice that the one who suffers loss still gets saved - your works don't get you right with God!). On what are you going to spend your energy? Where are you going to put your priorities? I don't know about you, but I don't want to slip into heaven with all my hair singed off and smoke coming out of my ears!

This is why we focus so much on intentional discipleship. It's important. And it's also a journey, which means it doesn't happen all at once.  Different people are at different places on the journey. We are helping each other out along the way. We want to strengthen each other so we can build something that lasts - friendships that will live on in eternity because of Jesus!

Core Values of Intentional Discipleship

While there are numerous aspects to living out our faith, at Peace we focus on five core values that are at the heart of discipleship. Worship is where it begins - where God comes to us, no matter what we have done or not done, and brings forgiveness and life. Interaction with God in His Word is where God, by the power of His Spirit, shapes and molds us. He transforms us into the people He intends for us to be. The Bible is not so much a 'How-to Book' as it is a personal encounter with God - a letter from His heart revealing who He is, what He is doing, and what we mean to Him. Relationships are the place where we live out our faith - family, school, work, neighborhood...and church family. None of us was created to live alone. We need God and we need each other. Finally, as we follow Jesus on purpose, He leads us to live outside of ourselves - to take the mission of God's grace to others. Mission supported by Generosity is this life. We are free to give ourselves away to others without expecting anything in return, just as Jesus did for us.

We believe that these values are areas of discipleship in which we grow all life long. God is never finished with us. For this reason we regularly invite guests and longtime members alike to continue to grow in each of these vital aspects of intentional discipleship. We encourage you to take some time to discover in more depth what each of these areas entails by clicking on the buttons below:

Special Features

This web site is meant to be fully interactive. There are many places where you can sign up for something, send a message to someone, or ask a question. There are tons of links to other parts of the web site, to PDFs (files you can view, download, and/or print off), and to other web sites. If you see something with a coffee-brown or sky-blue line underneath it or around it, or words printed in those same colors, that means you can click on it. Below are some icons you will find throughout the web site:

Luther's Seal will take you to "Grace Alone," which is a reminder that our salvation is not accomplished by anything we do. Our discipleship does not make God love us any more. He already loves us far more than we deserve. It's this grace that makes us right with Him - grace given to us through Jesus. Throughout the web site you will see this icon. Click on it to remember how much God loves you. 

God promises to come to us in His Word. Whether you had to miss worship this week, you want to refresh what you heard in worship, or you just want to see what the preaching is like at Peace Lutheran Church, we invite you to listen to any or all of our preachers online.