I'm thinking of visiting a worship service at Shining Mountains - what should I know?
First, know that we're happy to have you as our guest! It's our goal as a Lutheran church to share God's good news with you. We pray that your visit with us leaves you comforted by the message of God's love for you, strengthened in your faith, and encouraged to face the challenges of daily life. Visitors are always welcome! Below is a little information to help walk you through your first visit, and make it as comfortable as possible as you get to know us.
Where and when does Shining Mountains meet?
We've moved from our home on 25th Ave that served us well for over thirty years. Our new church home is at the corner of Davis Lane and Vaquero Parkway, right by the new fire station, County Park and Dinosaur Playground. Our Sunday School and Bible study classes take place at 9:40 am. Our Sunday morning worship iscurrently held at 8:30 & 10:30 am.
What should I expect from the worship service?
At Shining Mountains, we strive for confessional Lutheran worship. We seek to preserve the best of classic hymns, while also blending more contemporary accompaniments with some of our songs.
We follow a structured pattern of worship (a liturgy), both giving confession of what we believe and allowing visitors to see what's ahead. Our worship service is always printed out in full, so you'll never have a hard time following along.
In our church setting, our worship service and our sermons, we strive for both reverence and relevance, communicating the timely and timeless truth of a holy God who restored his relationship with sinful man through the life and death of his Son, Jesus Christ.
What will my visit cost me?
Our goal is to give you something when you visit, not take something from you. Although you will see an offering gathered during the worship service, it's done as an opportunity for our members to express their faith and thankfulness for what God has done and support the ministry of our church as we reach out to others. Visitors need not feel obligated to contribute, and aren't expected to do so.
What is the length of a typical worship service?
Our worship services usually last about one hour.
Should I come up for communion?
At Shining Mountains, we certainly want you to end up at the Lord’s Table with us. However, guided by our Lord’s words in Scripture, congregations of our Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) practice close communion, celebrating communion with those who have expressed their agreement with the teachings of our church through their membership. God's Word tells us that when we gather together at the communion rail, we're confessing to this world that we stand united in faith. As our guest, we don't want to put you in a position of confessing unity with us until you know what we believe. Before communing with us, please talk with one of our pastors and allow us to share our beliefs with you. Thank you!
Will I be "put on the spot" at all as a visitor?
We want our worship services to be a welcoming and comfortable way for our guests to get to know who we are and what we teach. Aside from a friendly welcome from our greeters and our pastors, and an usher who hands you a worship service guide, we'll let you become comfortable with our worship service without being too noticed. We invite you to sign our guest book near our doorway to let us know who you are, and if there are any ways we can continue to serve you!
