When you join us for worship at St. John’s, you are making yourself part of a community–God’s community. We are sinners, we are imperfect, and we know it. And yet, we have a Lord and Savior who loves us. He is perfect and He died for us. And so we gather together in His house to receive His gifts. He gives us His forgiveness through the Word and through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He also gives us the gifts of love, life, and hope.
Worship is an important part of our relationship with God. In a sense, worship is a conversation. God speaks and we respond. Our response is one of thanksgiving, love, and praise. Our response is done humbly, not for our egos. Our response brings glory to God. When we say that, we mean that our response points others to Christ. In the end, worship is not about what we do; it is about what God does for us. We hear of His love for us. We hear what He has done for us. And we receive His abundant gifts for us.
You can expect people like yourself. We are broken, not perfect. Some are hurting and could probably use a hug. Others are joyful because of a recent blessing. Because of this, we are friendly and welcoming to all. And we would love to have you join us!
We are also an interesting mix here as part of the Stewartville community. We have employees of the Mayo Clinic and we have farmers. Blue collar jobs, white collar jobs, no jobs at all. Big families, small families, singles and couples, we have them all. We have people from all walks of life, because we are all God’s family.
We have pews, not chairs. Maybe it is just traditional for a church, but maybe it helps us stress community and family as we sit together. We play the organ and sing together, lifting up our voices to God, the very voices with which He has blessed us. As for what the service itself will look like, you can click here for a copy of this week’s worship service.
Many churches you can go to will have a nursery that will watch your children for you while you worship. We don’t. We want your kids with you in worship. The reason is simple. We grow and learn the most from birth to age 6. So we want your whole family in the pew together so that your children can learn the importance of worship by worshiping with you. We do have a cry room just off the church sanctuary where you can take your children if they decide it is time for a temper tantrum, or if you just need a little more privacy for nursing.
Then, too, many of our members are parents or grandparents and would be happy to help you with your children during the service. We have children’s bulletins, with activities that help point them to Christ. We have crayons for them to color, books for them to read, and a floor that cleans easily if they spill their Cheerios!
