Who We Are

Wherever you are in your journey of faith, you are welcome here!

Our Mission

Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world. This is the mission statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus’ name throughout the world.

What do Lutherans Believe?

As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe in the one, triune God, who is the Creator and Parent of us all. We believe that God is present with us, today, still actively creating; that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is our example for living and relating to others in this world, and through whose death and resurrection we have received the grace of forgiveness and the promise of fullness of life; we also believe in the Holy Spirit, who sustains and inspires us in faith to be active and alive and hopeful.

We believe that the Bible is God’s Living Word, which speaks to us today, and calls us to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. And we believe that the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper shape our life together, providing forgiveness, new life and strengthening for service in Christ’s name.

Who are our Members?

  • Second, third and fourth generation descendants of refugees and immigrants who came from Germany and other parts of Europe to escape revolution and war, in search of peace and opportunity for their families
  • those who were uprooted from homelands as the result of more recent conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and Africa
  • others whose ancestors were brought to this country against their will
  • and still others who came because of opportunities for employment or education
  • those who have deep roots as Lutherans and others who come from different branches of the Christian family
  • some who are young, others who are in mid-life, and still others who are retirees
  • those who are working, others who are under-employed, and still others who need a job
  • there are straight people and there are gay people who worship here
  • people whose politics may differ, but whose love and care for each other as sisters and brothers in Christ, transcends all else
  • roll-up-your-sleeve workers, roof repairers, prayer shawl knitters, fellowship dinner chefs and bakers, gardeners and mowers, altar guild members, Monday morning quilters, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teachers, Eucharistic Visitors, singing-their-hearts-out-choir-members and musicians, special events organizers – and so much more!

We are a Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

As a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the ELCA’s Metropolitan New York Synod, we are one of 10,000 congregations and 4.2 million members across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands – part of a community of faith that shares a passion for making positive changes in the world. Our faith is built around a strong belief in God as made known to us in Jesus Christ. Through worship, service, and education, we practice our faith, grow our relationship with God and experience God’s grace in our lives. We also work hard to put our faith into action. In today’s complex world, we strive to make a difference in practical, realistic ways.