Frequently Asked Questions about the Lutheran Church

We recognize that many of our school families come from different cultural and Christian heritages.  While we respect the differences, the following information explains what Lutherans hold to be true from the Bible.

Is the Lutheran Church Christian?

The Lutheran Church is a bible based Christian church names for Martin Luther, the 16th century

priest who left the Catholic Church.  He taught, as we do today, that we are saved by grace,

through faith, and not by works. "For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of

law." Romans 3; 28.  Our salvation was won by the cross, and now we live our lives reflecting Jesus

in everything we do, living out the life he prepared for us.

What does Baptism mean to Lutherans?

Baptism is a sacrament.  It is an act of God that unites us with the risen Christ and makes us

members of God's family.  Baptism washes away the guilt of our sins, bestows God's grace upon us,

delivers us from the power of death, and promises us eternal life in God's kingdom.  Baptism is God's

gift of love to us.  Baptism marks the beginning of our spiritual journey in life, so infants are baptized

even though they can't say that they accept God.  God gives the gift of love to all who receive the

sacrament - including children and infants.  Our church has a baptismal Font which holds a basin of

water used in baptisms.

What is in a Lutheran Church?

We decorate our churches with symbols of God's love.  We also have...

A cross, which serves as the focal point of worship.

An alter, or table, for blessing the bread and wine of Holy Communion, our other sacrament.

Special containers for the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

Candles representing the presence of God.

Do Lutherans celebrate Halloween?

October 31 is Reformation Day in the Lutheran Church.  It commemorates the day Martin Luther

challenged the Catholic Church by nailing his questions for debate on the local church door, as was

the custom of the day.

On, or close to, October 31, our school celebrates a "Fall Festival" where the children dress in

costumes and celebrate God's creation. We use this opportunity to teach the children that all food,

including pumpkins, and all animals, including spiders, bats, and black cats, are creations of God.

They hold no evil power over us.