We’d like to invite you to join Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Yes, you! It would be fantastic to call you a member.
But why join a church? Lots of people don’t. A 2020 Gallup poll found that only 47% of U.S. adults belonged to a church. It’s not the norm anymore. We get it. Yet, we believe there’s great value in belonging to a church. The following are some of the benefits.
Personal connections are vital to our health. High social relationships can lower rates of anxiety and depression, heighten self-esteem, and even increase longevity by 50%. Historically, churches have provided people with a sense of community, friendship and belonging. According to an article in Psychology Today, feeling that you belong is most important in seeing value in life and in coping with painful emotions. Research also shows that it improves your motivation, health and happiness. After the isolation caused by the pandemic, our need for community is greater than ever.
Another benefit to membership is personal growth. Becoming a church member takes commitment. Let’s face it: commitment is hard but it has its rewards. When you commit to a church you attend more, you give more, and you suddenly find your faith growing. You might even end up serving in a leadership capacity. Not only will this help you grow spiritually and personally, it will enable you to help others grow as well.
Volunteering has a host of benefits: the chance to learn new skills, meet new people, and make a difference in your community and, thus, make it better. Church provides ample volunteer opportunities so you can shine your light.
Being a member of a church is actually fun! You have opportunities to attend and organize fun and meaningful events. They can offer chances to form friendships, build professional relationships, and strengthen connections with God.
These are all great reasons, right? But they apply to churches generally. Now, we want to tell you why it would be great to join Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, specifically.
After worship every Sunday we have coffee hour. Many times, you’ll find delicious home-baked treats! Our church ladies are the best. Seriously, though, we’re a pretty friendly group and being a member means you’ll get to know us and we’ll get to know you. Your presence here matters so come for the coffee, stay for the fellowship.
Well, not exactly forever but we have been here in Lansing, Iowa since 1867! In 2017 we had a big celebration of our first 150 years of ministry. A comprehensive book of our history called Are These Our Roots? was written by Barbara Scottston and can be downloaded here. It’s an incredible honor to be a part of a community that is so historically rooted. It gives you a sense of being part of something bigger than yourself. Our future depends upon people like you seeing the value of an old institution and jumping in to give it new life and direction.
Okay, she hasn’t been here forever, either but Pastor Laura Gentry has been with our congregation since 2001, making her the longest-serving pastor in our 156 years history! It’s not typical for a pastor of a small-town church but then she isn’t typical, either. She knows and loves this community very well and wants to be your pastor!
Our church is committed to our community of Lansing, Iowa. We are one of the biggest contributors to the local food pantry. Our members put in a lot of volunteer hours there and with other community-improving endeavors. We regularly create public art to beautify Main Street, such as the “positive sign campaign”. Supporting the health of our region is important, too. We’ve long been host to Iowa’s first laughter club and now we’re running a grant-funded program to improve the lives of people with depression. It’s our vision to continue reaching out and lifting up Lansing. If you want to make a difference, too, then join us. We can do so much more together.
Yeah, most churches say that about themselves but we’re really working on it. In 2018, we adopted the following welcome statement: "We welcome all because God welcomes all. Whatever your age, gender, race, ethnicity, political perspective, religious background, economic situation, citizenship, mental or physical ability, marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity - there’s a place here for you." We also became a Reconciling in Christ congregation, one of just four ELCA congregations in Iowa. This means we identify as a church where people of all sexual orientations and gender identities can find a safe, nurturing and affirming place in which to worship and learn. To find out more about RIC go to www.ReconcilingWorks.org.
You know how you can walk into worship at a big church and they might not even notice you? Not so at Our Savior’s. We’re a small congregation and we see you. When you join our congregation, you become one of the family. You’re important to us and we really do need you. That’s why we are asking you to prayerfully consider our invitation to become a member.
Would you like to talk? Please contact us at lansinglutherans@gmail.com and we’ll plan a get-together so we can continue this conversation. Thank you so much.