I’M NEW HERE
So, you’ve been attending Sunday mornings for three weeks or more and are thinking about making LCA your church home. We warmly welcome newcomers and would like to make a personal connection.
Because we believe God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — Persons-In-Communion — we also desire to be relational. What’s more, because the relations between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been described as a dance (perichoresis), we would like to invite you into this marvelous dance.
Please take a moment to fill out a “dance card” that will be sent to our office, who will confirm your desire to meet with a Sponsor, an LCA member who has been trained to hear your story, guide you through a process of mutual understanding, and journey alongside of you through a personalized discipleship pathway.
ASK FOR HELP
There’s no shortage of passages in the Bible encouraging us to love and serve those around us. In Galatians 6 we are encouraged to bear one another’s burdens. In Proverbs we’re reminded to not withhold good from those who need it, especially when we have the power to act. Perhaps most profoundly, Jesus says in Matthew 25, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for Me.”
The truth is, we all need each other. Sometimes we are the receivers and sometimes we are the helpers. Our team of helpers are called The CARE TEAM. Below are some ways that we as a team can extend love, spiritual support or practical help in the situations you may be facing.
ASK FOR PRAYER
We have an active prayer chain at LCA and a team of gifted Pray-ers that would love to pray for you or with you. Let us know how we can pray, or plan a visit to Join us on Sunday so we can pray with you in person.
BENEVOLENT FUND
Our Benevolence ministry provides short-term financial support to those in our congregation or community that are experiencing hard times and need a little help to get back on their feet. The most common ways that help is provided is with grocery or gas cards and assistance paying overdue utility bills or rent, but the requests are often unique and varied. The Benevolent Fund is not an Emergency service and financial support is not given immediately when requested. Our office does not keep funds or gift cards on-site. Instead, we take the time to understand your situation after you have filled out an INTAKE FORM to see how we can best help you.
As soon as your COMPLETED FORM is received, a member of our Care Team will review it and contact you to discuss your situation and most likely set up an appointment to meet with you. Usually a meeting happens within about a week of our office receiving your completed INTAKE FORM. You cannot submit an INTAKE FORM on behalf of someone else. Instead, share the opportunity for support with your friend or family member and have them take the initiative to ask for help.
We are always looking for new members to join our Benevolent Team. Click HERE to find out more.
STEPHEN MINISTRIES
Stephen Ministries exists to help those experiencing the difficult situations that life presents. Stephen Ministers are a group of people skilled and trained to provide care by listening, praying and encouraging people who are hurting. Although Stephen Ministers are not pastors, they have undergone extensive training to develop and nurture their caring skills for situations such as:
Loss of a loved one
Discouragement
Divorce
Loneliness
Illness or disability
Spiritual crisis or other difficult circumstances
God never intended for us to go through these experiences alone. If you would like to receive care or find out more about becoming a Stephen Minister click below.
zero waste food fridge
Located in our Office Lobby (at the back of our building), and in partnership with the Lake Country Food Bank, this fridge is open to all Lake Country citizens with a view to reducing food waste. Stop on by during our office hours (Tue-Fri, 9a-3p) and help yourself!
active participation
Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate in our church.
You do not have to believe everything our church believes to experience belonging and acceptance.
You matter to God wherever you are at in your journey and we are comitted to showing one another love and respect.
We do not see you as a means to an end. You are not valued because of how much money you can give or how much help you can provide. However, we believe that we are like a body, an organism more than an institution, where every one has a part to play and everyone’s part matters.
For this reason, you will discover that LCA is a very diverse community, with people from every decade of life, different cultures, and various socio-economic backgrounds. We are not monoculture, which means that you and your story don’t need to “fit in” or conform to a particular mold.
But you will no doubt be challenged to grow and be transformed through active participation.
For those ready to participate fully, we emphasize the importance of three things:
Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual Friendships
We talk about being anti-consumer, anti-spectator, and anti-heroic.
What we mean by this is that we are commited to exploring what it means to lay our lives down and learn to live a life of love. Jesus modeled this profoundly for Christians when he said “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life for others,” (Mark 10:45).
While we gather to worship God and pray on Sundays, we are not Sunday-centric. We encourage one another to lead and participate in various Bible Studies, Courses, House Churches, 3 on 3 groups, and other ministry programs throughout the year while also carrying on with activities done in solitude with God.
Check out our Events to see what’s coming up.