FACTS AND QUESTIONs for Visitors

If you are visiting St. John’s and desire to know more information about the church, we hope this page is helpful in answering some of your questions. You might also want to see some of the links to the left of the page, which will give you more information about our staff and ministry, and about the beliefs of the Lutheran Church. Don’t forget to check our Newsletter to see what’s going on, and our Worship page to see our schedules of services. If you want to talk to the Pastor, he’s glad just to have someone to talk to! Just be sure to call ahead, to make sure he’s going to be around. He’ll also be glad to give you a tour of our building (we’ll be putting up some pictures soon – be patient if you have a dial-up!).

Here are a few more FAQs:

Location: St. John’s is in the heart of downtown Lewistown, at the corner of North Main Street and Third Street, just a block up the hill from the town square. Look for the big red brick spire, or listen for our carillons, which play three times a day, and follow the sound! Be aware that Third Street is one-way (Gee, that almost sounds theological!). There is street parking by the church; there is also a parking lot across from the church on Third Street, and one just beyond the church on North Main Street. The lot on North Main is free; Third Street has parking meters.

Worship Services: Look on our Worship Page for worship times. If you like liturgical worship and good music, St. John’s is a great place to experience both. We like a variety of services, which change with the mood of the year and of the congregation (we don’t have a service yet for Yucky, though!). We’ve been learning the services in our new Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal, and have a couple of others, besides. In the summer, we take it a bit lighter with Contemporary Worship, along with something that is both contemporary and yet liturgical for communion Sundays (every other week in the summer). Want some more information about services in 2009? Click here!

We have some great musicians, and often draw musicians from the community to kick our worship up a notch. Several times each year we welcome a number of them for special recitals or programs – usually one in the spring and another on Reformation Sunday. Our choirs are pretty good, too, and generally do two Cantatas each year – one on the Third Sunday of Advent, and another right after Easter. If you like Bell Choir music, you’ll have to go a long way before you hear a Bell Choir as good as St. Johns’.

All believers are welcome to receive communion, which involves real bread (our Pastor makes it – it’s always interesting to see what he’ll come up with!), and wine or grape juice. We usually do communion by “stations,” which involves following a line of folks up the aisle to where the pastor is standing, to receive the bread, then to an attendant to receive a cup and, finally, to another attendant with a “pouring chalice,” who will pour you some wine. Grape juice and non-gluten bread is also available. You can put the empty cup in a receptacle – or you can keep it. We’ve been trying to figure out what we can make of them, but we came up empty (bad joke)! As to what to wear to church, the best advice is: clothes. Do that, you’re o.k. We’re not too formal.

Child Care: We have a nursery for the little tots during the 10:15 am service. Ask an usher for directions to the nursery (ushers are usually well-marked – they’re the ones with all the bulletins). We also have Children’s Church during that service. If you’re coming to a Special Service (Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Christmas, etc.), call the office. If we know you’re coming, we’ll try to make sure there’s someone there to watch your children. We have a Youth Protection Policy in place, to make sure your children are kept safe.

Accessibility: The church sanctuary is handicap accessible through the Main Street entrance, half way up the Main Street side of the building. The entrance to the Office is also on Main Street, toward the rear of the building. Look for the portico. The second story of the Educational Building and the Fellowship Hall are also handicap accessible through that entrance. It’s a straight shot from the Third Street entrance (glass doors) into the lower level of the Education Building.

Hours of Operation: The church office is open from 8:30 am until noon; then from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pastor Roth is in his office Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings until noon, unless he has an emergency or meeting elsewhere. It’s best to check before you come in to see him.

Wedding Policy: The Lutheran understanding of marriage is that it is a “secular” institution, not a religious one. It is not a “sacrament” in the Lutheran Church. The state determines legal matters regarding marriage, including who may marry, licensing, who may perform marriage services, etc. Many couples prefer to have their marriage vows taken in a church, as a sign of God’s presence in their marriage. We are happy to help couples prepare for marriage and to host their ceremony, whether members of the church or not. We only ask that couples remember that this is a church; those who wish to have weddings here need to respect the fact that our sanctuary is a place for worship, and not just a pretty setting for a wedding. Our full Policy, as well as a Marriage Information Sheet, which must be sent to the church before the wedding is put on our calendar, are both available on-line. The “Policy” also contains two marriage services, along with other information about Weddings performed here.

Baptism is for believers only. We prefer that baptisms take place in the church during a regular service, since our baptism is into the body of Christ – Jesus’ earthly body, the church. It is not simply a “christening” or “dedication,” a private affair, but one in which the whole body of Christ dedicates itself to the child, and remembers the promises God made in our baptism: that we are his and he is ours, that we have forgiveness and new life in him, that our life is hid in Christ’s. If you would like to have you or your child baptized, or if you would like to have more information about baptism, call the Pastor; if you would like to schedule a baptism, fill out the Baptism Form and send it in, and we’ll contact you to set up an appointment.

Whether you are “just visiting,” looking for a place to worship on a Penn State weekend, or looking for a permanent “church home,” there’s a place for you here. If you want vibrant worship, well-done, with good music, you won’t find any “medium-rare” here. If you want to do some serious ministry, we are heavily involved in our community, reaching out with the love of Christ. We hope you will stop by, to see the sanctuary, to chat, to worship, or to stay and engage with us in ministry!

If there’s anything we haven’t covered here, please feel free to call our Secretary, Deb Montgomery, at (717)248-8780, or Pastor Gary Roth, at that same number; or e-mail us at elcalwtnpa@verizon.net.