What time are your services?
Weekly Worship at St. John’s
St. John’s worships weekly with two services on Sunday mornings at 8:00am & 10:45am.
Holy Communion on the first and third and fifth Sunday of each month
Sunday Education Hour
9:25am-10:25am
Where do I find information as a visitor?
Let us know if our website doesn’t have all the answers to your questions about St. John’s! Email the Church Office, or Pastor Mark Stapleton, or call the church at 708-354-1690 for more information.
In person, our ushers, pastors and greeters, and most of our members, will happily introduce themselves and St. John’s to new faces before, between, and after services. Grab a cup of coffee at our Mission Cafe between services and smile at someone.
Our Connection Center Desk is a semicircular desk in the narthex to the left as you are entering the sanctuary. You can pick up a paper copy of our monthly Ministries e-newsletter and other info about opportunities at St. John’s from the Connection Center. Chances are, one of our ushers, pastors or greeters will see you there and engage you in conversation. Ask away!
Our e-newsletters are loaded with information, signup to receive these emails by clicking the link here: St. John’s e-newsletters .
Where do I park?
There is plenty of parking in our parking lot just south of the church. There is also street parking on Brainard Avenue to the east and Park Road to the west sides of the church. The towering bell tower will catch your eye at the corner of 47th Street and Brainard Avenue.
Who do I contact?
You can Email the Church Office and our office manager can answer whatever questions you may have. You can also call the church office at (708) 354-1690 during church office hours (Monday – Friday, 10am-3pm).
What kind of worship do you offer?
At St. John’s the most important thing about worship is that it is founded on the Word of God as given to us in the Holy Scriptures. For this reason, preaching the good news about who Jesus is and what he has done for us takes a prominent place in every worship service. In keeping with what the Bible teaches, the Lord’s Supper is also the heart of who we are as a worshiping community. Our worship services also make use of the reading of Scripture, the joining together of our hearts in prayer, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with text that helps us to rejoice together in the Gospel of Christ.
What is the dress code?
People wear a variety of clothing to worship services. Everything from suits and dresses to jeans and shorts. You will fit in no matter what you wear.
Is there childcare during worship?
At St. John’s we rejoice in family and children as a special gift of God to his people and his Church. For this reason, we encourage parents to keep their children with them during worship, as you help your children grow as members of our worship community. Many of our young families prefer to sit up front where their children can see more fascinating elements of worship, such as the procession, the use of the Baptismal font, and the lighting of candles. When children are encouraged to enjoy the entire experience of authentic Lutheran worship, it’s amazing how quickly they begin to grasp the power of worship and learn to participate.
We do have a nursery available for parents who prefer to have their children there during the service. The nursery has toys for your child to play with and dedicated workers to take care of your child while you worship. Ushers are always available to direct you there.
Can we participate in Bible Study and Sunday School?
Yes! Spirituality at St. John’s is all about knowing what you believe and why you believe it, which means that you simply aren’t getting the full experience until you dig into Bible study. Discipleship in the Word takes precedence every Sunday morning at 9:25am throughout the year.
We have Sunday School for children age three through fifth grade. Sunday School meets on the second floor of our school in our Music room.
Truth Travelers, for sixth through eighth graders, meets downstairs in our Youth Room. Please ask one of our ushers or greeters, available in the narthex, to help you find these engaging programs if you are new to our building
All teens and adults are encouraged to participate in our Adult Education class taking place in the Heritage Room off the Sanctuary.
There are also Bible studies available on and off site throughout the week as well. See the Small Groups page for more information.
We’ve decided that we want to join St. John’s. What do we need to do next?
If you would like to become a new member at St. John’s and are not part of the Lutheran Church, please email Pastor Mark Stapleton or call him at 708-977-2521.
What about the Bible?
The Holy Bible is the Word of God. It is the only source and norm of our faith and practice. The Bible is inspired; The Holy Spirit worked through the human authors of the Bible to form its words. The Bible is infallible, without error or contradiction. The central focus of the Bible is the revelation of God working to save sinners and give new, eternal life in the person and work of Jesus Christ. (John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; John 20:30-31)
What about God?
God’s Word reveals that there is one, eternal, divine God but three separate persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each of these three persons is equally God, yet there is only one God. This is the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity. This is a mystery that can only be believed through the gift of faith. We believe that this Triune God created everything out of nothing, all things visible and invisible, and still cares for all of creation. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-3)
What about Humanity?
We believe that human beings were created as the pinnacle of God’s creation, made in His image, perfect and holy, trusting in God above all things and live lives of love towards others. The first humans, Adam and Eve, doubted God’s Word, gave into temptation and plunged the entire creation into sin. Since then, every single human has been conceived and born in sin, which produces every kind of sinful thought, word and deed. Sin is revealed through God’s Word and His good and holy Law, either written on human hearts or written on stone tablets by Moses known as the Ten Commandments. The payment for our sin is death, physical and eternal. (Genesis 1-3; Psalm 51:5; Mark 7:20-23; Exodus 20:1-17; Romans 3:9-20; Romans 6:23)
What about Jesus?
Jesus is God’s love toward sinful humanity, given to us for our forgiveness, life and salvation. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who took on our human nature when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. Therefore, Jesus is both true God and true man. He took the place of sinful humanity by perfectly obeying God’s Law for us, and suffered, died on a cross, and rose again to take away our sin, to defeat death and to overcome the power of the devil. He is now ascended into Heaven and will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. (John 3:16-17; John 20:24-29; Luke 24:36-43; Acts 1:1-11; Revelation 1:8)
What about Salvation?
We cannot save ourselves from our sin, death and God’s wrath by our own strength, merits or power. Instead, we are declared righteous in God’s sight, forgiven of all our sin and granted eternal life on account of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-28)
What about The Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit brings the person and work of Jesus Christ to sinful humans by creating faith in them through the Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit then continues to guard and keep that faith through the reception of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit alone is the source of a God-pleasing life, empowering them to live holy lives of loving service to everyone. (1 Corinthians 12:3; John 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 11:6; Galatians 5:25)
What about the Means of Grace?
God chooses to work through means to create faith and save sinners. He works through the Word of God, written, spoken, preached, taught. He works through the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. A sacrament is that which is commanded by the Lord when the Word of God is attached to a visible element for the giving of forgiveness, life and salvation. Baptism unites the sinner with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through water and Word, drowning the sinful nature and raising up a new creation in Christ. The Lord’s Supper gives the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in, with and under the elements of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins and strengthening of faith and love. (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-39; 1 Peter 3:21; Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)
What about the Christian Life?
As new creations in Christ, Christians are free to live for Christ in their various callings (church, family, work, society). The life of a Christian is one of struggle, battling the impulses of the sinful flesh, the lures of the fallen world and the attacks of the devil through the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit alone. Each day is a day of repentance, where the Christian confesses their sinfulness, receives full and free forgiveness in Jesus Christ, and lives out their faith in loving acts of service to others. The Christian life is marked with countless opportunities to share the love of God in Jesus Christ through their words and their actions. These good works are not meant to complete salvation or earn merit before God, but a joy-filled, Spirit-led response to God’s grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Mark 10:42-45; Romans 7:7-25; Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:16-17; Galatians 6:10)
What about the End Times?
Since the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are living in the end times. Even as the Good News of Jesus will continue to go out to all the world, sin and evil will continue to increase. All of this will continue until the Last Day, when Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead. On the Last Day, everyone who has died will be raised. Those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior will receive an incorruptible body and soul, free from sin and death. Those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin and salvation from Him will enjoy the bliss of Heaven eternally with Jesus. Those who are still in their sin and unbelief will be eternally punished in Hell. (Matthew 24:3-14; Acts 1:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 1 Corinthians 15; Matthew 25:31-46)
What’s a Lutheran?
A Lutheran is a Christian who holds that all of Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and that the teachings drawn from it, as contained in the Book of Concord, are faithful and true. “Lutheran” may be easily summed up by emphasizing the “solas” that highlighted the reformation of the Church, started by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther:
GRACE ALONE: Salvation is the free gift of God for the sake of Jesus Christ.
FAITH ALONE: Salvation comes to us through faith and not our works or merits.
SCRIPTURE ALONE: The Good News of our salvation has its final standard through the Word or God and not any human tradition or reason.
What about the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod?
St. John’s Lutheran Church and School is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Find out more about our Synod, our beliefs, practices and ministry here: LCMS
I heard that the LCMS believes other Christians aren’t worthy to commune with them. Is that true?
No. A person does not need to become worthy to take the Lord’s Supper. In fact, it is the Lord’s Supper that makes a person worthy to stand in the free gift of righteousness before the judgment seat of Christ.
At St. John’s we believe that in the Lord’s Supper we receive the very body and blood of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, eaten and drunk with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of sins unto eternal life. Because this great promise from our Lord is given to us together, as a community, at St. John’s we confess that receiving communion at a congregation puts a person in fellowship with that congregation, as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 10:16-21.
For this reason, visitors are encouraged to speak with a pastor before participating in the Lord’s Supper that we may teach the fullness of what we believe.
Members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod who have already given their public testimony that they agree with our teachings by virtue of their membership in another LCMS congregation are welcome to commune with us, not because they are more worthy, but because they are already members of our commun(ion)ity.
