Our Services
We’re here every Sunday @ 9:30ish am
Family friendly
Children are ACTUALLY welcome! We are used to some noise and activity and welcome you and your people to be here in all of your age/developmentally appropriate glory.
Sacred Consent
We are co-creating a culture of consent in our sacred spaces by asking each other before we touch each other—even kids! We are also committed to communicating, asking, and using each others’ appropriate pronouns. It is a growing edge for us.
Childcare
We do offer space for elementary age and younger kids to hang out with Dek, our high school (paid) child care person during worship. They are great with kids! They have games, crafts, activities each week and offer the kids a snack. Please tell them if your kiddo has food allergies. This option is honestly available for you to choose what is best for your family and there is no expectation that kids will disappear during worship as if worship is adult space.
Regardless of whether kids hang out with Dek or stay in worship, they will be invited to “chancel chat” which is a time when the children and pastor talk theology together in the sanctuary. It is the best. (<—in Pastor Valerie’s opinion)
Coffee/tea
Also welcome in the sanctuary! We have a coffee bar so if you didn’t bring any, you are invited to help yourself or we are happy to help you get some!
Holy Communion
We receive Holy Communion every single Sunday that we gather together. You are absolutely invited to the Lord’s Table. Don’t let a little thing like not knowing how to do it stop you. You can ask or watch and figure it out or just come up and we’ll figure it out together! All ages are invited to commune at ALC.
The body of Christ is gluten free and there are both wine and juice options available each week.
Communal Aspects
We start worship with some announcement things to help navigate worship and set congregational norms. We acknowledge that we are on stolen land and profit from stolen labor and then we confess our communal sin together. If you aren’t used to it, it can be awkward. We all say scripted words together out loud. It helps us remember as we come to worship that we are beloved even though we are not perfect. And to practice acknowledging that we are not perfect without shame. After our confession the pastor announces God’s boundless love and grace to us in the form of forgiveness.
We also say The Lord’s Prayer out loud together later in worship. We begin the prayer with a more expansive salutation to God than many folks are used to. We begin, “Our Creator, Our Mother, Our Father in Heaven…”
You are invited to say the words with us or just listen. Or say other words that have more integrity for you.
Language
Lutheran services have historically had body movement incorporated throughout worship (e.g. standing to sing). Those movements are usually cued by the person leading worship. We cue communal movement invitations with language that is not typical because we are working to find language that is inclusive of disabled worshippers. To that end, you will be invited to “assume a posture of reverence” at a few points in the service. Many people will stand. Some will not. You can do what is right for you.
Also, Pastor Valerie uses they/them pronouns for God. Not all of us do. You will not be shamed for your pronouns for God or yourself.
We probably use some secret Lutheran code words. We are trying not to, but some probably still slip in. If you notice and want to mention it-we’d appreciate it!
Length
By Lutheran standards our service runs long. Usually about 1.5 hours. But sometimes people leave early. Legitimately. Pastor Valerie doesn’t usually take it personally.