Welcome to First Lutheran Church! A place where you can experience a grace-filled community who serves our servant leader, Jesus Christ.
At First Lutheran Church, you are important to us. We follow the lead of Jesus by welcoming all people and serving our neighbors across the world. No matter where you are, or have been, in your faith journey you are welcome here to experience new growth and new life in your faith life. Although our faith in Jesus may falter, Jesus’ faith in us never fails. That is his promise to us – that no matter what is going on in our lives Jesus will forever stand by our side. In good times and bad Jesus’ faith in us never wavers – his love for us is eternal.
Come experience a community of faith that serves the poor, encourages the broken, and is lifted up to new life in Jesus on a daily basis. We invite you come to and worship with us!
A Letter From the Pastor
Fall Greetings for First Lutheran!
2025 has been an important year for First. We are turning 100 years old. That means this congregation has been worshiping, serving and sharing God’s blessings in West Allis for a long time and we like to think that has had an impact on the community outside the church walls and as we have inspired faith within. There have been times when First has been challenged, like in 1936 when the denomination sent a mission pastor that galvanized the congregation during the Depression and saved it. And recently we went through the pandemic but rather than shrinking after this time, we began innovating and growing.
As we look back and celebrate what this church has been and has done in the last century we also are looking within ourselves and our community and asking what God is calling us to next. We have been engaging in Adventures in Renewal, a cycle of listening and learning that prepares our members to engage with each other on a deeper level and connect with our neighbors with care and curiosity. We have been working with a mission coach Pastor Greg Van Dunk, who was the mission developer who formed All People’s Church in Milwaukee. Greg has been working closely with our Renewal Team and guiding our congregation in worship, conversation and creative mission experiments.
We officially celebrate our 100th birthday on September 21st . On September 28th we’ll have a special Renewal Service. Then on October 4th we will have our annual Pet Blessing in our courtyard with our friends from First Methodist. In recent year’s our Pet Blessing and Pet ministry has been an important way we have connected to our neighbors and invited them to join us. On October 5 th we celebrate the most beautiful Sunday of the year, our quilt blessing, when the Sew and Sew Quilters put all of their quilts out on display. And they keep needing more and more space each year! In October, we will also be gathering people interested in Baptism, First Communion, and becoming new members.
There are many ministries, committees, and projects going on at First at any given time. Checking our newsletter, reading our worship bulletin, and looking at our monthly calendar will help you see both our regular activities and special events. Our updated website and facebook page are also tools that help people know more about the church and how to connect.
First’s Sunday worship is the one of the several pillars of the congregation’s regular activities and for entry points for people to interact with First. Our worship would probably be called traditional, but we do a lot of experimenting and aren’t afraid to try something new as long as we remain faithful to God and gather around God’s Word and Sacrament—God’s good news and good gifts.
On Tuesday morning, we gather our members and several friends who are members of other churches and pray for our congregation and community. We follow this with an hour long discussion or activity connecting Scripture and Discipleship, usually a Bible study, or recently we have been watching the series the Chosen, with scripture and cultural background lessons to help us learn more about Jesus and his disciples. But we also do book studies, study other faiths, invite guest speakers, and go on field trips and do other activities.
Our Sew and Sew Quilting ministry is another regularly scheduled ministry that meets on Wednesday mornings and has been growing their members and impact each year. On Friday’s our church’s food pantry ministry is a key part of this church’s identity, hospitality, and service outreach.
Every other Saturday we have Children’s program for kids age 2 to 12 that engages children in unique and fun programming around an annual biblical theme. First Lutheran takes kid’s safety and security seriously adopted a new Safety Policy for Children and Youth that includes background checks of volunteers. We also offer Recovery Resources at First on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. First will sometimes have special evening activities especially for younger members that work during the day. These include evening worship, bible study, book study, Theology Pub, film club and visiting local businesses and organizations. If you are interested in any of these activities please let me know.
First is a vibrant community of earnest believers who take their faith seriously but have great senses of humor and care about others. We hope you will participate in some of our ministries that interest you and see if you can find your fit at First!
Pastor Josh
