Lutheran Worship

Divine Service

The Divine Service is at the heart and soul of what we do at Trinity.  We are a community that gathers to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We gather together each week to receive the gifts that God has for us:  the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.  We also believe that the support one Christian gives another is a vital part of a worshiping community.

On Sunday mornings we follow the Divine Service from the Lutheran Service Book.  During the seasons of Advent and Lent we use Divine Service III (the old page 5 and 15 from The Lutheran Hymnal).  Advent and Lent are more reflective times of the church year lending towards the tone of Divine Service III and the omition of the Hymn of Praise.  During the seasons of Christmas, Epiphany and Easter we use Divine Service I which is more upbeat and includes the extended version of the Hymn of Praise.  During the none festival portion of the church year (Pentecost) we use Divine Service II.

We are blessed to have two pastors who preach on a regular basis here at Trinity.   Pastor Gehne and Pastor Jennings switch off every other week.  Each has his own style of presentation and each one takes the craft of preaching seriously.

Saturday Evening Services

Our worship on Saturday evening at 5pm is "relaxed."  We follow the same general order of service as on Sunday except that the liturgy or musical accompaniment was written by former Racine Lutheran High School band and choir teacher Peter Klemp.  Worship on Saturday is generally led by piano rather than organ (with the exception of Easter Vigil).  The Pastors generally wear suits and clerical collars (black shirts with the white tab) rather than robes.

Communion Practices

At Trinity we do follow the LCMS practice of Close Communion.  For more information on this please visit http://www.lcms.org/faqs/doctrine#communionhistory

The Lord's Supper is served at all regular services with the exception of our "Family Service" the 2nd Sunday of the month at the 10:30am service.

We offer both the individual cups and the common cup for the reception of the wine.  Please note, that the clear glass in the center of the individual cup tray is water with just a drop of wine.  We have determined that this is the best option for those on medication that reacts with alcohol and those with a history of alcoholism.