Welcome to First!

Welcome to First Lutheran Church and School!

We’re so glad you’ve visited our web home, as we seek to grow together as a caring community of Christian faith for all people. The First Lutheran Mission Statement sums up our commitment to Christian community:

We seek and make disciples
In the saving way of Jesus
Called and sent to serve and speak
God’s love in daily life

Many first-time visitors may have questions about the church they’re visiting. Here’s a brief sketch of the life of our congregation and school:

First Lutheran Church was organized as a congregation in 1926, with the purpose to share the gospel in the South Bay community. We moved to our present location back in 1954. Our current baptized membership is approximately 1,000, plus the 300+ families who participate in our school ministries.

We are a ministry partner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a church body with 11,000 churches and 4.7 million members. The Lutheran Church has its roots in the Reformation of the 16th Century, when German professor and pastor Martin Luther sought to restore basic biblical teaching to the medieval church. Today’s Lutheran Church numbers over 63 million people on every continent. Lutherans are leaders in the search for ecumenical unity, seeking fellowship with all other Christian bodies, and striving to practice radical welcome in the service of the Gospel of God’s amazing grace.

A large church with a big heart. Everyone needs community: a place to fit in, to make friends and discover common interests, and we work hard to offer a warm and authentic welcome. We’re also committed to making First Lutheran a place of friendship connections. There are fellowship groups that run across the age range, from youth groups to elders, with many more on the way in the months to come. In addition there are a wealth of ways to serve and deepen friendships, many small group bible studies, along with Men’s and Women’s groups and activities for every age and interest.

Worship services are many and varied at First. We currently offer a number of weekly worship times, each with its own style.

Our Sunday 8:30am Classic Communion uses a standard liturgy, accompanied by a magnificent pipe organ and adult choir.

The 10:45am Praise Communion is a more relaxed style of worship, accompanied by our talented and joyful “In His Name” praise band, and is a favorite with families.

On Saturday evenings at 5:30pm we offer the “Living Water” Contemporary Communion, a more intimate setting for prayer, praise and worship.

We also offer a Mandarin language Worship Service at 3 P.M. each Sunday afternoon, featuring Outreach Pastor, the Rev. Newman Chiu, serving with us through a missionary agreement with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Ongoing Japanese language ministry is also available here on campus.

During the week there are many worship opportunities as well. Wednesday morning chapel services with our school are open to all, as well as Early Ed. Center services on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11:30am. Tuesday Morning Prayer is held each week at 9am, and Wednesday Evening Prayer at 7pm is held weekly from Sept-May.

Learning is at the heart of First Lutheran. Educational ministries are a key element in everyone’s call to discipleship, regardless of your age. Every Sunday morning kids can join in our SPARK Sunday School children’s ministry at 9:45am, as adults gather for weekly studies in scripture and faith. A variety of groups and classes are offered throughout the year, enabling you to choose the class that will be most valuable to you. Other classes, such as “Basic Christianity,” “Introduction to Baptism” and Wednesday evening study opportunities are offered throughout the year.

Music at First Lutheran is one of our greatest strengths and passions. The Chancel Choir sings at the 8:30 A.M. service. Our Praise Team, “In His Name,” sings at the10:45 A.M. service. Choirs for children include the Angel Choir (3years – K), the Sonshine Singers (Grade 1-4), and our Rainbow Choir (Grades 5-8). Each of the children’s choirs sings once a month at one of our services. We are very fortunate to have two bell choirs. Celebration Bells is a bell choir for beginners, and the Joyous Ringers is our more experienced bell choir. New venues for music ministry are arising all the time!

Opportunities to serve abound at First. Because God first loved us, we respond by serving others in obedience to Christ, as individuals and as a faith community. Whether serving homeless neighbors on Monday nights, supporting local and global missions, or volunteering in a wide range of caring activities, opportunities are all around for every member to find their niche as a servant of others in Christ. We would be honored to help you find your calling to ministry here.

Youth and Family Ministries are what we’re all about! From birth to growth, through day school and weekend activities, in every way imaginable, we’re committed to each young person’s growth as a disciple of Jesus. We have groups for young people of all ages from Kindergarten through High School. Family and Young Adults are available as well.

First Lutheran School provides a quality academic education grounded in Christian faith and nurtured by Christian love. Our community serves 500 students, from our top-ranked Early Education Center (6 weeks to age to age five) to 8th Grade. We also have a quality Day Care program from 7 to 8:30am (before school) and 3:00 to 6:00pm each school day, with games, homework help and fun.

Becoming a ministry partner at First is about claiming our identity as cherished children of God and followers of Christ.

Children and adults not yet baptized are invited to “come to the water.” Pastor will be glad to speak with you about the Christian journey of faith and life.

Those already baptized are invited to embrace God’s baptismal promises through worship and learning, praying and welcoming, giving and serving together in community.

“Mission:First” new member gatherings are offered all year, to learn more about Christian Faith, Lutheran theology, and this church’s mission.

Welcome! If you’d like to learn more or be a part of this ministry, please call or email. We’d love to hear from you!
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Anatomy of a Symbol – the First Lutheran Logo

organizations all over the world develop logos, corporate symbols that help communicate their basic identity and mission. The word “logo” comes from the Greek logos, which means “word” or “principle.” For instance, in John’s Gospel (1:1-14) Jesus Christ is called the divine logos, the ‘Word’ which became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth.

Logos can function on many levels. They not only become recognizable to those who see them over time, but also seek to rally their members to represent the organization’s values in the world. The 2005 logo of First Lutheran Church and School, designed and executed by Pastor Bill Hurst and FLS teacher Richard Rouilliard, attempts to achieve these important communication goals. It seeks to lift high the Cross of the Word made flesh, and to help our community rally around its core mission: to seek and make disciples in the saving way of Jesus.

I. THE BASIC SHAPE of the logo, flowing like a ribbon throughout the design, looks like a cursive F. It flows down into a curl on the bottom left, and curves again into an L shape on the bottom right. On the surface, the “F and L” remind the viewer of First Lutheran Church and School. The rectangular box is a reminder that God places the Church “on the map” in its neighborhood, to make Christ known in the world.

II. THE CROSS occupies a position of central importance in the logo design, even as the Cross of Christ holds a central place in the Christian message and mission. Its design is woven into the design of the “F.” Because the ribbon design resembles classic calligraphy, it also reminds us that the written word of God exists to drive us to faith in the One we meet upon the Cross, the Christ who says, “when I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. (John 12:32)”

III. THE FISH symbol at the bottom left represents an ancient form of identification among Christians, the “ICHTHUS (pronounced ‘ick-thoos’).” This Greek word literally means “fish,” but it served as a code word for the early Church during centuries of persecution and danger. Its letters spell out “Jesus, Christ, God, Son, Savior.” We employ this historic symbol not only because we proclaim the same ancient confession of faith, but also because we are an ecumenical community, standing in solidarity with all who lift high the cross in the world, all who claim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

IV. THE OPEN BOOK forms the lower right hand portion of the logo. A primary emphasis of First Lutheran’s mission is educational in nature -- through our early education and day school ministries, in various bible and theology study groups, and through the central place of the Word in our approach to public worship. We are, throughout this ministry, a people of the Book, standing upon the Word made flesh revealed in the Holy Bible.

V. THE WAVE is also expressed in the bottom right design, and some people see this image even before recognizing the image of the open book. This wave not only identifies our location among the beach cities of the South Bay, but reminds us of the centrality of Holy Baptism, by which God calls people into the journey of faith in Christ, and daily washes away sin, making us born anew. In Baptism we stand with the faithful of every time and place, and join hands together in the call to serve and speak God’s love in daily life.

There may well be additional images to be found in the FLC&S logo, this symbol of the mission of this Christian community. We invite you to discover some for yourself. More important, we hope this logo will encourage you in your walk of faith and witness, and stir you to the mission of all God’s saints in the world:

Our Mission:
We seek and make disciples
in the saving way of Jesus
called and sent
to serve and speak
God’s love in daily life