Visitor Guide

Dear Friend,

If you're visiting this page, you've probably got some questions and you're looking for answers. We understand it can be hard to visit a church for the first time. You might ask yourself, "What's going to happen when I come in the front door?" "How will I know where to go and what to do when I get there?" "What will I do with my children?" "What should I wear?" "What will the service be like?" All kinds of unknown factors can make church seem very intimidating.

With this section we hope to answer some of the questions you might have about our church before you visit. All of us at St. John and Trinity truly hope to make your visit with us relaxed and enriching.

If any of your questions are not answered below, please let us know so we can add whatever will be helpful to you in this visitor's guide, because that's why it exists - to help you, our guest, on your visit to St. John or Trinity.

Above all, it is our greatest hope that when you visit St. John or Trinity, you will hear about your Savior Jesus, and through his love you will find life eternal. Thank you for visiting our website and we look forward to meeting you as a guest of our church family very soon!

How Do I Find St. John and Trinity?

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church is located in Alma City, MN. Our address is: 1891 – 321st Ave, Janesville, MN 56048.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is located in Smiths Mill, MN. Our address is: 20574 – 631st Ave, Janesville, MN 56048.


When Do You Meet?

St. John                                                                                                   Trinity

Worship Services: Sundays - 10:00 AM                                              Sundays - 8:30 AM

Sunday School:  9:00 AM (September – May)     Sundays: 7:45 AM 

Bible Class: Sundays 11:00 AM     Sundays 7:45 AM


What is Worship like?

Every church has its own style of worship. We think you'll enjoy the services at our churches, but as in any church you should expect to take a couple of Sundays to become accustomed to our way of praising God and receiving God's gifts together.

Each week we follow one of the services found in our hymnal. If there are any changes, the Pastor will announce them. The worship theme, hymn numbers, and Scripture readings will be printed in the worship bulletin. You are welcome to bring along your own Bible and follow along with the lessons if you choose.

Our worship services focus on readings from God's Word - the Bible. There we hear God talk to us. Music and singing are important parts of our worship as well. Loud or soft, in monotone or rich harmony, ancient or contemporary, all our praises are music to the Lord.

I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." - Psalm 122:1


Our worship services usually include the following parts in a variety of forms:

Throughout these different parts of our service, our God gives us gifts of his grace. In response, we praise him with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs from the entire history of God's Church. During some services, our members partake of the Lord's Supper. St. John and Trinity (and all congregations of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) practice what is called "Close Communion."

Our worship services use traditional forms, but modern language and application. This "blended" style of worship brings out the best of the traditional and the contemporary. The traditional brings us the best from God's Church throughout the ages, while the contemporary brings God's promises and his will into our daily lives. We hope you will enjoy both as we worship our gracious Lord together!


How Should I Dress?

You might wonder how you are expected to dress at a church you've never visited before. Since the Bible presents no dress code, except for simple decency and Christian humility, we don't make any rules either.

On any Sunday at our church you may see running shoes and heels, jeans and suits, open collars and ties. When a person dresses out of love for his or her Lord, the choice of dress, be it casual or more formal, is acceptable to God . . . and us.


What About the Offering?

"When will they take the offering?" "How will it be collected?" "How much am I expected to give?" "Do they want visitors to contribute too?" These are typical worries about church offerings, but God's Word teaches that our offerings to God should reflect our belief that all we have is his gift to us. It teaches us that with our offerings we worship and honor God.

Like most Christians, our members bring offerings to God through their church. Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one dictates what each person is to give. These offering give them the opportunity to not only show love to Christ, but also to support the work of our congregation as we bring the Good News of Christ's love to more people. Our members use offering envelopes to keep their gifts a private matter known only to the Lord.

As our guest, we will not expect you to contribute an offering nor do we want to pressure you into doing so. You may wish to learn more about our ministry before bringing your offerings to God through our church, but you are welcome to participate as your heart leads you to give.


What Is the Worst that Can Happen?

Attending a church for the first time can be intimidating. Here are some common worries:

“I would just die if they made me stand up and say something." - We can assure you that we won’t embarrass you in this or any other way. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible and at home with us. Time at church should be an enjoyable and uplifting experience. We promise to do all we can so you can learn about your Savior.

"I know my child is going to be too noisy." - Our congregation is much like a family with infants and kids and teens and adults and elderly. It is not unusual to hear the cry of a baby mixed in with the sound of hymns or readings. If, however, at any time you feel the need, we have a small cry room in the back of the church or the basement, where you can bring your child. Also, if you have a little one who needs a change, diaper-changing station can be found in ladies' restrooms (basement at St John; entryway at Trinity).

"I'm afraid I'll say or do something wrong." - You are not alone! All of us, at some time, have felt this way in a new situation. We hope you'll see that the people of St. John and Trinity are ordinary people like yourself. We want to accept you as you are and help you become what Christ wants you to be. We do not want to throw cold water on that with a critical spirit.

"I know I will feel out of place." - We hope this visitor's guide has helped to ease your mind, but if you have a question, please ask someone for help. Don’t hesitate to say, "I'm new here. Can you help me?" We can assure you our members are more than willing to help!

"I just want to watch at first, but I know they'll try to get me involved or sign me up for something." - It's unpleasant to be pressured or to be part of a "membership drive." We believe church membership should be a voluntary matter, and the most important thing of all is to trust in our Savior Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. This takes time. People need time to evaluate and decide if they wish further involvement in a congregation. We believe we should respect that need.

"I don’t know that much about the Bible." - Worship and Bible Study are opportunities to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and faith in Jesus. You won’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer. Don't forget...sometimes the wisest words to say are, "I don’t know."


What About Your Church Body?

St. John and Trinity are members of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Our church body started in Milwaukee, WI in the 1850s...hence, the name.

The name "Lutheran" comes from the great 16th Century reformer, Martin Luther. At that time in history, the Church had lost sight of its Savior and the truth of his Word. The Lord used Martin Luther to boldly challenge these errors and preach Jesus Christ as Savior to restore that truth. For this reason, we are proud to remember his work in bringing to light the truth of God’s Word by using his name to identify ourselves.

Our membership in the WELS unites us with like-minded Christians across our country and around the world, who share a common faith with us. This "synod" allows us to do joint work we cannot do on our own. We pool our resources to do mission work at home and abroad, to train young people to serve in public ministry as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers, and to put out publications such as hymnals, Bible studies, and other materials. Above all, we find comfort in knowing there are Christians throughout the world who share a common faith with us.

Our congregations and church body are solidly based on the Bible. We believe that Jesus is our only Savior and way to heaven. Through faith we are united to him and to each other.

If you want to know more about what we believe and practice, feel free to contact the Pastor. You can also visit our synod's page: WELS.net or for a more in-depth look, you can read This We Believe.


A Final Note...

We pray that this "Visitor's Guide" has helped answer some of your questions and alleviate your fears. Our goals as congregations are quite simple. We want to nurture our faith by the teaching of the Lord's pure Word and then to share that faith with people like you - all for the glory of God. Everything we do is meant to accomplish these goals. We pray that there is nothing that will stand in your way from learning more about your Savior.

May our living Savior richly bless you and we look forward to seeing you in church sometime soon!