On April 27, Morgan Hill’s Christ Our King Lutheran Church
reached a new milestone
– after years of holding services in the local Grange Hall, they
were able to worship God together in a building specifically
designed for this purpose.
On April 27, Morgan Hill’s Christ Our King Lutheran Church reached a new milestone – after years of holding services in the local Grange Hall, they were able to worship God together in a building specifically designed for this purpose.
The church’s pastor, Rev. Marty Tyler, said the Grange Hall was adequate for short-term use but was not the answer for the long-term.
“Although the Grange Hall certainly was a blessing as an affordable space, which the congregation lovingly transformed each week into a sanctuary where they could gather and worship together, its inadequacies as a worship facility presented a number of challenges each week,” he said.
Church furniture and fixtures had to be stored during the week and brought out on Sunday morning.
“The acoustics were poor,” Tyler said. “Sometimes events held on the previous Saturday night left messes that required quick cleaning on Sunday morning.”
Now Christ Our King is meeting in a sanctuary/auditorium formerly used by Morgan Hill’s First Baptist Church at 305 West Main St. Designed as a church, it includes a chancel where the congregation has set up traditional ecclesiastical features such as a pulpit, lectern, altar, processional cross, candelabra, baptismal font, fabric hangings and an assortment of colorful banners decorating the front of the room. Such elements add to the beauty and dignity of worship for Christians who follow the liturgical tradition of which Lutheranism is a part.
The new facility also offers space for Sunday School classes and a lounge area for meetings. Congregational leaders are excited at the additional possibilities the building offers. They are planning new areas of outreach to the community like midweek activities, which were difficult to schedule when the Grange Hall was used heavily by other organizations.
One of the first events planned is a Vacation Bible School program that is open to the community from July 14 to 18. The week will begin with an informal meal at 6 p.m., followed by intergenerational activities from 7 to 8 p.m. There will be a culminating activity the following Sunday morning.
Pastor Tyler, who has led the church for the past four years, describes his congregation as “excited and reinvigorated” at the chance to expand their ministry and involve more of Morgan Hill’s residents. A grand piano offers the opportunity to better use the denomination’s new hymnal, which incorporates both traditional and contemporary music.
The Sunday schedule is
– 9 a.m. worship (with Holy Communion celebrated on the second and fourth Sundays each month.)
– 10:15 a.m. Sunday School for all ages.
– A fellowship time with coffee is held between sessions.
Pastor Tyler is appreciative of the leadership of the First Baptist Church for sharing their facility and invites Morgan Hill residents to come and join with his congregation as they set off on this new adventure seeking “joy and peace in life through faith in God and Jesus. Visitors will receive a warm welcome.” Watch for an announcement of a formal kickoff around the time school begins in the fall. For more information, call (408) 782-0451 or visit www.christourkinglutheran.org.
Christ Our King Lutheran Church is affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, a national denomination with more than 6,000 congregations with a combined membership totaling more than 2.6 million. Originally membership consisted heavily of people of German heritage, but today it includes all ethnic groups. This second-largest Lutheran body in the United States has its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. The church is known for being conservative, for example, allowing only male pastors and holding to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.
