CHURCH HISTORY: House of Prayer began in October 1964 when 20 families met in an office building for the first worship service. By the following September, the congregation had grown to 97 members and moved into a new facility at 1515 Bay Area Blvd. In March 2005, we moved to our current location at 14045 Space Center Blvd. The first service at this address was held on March 13, 2005. CHURCH AFFIL
IATION: House of Prayer is a Lutheran church affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA was formed in 1987 and is a result of the merging of three separate and well-established church bodies: The American Lutheran Church, The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches and the Lutheran Church in America. Please explore the ELCA website: www.elca.org. There are links on this site that can provide you with answers to your questions about the ELCA's great history and mission. SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
WHAT TIME IS WORSHIP? Sunday Worship is at 8:30 and 11:00am
Wednesday Worship (during Lent) is at 7:00pm
WHAT TIME IS SUNDAY SCHOOL? Sunday School is held on Sundays between worship services (9:30-10:30am) There are classes for everyone- from toddlers up through adults. Adult Education meets every Sunday (9:30-10:30am) Adult Education classes are sometimes service opportunities joined with the youth. IS THE CHURCH DISABILITY ACCESSIBLE? Yes, our worship service and most activities are on the ground floor. Some fellowship and education opportunities are offered on the 2nd floor. There is an elevator that can take you from the ground floor to the 2nd floor and back. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? We encourage you to come as you are! Some people wear dress clothes, while others wear more casual clothes No matter if you wear a tuxedo or jeans, you are welcome at House of Prayer! WILL I BE SINGLED OUT AS A GUEST? House of Prayer does not specifically point out guest as part of our worship service, but we do make an effort to greet everyone and welcome our guests. We encourage all members and guests to fill out Information sheets handed out with worship bulletins. You can place this information sheet in the offering plate or give it to our pastor after the service. WHAT IS WORSHIP LIKE AT HOUSE OF PRAYER? House of Prayer offers a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary music. Several Sundays a month, our music is led on organ or piano. Once a month our music is led by a praise team with several vocalists, guitars, piano and other instruments. We also have a wonderful choir that sings at church most Sundays. ARE CHILDREN WELCOME? Children are always welcome at House of Prayer! There is always a children's sermon near the beginning of worship and our pastor has a very interactive style of preaching- which keeps children's attention throughout the service. We also have Children's Activity Bags available in the narthex that children can use during worship. If needed, there is also a Nursery available with nursery volunteers who can help supervise your child during the service. DO I HAVE TO GIVE AN OFFERING? House of Prayer does not require anyone to give a monetary offering. An offering plate is passed during the worship service, and so you may give a financial gift if you feel called to do so. All offerings are greatly appreciated and are used to do God's work within our church, community and around the globe. CAN I PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNION IF I AM NOT A MEMBER OF HOUSE OF PRAYER? All who believe that Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion are invited to join us at the Lord's Table! Whether you are Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, or no denomination in particular, the one bread and one cup we share reminds us that our unity is found in the mercy of Jesus Christ. We are united in our need for forgiveness and in the grace given to us through the meal. HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER OF HOUSE OF PRAYER? If you would like to make House of Prayer your church home, we offer new member classes several times throughout the year. Contact Pastor DJ at [email protected] to find out when our next New Member Class will be.
