We are part of the ELCA, www.facebook.com/Lutherans and in association with the Third Avenue Charitable Organization, www.facebook.com/TACOSDfb and LGBT people, www.facebook.com/ReconcilingWorks Since that time, it has been located in the same few blocks in downtown San Diego, a beacon of Christ’s light to all who come by here. First Lutheran is the oldest Lutheran congregation in Southern Califor
nia and the second oldest Lutheran congregation in the Pacifica Synod. First Lutheran begins every worship service with an invitation of grace: “All are welcome here this morning. When it is time to receive Holy Communion, you need not be a member of First Lutheran Church nor do you need to be a Lutheran to receive the body and blood of Jesus here. These are God’s gifts for all God’s people, whether around the Table of Our Lord on Sunday morning or on our patio where hundreds receive their daily bread. All are welcome to receive the gifts of heaven.”
Worship at First Lutheran cherishes the traditional shape of the liturgy (Gathering, Word, Holy Communion, and Sending). A host of different worship settings are used, some from the ELCA hymnal (Evangelical Lutheran Worship) and others from a host of worship resources. First’s worship has been described as “cherishing the best traditions of classical worship while, at the same time, breathing life and vitality from the best of contemporary worship resources.” First offers the finest worship it is able in preaching, singing, praying, and gathering around the sacraments. As worshipers enter First Lutheran’s worship space, they are greeted by a substantial baptismal pool with flowing, living water. It is here that we begin our life in the church and it is from here, at the end of life, where we are entrusted to the baptismal promises of eternal life. The award-winning renovations to the sanctuary lift up the centrality of the primary parts of our life together (baptismal pool, lectern or bema, and the table or altar). First Lutheran is a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation, welcoming all people regardless of race, ethnic background or sexual orientation. Reconciling in Christ is a designation of ReconcilingWorks, an organization that advocates for the full inclusion of gay, le***an, bisexual, and transgender people into the full life of the church, http://www.reconcilingworks.org. First Lutheran, by a congregational vote in 1989, decided to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation. Serve the poor.” First Lutheran is know for its concentration on service to God’s blessed poor and homeless and its advocacy for policies that enhance the life of all God’s people. First Lutheran Church also has a Social Group with Google Groups! It's a forum meant to encourage more spontaneous gatherings outside of our Second Sunday Social opportunities. Any member of this group can create and send a message to suggest/promote/host an event. This is an opt-in email group, so individuals can monitor their own group subscription if it is not something they are interested in. https://groups.google.com/d/forum/first-lutheran-social-group
