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 Grace Lutheran of Parker was chartered as a congregation in May 2002 by a dozen people from other Lutheran Church (LCMS) congregations who realized a need for a LCMS congregation in Parker. Initially the congregation was served by retired pastors. In November 2003 the Congregation called pastor Joseph Murphy to serve as pastor of Grace and he was installed February 22, 2004. The founding members desired a congregation faithful to Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions in both doctrine and worship services. We believe that Christian liturgy and doctrinally pure hymns teach the faith and proclaim the Gospel. All our services make use of the best hymns and liturgical resources both ancient and modern.
Since the proclamation of the Gospel is our mission at Grace, the crucifix and altar are focal points of our service, not praise bands, choirs, or soloists. We want to keep Jesus front and Center rather than performers. At Grace, soloists and choirs sing from behind the congregation so that the focus is not on the musicians. Our music is selected with the goal of proclaiming God's Word rather than for the purpose of stirring emotions. God's Word and and His real presence for us in the Divine Service is the point and blessing of every service. The Divine Service is the place where the Lord comes with His gifts of faith, forgiveness, life, and salvation for us.
Services at Grace do not mirror pop culture or passing fads because we want our services to unite Christians of all ages and ethnic groups. Services do not reflect any single generation's taste in music or style. We joyfully pass on to our children the best of what we have received from Christians who have gone before us. However, we are not dwelling in the past. We also introduce the best of new hymnody. When evaluating a new hymn we ask: Does it proclaim God's Word accurately? Who is the subject of the action verbs, the Lord, us, or the song writer? The best hymns make the Lord the subject of the verbs. His saving actions and mercy are proclaimed. Lesser hymns and songs make our actions, desires, or feelings the subjects of the verbs. This is a simple way to distinguish between better and lesser hymns. Good hymns are about the Lord and His works, not about our own feelings, good intentions, or deeds. Only the best are worthy of being included in the Divine Service.
Future Plans
We own six acres of land on the North side of the Lutheran High School and we have a beautiful architectural master plan for the future. While we are preparing to build our first church building in the near future, we plan to continue to meet for services in the school. The school is located at 11249 Newlin Gulch Blvd. on the south side of Main Street, 1/2 mile west of Jordan Road. |
