An Early Morning At The Lutheran Church Of Our Redeemer

I went to college in Minnesota, where it's probably not too much of an exaggeration to say you could walk a few blocks in any direction and come across a Lutheran church. Between schoolwork and other less academic college-y activities, however, I never stopped into one of these churches and only knew them by their modest exteriors and the good-natured fun Garrison Keillor poked at them on A Prairie Home Companion. So I figured it would be a bit of a mystery going into the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer.

One of the first noticeable things about the church: a service starting bright and early, at 8:30 a.m. Not just an early bird service like some churches have, but the one and only. I skipped breakfast with the intent of getting brunch in town afterward, but wondered if that was a mistake when I saw the program. It was packed full of hymns and salutations and gospel, and I had to wonder if the early hour was to get a head start on a lengthy service.

It turns out this is more a result of the church sharing its pastor, Joseph Mazikas, with the Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashaway, R.I. The service moves fairly quickly through scripture readings and musical responses outlined in the Lutheran Service Book. The church is part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, whose beliefs include worship of the Bible as “God’s unchanging truth.”

The musical program seemed a bit lacking, although this probably had more to do with the fact that a) the organist was out sick and the music was incorporated via CD and b) it was competing with the program from my , an extraordinarily tough act to follow when it comes to music. Mazikas’ sermon started off with a discussion of a passage from the Book of Matthew and its relation to proper attire—a point that once again made me wonder if I was underdressed for the occasion. His conclusion, however, described the passage as a parable describing those who do good works but do not accept God.

“Those are garments of your own making, my friends,” he said. “And I hate to tell you this, but if you’re trusting in them, you’re naked.”

The church is a fairly small one, fitted in amongst a residential neighborhood on Cedar Grove Avenue. The interior has a narrow, slightly claustrophobic quality, with a tight row of pews leading up to the altar space and the organ and a few other features hidden completely off to the side.

Once the service ended, one of the members came up to me and introduced myself. It’s always a good sign when this happens, as it’s certain to make any visitors feel welcome. This greeter was Will Hendrickson, who has been a member of the church for about a year after he moved to New London. He said he enjoys the service because of its distinction between law and gospel, saying members see themselves as sinners saved by grace.

“This is a church in which the word of God is clearly preached,” he said.

Mazikas, who has been the church’s pastor for just over two years, described it as a  “Bible based-congregation that stands on the unchanging truth of God's word.”

“Here you will find a close-knit congregation built on a solid biblical foundation where your faith will be nourished through God's word and sacrament,” he said.

Mary Kelley has been a member of the church for a decade. She said she wanted to find a church where there is a strong bond among the congregation.

“It’s so friendly,” she said. “I originally was Catholic and nobody knows anybody in those churches.”

June Leber has been a member of the church since 1953, along with her husband Raymond. She enjoys Mazikas’ sermons, saying they are interesting and bring the Bible up to date with current events.

“This is a nice church,” she said. “We don’t have a big membership, but the ones who do come are loyal. They come every week, and they tithe, and they keep the church running.”

Services at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer start every Sunday at 8:30 a.m.