Central Lutheran Church sits on East Columbia Street in downtown Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where it has been a presence in the life of the city for generations. The congregation gathers under the banner Loving God & Loving People and a three-line declaration printed at the top of its materials: Everyone is welcome. No one is perfect. Anything is possible. Its mission is plain and local - Central is For Chippewa - helping everyone find and follow Jesus through prayer, scripture, and serving.
The church is known for pairing a traditional Lutheran liturgy with contemporary modern services on the same campus, for an age-staged family ministry that follows children from infancy through senior year of high school, and for an unusually deep bench of community partnerships that put volunteers into food pantries, free meal sites, laundromats, clinics, and trails across the Chippewa Valley.
Three Services, One Message
Central offers three in-person worship services each week and one online option, with the same Biblical message preached at each gathering.
- Traditional Service - Sundays at 8:00 a.m. A traditional Lutheran service with liturgy and hymns. The music and order are anchored in tradition to connect worshipers to God and to grow their faith.
- Modern Service - Sundays at 10:45 a.m. Current music, video, and creative arts shape the morning, with the same message as the 8:00 gathering.
- Modern Service - Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. The same contemporary format as the Sunday morning modern service.
- Online Service - Sundays at 9:00 a.m. The weekly message is livestreamed for those unable to attend in person, and the full sermon archive remains available through the church's YouTube channel.
Each service runs about an hour. Coffee and fellowship are offered before and after each gathering, and guests are encouraged to dress casually.
Arriving at 28 East Columbia
The building sits on the corner of East Columbia and Bridge Streets in downtown Chippewa Falls. Four entrances serve the campus:
- Main Entrance on Columbia Street, facing south.
- Side Entrance on the east side of the building.
- Back Entrance on the north side.
- Fellowship Hall Entrance on Bridge Street, near the BMO Bank building and church offices. This entrance is handicap accessible.
Parking is plentiful and free. Church parking lots sit across the street from the building and additional spaces are directly behind it. Free street parking is available on surrounding side streets on weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays. The lot east of the Pederson-Volker Funeral Home is open to Central's guests on Sunday mornings courtesy of the funeral home, and a city lot is nearby. A printable PDF parking map is available for first-time visitors.
Volunteers wearing red "How May I Help You" tags greet guests at the door, answer questions, and help newcomers find their way. Children are always welcome in worship. Families with younger children may use the Central Play Area, where the service is shown on screen while a Nursery volunteer and other children play, or they may leave their child with the Nursery volunteer and worship in the Sanctuary.
Central Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Central Kids runs every Sunday morning during the school year and is organized by stage, not just by age.
Central Littles (Birth - Pre-K)
For the youngest children, the church partners with parents through resources like the Parent Cue App and aims to plant three core impressions: God MADE me, God LOVES me, and Jesus wants to be my FRIEND forever. Littles explore their world with wonder and imagination while learning that they are part of God's family.
Elementary (4K - 5th Grade)
Children in 4K through fifth grade meet in age-appropriate classrooms from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., between the two Sunday services. Classrooms open five minutes before the hour. Parents check children in, receive printed name tags, and walk each child to and from their classroom each week. The weekly lesson is built around three truths designed to stick: I need to make the WISE choice, I can TRUST God no matter what, and I should TREAT OTHERS the way I want to be treated.
Several milestones mark the Elementary years. Every third grader receives a new Bible in partnership with their parents and the congregation. First Communion is offered when children are around seven or eight and have begun to understand the sacrament - a meaningful step in the Lutheran tradition in which the body and blood of Christ are received as bread and wine to remember Jesus.
Each summer the church hosts Vacation Bible School, and Central partners with families by sponsoring half the cost of summer camp at Luther Park Bible Camp. Kids Leaders are asked to begin with a PreK class and stay with the same children as they grow, moving up together through fifth grade so that relationships last across the elementary years.
Central Students: Sixth Grade Through Senior Year
Central Students is the ministry for sixth through twelfth graders, meeting on Wednesday evenings from September through April at the church's campus. The goal is simple: connect students to Jesus, to one another, and to a faith they can carry beyond high school.
Wednesday Evenings
- Middle School (6th - 8th Grade) Students meet promptly at 5:30 p.m. in the Church Worship Center for a large-group time with teaching on teen theology, then move directly into their small group until 6:20 p.m.
- High School (9th - 12th Grade) Students attend the 6:30 p.m. modern worship service and then meet with their small groups from the end of worship until 8:30 p.m. Small groups discuss the message and work through what a Jesus-centered life looks like in everyday decisions.
Ninth graders receive a teen life application Bible and journal as their "crossover" gift from Middle School to High School. Over the four high school years, small groups help each student shape a personal faith statement and life plan. The High School journey culminates at a senior celebration in late April, held during a separate worship service, where they share memories, talk about their futures, give their faith statements, and affirm their baptismal promises. They receive a blessing from their pastor, parents, and family.
Student Leaders commit to walking with the same students from sixth through twelfth grade, showing up weekly and submitting to a background check. Central Lutheran also sponsors half the cost of summer camp at Luther Park Bible Camp for student campers.
Life Is Better Together: Groups at Central
Central teaches that you cannot become the best version of yourself by yourself, and small groups are its main vehicle for adult discipleship. Groups follow a simple rhythm: Gather (when two or more people meet, it is a group), Grow (in relationship with Jesus and one another), and Give (of time and gifts to bring others closer to Jesus). Most groups gather eight to twelve participants, or four to six couples, and meet on different days of the week - some weekly, some every other week, and some monthly.
Short-Term Groups
Short-term groups meet for a defined season to talk through life questions and the basics of following Jesus. Current short-term offerings include a Bible Precepts study led by Vicki Jones, a Sermon Series Study led by Sue Houkom, and a Sunday morning Bible Study led by Nancy Hanson.
Ongoing Groups
Ongoing groups meet continuously and welcome new participants at any time:
- Walking and Talking - Fridays at 9:00 a.m., led by Sue Houkom.
- Women Who Have Lost Their Spouses - first Wednesday of each month at 11:45 a.m. at the church, led by Sue Houkom.
- CLCW & Martha Circle - third Wednesday of each month at 12:30 p.m., led by Sue Houkom.
- CLCW Esther-Deborah Circle - fourth Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m., led by Nancy Post.
- Funeral Service Group - daytime availability, led by Jane Flug.
Discover Classes
Anyone interested in plugging into a group is welcome to attend one of three Discover Classes first: Discover Central, Discover Your Design, or Discover a Life of Faith. Each class helps newcomers learn more about the church, how God shaped them, and what a relationship with God looks like - and connects them to a group that fits. Group leaders also have access to Right Now Media (a streaming library of Bible studies and curriculum), icebreaker questions, and small group leader training offered twice a year. Pam Moran, the staff contact, can connect people to additional care and support groups that meet at the church.
Beyond the Building: Outreach Across the Chippewa Valley
Central teaches that serving is how the church becomes the church, and the congregation's outreach list reads like a directory of Chippewa Valley compassion ministries. The church commits to five prepared-and-served meals a year at Agnes Table, which is held at St. Charles Catholic Church on Pearl Street, with dinner Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. Volunteers regularly serve at Barnabas Table on West Spring Street on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Central was one of several local congregations that helped form CareLink, a Tuesday and Thursday morning intake point at the L.E. Phillips CDC Outreach Office on East Grand Avenue that provides emergency gas cards and directs people to other local agencies.
Other ongoing partnerships include:
- Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire, the central distribution hub serving fourteen Wisconsin counties, where volunteers repack bulk food, sort donations, pack weekend meals for kids, fill orders, and drive trucks.
- Chippewa Valley Street Ministry, which sets up across from Sojourner House in Eau Claire most Monday and Thursday evenings with clothing, food, blankets, hygiene kits, and prayer for people living on the street.
- Hope Village Tiny Houses on Kennedy Road, providing short- and long-term housing alternatives for people experiencing homelessness in Chippewa County.
- L.E. Phillips CDC Outreach Office, accepting donations of household goods, furniture, cleaning supplies, toys, and personal hygiene items for low-income families and neighbors experiencing homelessness, and stocking a Tiny Pantry (Blessing Box) with non-perishable food.
- Lighten Your Load Laundry Ministry, offering free quarters and volunteers at the Express Mart Laundromat on North Bridge Street on the first and third Tuesdays (6 to 9 p.m.) and first and third Thursdays (1 to 4 p.m.).
- Mentor Chippewa, matching adult mentors with K-12 students for thirty minutes a week at the Chippewa Falls Middle School on Bay Street.
- Open Door Clinic, a free Tuesday-evening health care ministry at First Presbyterian Church on West Central Street.
- Middle School Voyagers, an after-school program on Tropicana Boulevard that welcomes community instructors and volunteers.
- Family Support Center on North High Street, looking for crisis line volunteers, child care helpers during workshops, office support, and special-event assistance.
- Wisconsin Veterans Home on East Park Avenue, where volunteers play games, go for walks, read letters, or simply visit.
- Chippewa Falls Mobile Meals and Meals on Wheels through the county's Aging & Disability Resource Center, delivering weekday meals to homebound residents.
- United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley, the coordinating hub for volunteer opportunities across the area.
- The Ice Age Trail, with the local Chippewa-Moraine Chapter handling trail building and maintenance.
Generosity as a Way of Life
Online giving is processed through Planning Center, and the church teaches that generosity is a way of life rather than a transaction, pointing to 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. Gifts support the congregation's shared mission to multiply disciples in the Chippewa Valley, and staff are available to help anyone transitioning from a previous giving platform. A dedicated giving page walks givers through setup.
Staying Connected During the Week
Central offers a Planning Center app that puts events, sermons, and connection tools in one place. A weekly email newsletter keeps subscribers in the loop, and a Prayer Wall allows the congregation to share and respond to prayer needs. Right Now Media is available free to attendees for personal and group study, and the church's YouTube channel hosts the full sermon archive alongside the live Sunday online service.
Family Ministry Director
Kellee Petik serves as the church's Family Ministry Director, overseeing both Central Kids and Central Students. The office at 28 East Columbia Street is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. or by appointment, and the main line at (715) 723-9336 and info@central-lutheran.org connect visitors to staff for any of the ministries described above.