Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church stands on Jungermann Road in St. Peters, Missouri, just behind Walgreens at the intersection of Jungermann and Willott Roads, and the rhythms of its life are easy to pick out within a first visit or two. The congregation gathers for worship four days a week, walks children and teens through a carefully marked Faith Milestones Pathway from baptism through high school graduation, and opens a special monthly E-Service in Room 224 for individuals with special needs and their families. A congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Chapel of the Cross centers its life on a four-part mission: Share the Gospel, Seek the Lost, Study God's Word, and Strengthen One Another.
Worship Four Days a Week
Chapel of the Cross is unusual in how often the doors open for worship. Sunday services are held at 8:00 am and 10:15 am. A Monday evening service follows at 7:00 pm, and a Wednesday service is offered at 11:00 am. The Wednesday service is shorter than the others, about thirty minutes, with different readings and a sermon distinct from the weekend services. On the second Sunday of each month, an additional service called the E-Service is offered at 10:30 am in Room 224.
Worship follows a traditional Lutheran liturgy with Holy Communion celebrated regularly. Visitors who have not yet been confirmed in the Lutheran tradition are invited to come forward to receive a blessing, and gluten-free wafers are available for those who need them. A Children's Message is included in each service, and the pastors encourage children of all ages to remain in the sanctuary with their families throughout worship.
Ephphatha: A Monthly E-Service for Every Family
Once a month, on the second Sunday at 10:30 am, Room 224 fills with a smaller, more interactive service known as the E-Service. The name comes from the Aramaic word Ephphatha, meaning "be opened," drawn from the Gospel account of healing. The mission of the E-Service is to create a worship environment that fosters understanding and appreciation for fellow Christians with special needs and to provide full access to Jesus Christ through God's Word and full participation in the service. It is intentionally interactive, designed for individuals with special needs, their families, and their friends.
On Sundays when there is no E-Service, families touched by disability are encouraged to worship together with the entire congregation in the sanctuary. A Family Room off the Coffee Shop area offers windows that overlook the altar and pulpit with audio piped in from the service, giving parents a quiet space for a child who needs to move, settle, or take a break without missing any of the worship.
The Faith Milestones Pathway
The most distinctive ministry at Chapel of the Cross may be the Faith Milestones Pathway, a long-running commitment to walk children and teens through the Christian faith from infancy to high school graduation. Each milestone gathers parents and children around a meal and a time of learning, concludes with the presentation of a gift during a worship service, and is designed to equip parents as the primary teachers of the faith in the home.
The pathway begins with the Rite of Baptism, offered at any age. Before a child's first baptismal birthday, families are invited to a parent training where they receive materials for celebrating and remembering baptismal birthdays. Establishing the Faith (ages 1 to 2) introduces parent-led rituals such as prayers, songs, books, and visuals at home, and each family is presented with a wooden cross to be decorated by the child. Learning the Faith (preschool) focuses on intergenerational worship and best practices for parents of small children in the pew.
As children grow, Speaking the Faith (kindergarten through first grade) gathers parents and children for a meal and learning about prayer, ending with the presentation of a prayer book. Discovering the Faith (grades 2 to 3) centers on the Bible itself: parents personalize a Bible for their child and walk through a thirty-day family reading plan. Exploring the Faith (grades 4 to 5) introduces devotional habits and independent reflection, and parents present their child with a journal for use at home.
Older students step into service and the Lord's Supper. Serving in Faith (grades 6 to 7) places students on the Vacation Bible School service team, completing projects at five different locations. First Communion (grade 8) is celebrated on Maundy Thursday after a season of teaching about the holy meal. The Rite of Confirmation (grade 9) follows three years of instruction on the Six Chief Parts of the Catechism, the Bible, and other core Christian teachings, after which students re-affirm the faith given to them in baptism. The pathway continues with the high school Mission Trip (Witnessing the Faith), the triennial LCMS Youth Gathering, Deepening the Faith (grades 10 to 11) for parents and youth meeting separately for honest conversation, and finally Living By Faith (grade 12), which equips parents to release their emerging adult into the world and presents each graduate with a personalized bath towel.
The Chapel of the Cross Preschool
Chapel of the Cross Preschool is a Christ-centered, whole-child program that uses play-based learning for three-, four-, and five-year-olds. It operates as an extension of the church's family ministry and shares the same campus. Erin Hoehner directs the preschool, with Mikayla Mueller serving as a teacher on the staff. The preschool is described as a place where children are welcomed into a faith community that sees them as full members of the church right now, not future members.
Sunday Morning: Education Hour
At 9:15 am each Sunday, between the two main worship services, the lower level of the building fills with classes for every age. Children begin together in Room 113/114 with a brief opening and songs before being dismissed by grade. Pre-school and kindergarten meet in Room 112, first and second graders in Room 106, third and fourth graders in Room 113/114, fifth graders in Room 111, sixth through eighth graders in Room 105, and high school students gather in Daniel's Den. A staffed nursery is available for children under three.
Adults are typically offered at least two Bible study options during the Education Hour, with two separate Sunday morning Bible studies usually running at the same time. Ushers and pastors stationed at the main entrance can direct first-time guests to the right classroom, and the Sunday School Superintendent and staff are available in the lower lobby to help with directions.
Bible Studies for Adults
Bible study is woven into the rhythm of the week at Chapel of the Cross. In addition to the Sunday morning offerings, the church runs Men's and Women's Tuesday Morning Studies at 9:30 am, a Ladies Bible Study on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm (men meeting separately in Room 114, ladies in Room 224), and a Men's Saturday Morning Study on the second and fourth Saturdays at 7:30 am. Recent Tuesday studies have walked through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in a friendly, open setting that welcomes both new and longtime Bible readers.
Midweek classes include the Confirmation Fall Module on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm, which prepares students in grades 6 through 8 for the Rite of Confirmation. Confirmation students also gather for a fall retreat at Camp Wartburg in Waterloo, Illinois.
Music at Chapel of the Cross
Music is led by Music Director Nancy Seifert and includes several ensembles that rehearse on Tuesdays in Room 301. The Adult Choir rehearses from 6:15 to 7:30 pm, and the Handbell Choir from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. There are also opportunities for instrumentalists, with Instrumental Groups listed alongside the choirs on the volunteer sign-up form. Special concerts, such as recent evenings with Christian recording artist Jennie Williamson and her "God Is Great" children's music ministry, are hosted periodically.
Fellowship Groups and Support
For adults seeking community beyond Bible study, Chapel of the Cross hosts a wide range of fellowship groups. Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) gathers in the Chapel Circle, Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLS) meets on Fridays, Women Rooted in Christ meets for women's fellowship, and a Young Adults group meets on Wednesday evenings. A Men's Softball team plays through the warmer months, and Zumba classes run several days a week in the gym, with Refit fitness classes and Open Gym Saturdays also on the schedule.
Chapel of the Cross also opens its doors as a meeting place for several community support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, ACA, and TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) all meet regularly in the building. The Comfort Group meets on Thursdays to provide grief and loss support, and the E-Service itself functions as a worship ministry for those with special needs and their families.
On the lighter side, a Knitting and Crochet Group gathers on Monday afternoons in Room 222, and Quilt Tacking volunteers meet on Wednesday mornings in the lower lobby to tie quilts for those in need.
Annual Traditions: Sausage Supper and More
Each fall, the congregation hosts its annual Sausage Supper, a community meal offered as eat-in or carry-out, complete with dessert. The day brings dozens of volunteers together to cut and grill sausage, prepare desserts, run the kitchen, bus tables, and serve in the gym, with online sign-ups for every role.
Other traditions include a Fall Festival, a craft fair in the gym, a High School Youth trip to the One City Conference held in partnership with other St. Louis-area Lutheran congregations, and the Confirmation Retreat at Camp Wartburg. The church also participates in the LCMS Youth Gathering, held every three years in different cities across the country, and supports a Mission Trip open to all high schoolers during non-gathering summers.
Serving the Community
Service is built into the identity of the church. Volunteer opportunities listed by the church include Music Groups, Sound and Technology, Ushers, Altar Guild, Office Helpers, Bulletin Folders, Sunday School teachers, Vacation Bible School, the Meals and Events Team, the Emergency Warming Shelter, the Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT), Bus Drivers, and Facility Maintenance.
Beliefs and Sacraments
Chapel of the Cross holds the Bible as the true, inspired Word of God and the basis for all its teaching. The congregation confesses one God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), co-equal and co-eternal, and affirms that humanity regularly falls short of God's will but is offered complete forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus. Salvation is by grace through faith, summarized by the verse from Romans 10:9: "If you declare with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Through Baptism, God welcomes people of all ages into His family as they are united with Jesus' death and resurrection. In the Lord's Supper, the congregation believes the bread and wine are the true body and blood of Christ, and through participation God seals the forgiveness of sins, strength for this life, and the certain promise of eternal life.
Finding Chapel of the Cross
Chapel of the Cross is located at 907 Jungermann Road in St. Peters, Missouri, on a campus that sits at the intersection of Jungermann and Willott Roads, directly behind Walgreens. The parking lot encircles the entire campus for easy access from any direction. Guests who park in the upper or lower front lots will see the main entrance marked by a fountain, where ushers and pastors greet visitors and direct them straight ahead to the Sanctuary. Those who park in the back lots can use the lower-level entrance, walk through the lobby to the elevator or stairs, and turn left on Level 2 to reach the Sanctuary.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and can be reached at 636-928-5885. Services are livestreamed, past sermons are available as a podcast on Spotify, and weekly bulletins and the church newsletter can be read in PDF form online. A calendar of events is published and can be exported to Outlook or Google Calendar for easy syncing. Newcomers can fill out a Plan Your Visit form to receive a follow-up, and giving is available online.
Chapel of the Cross is pastored by Mark Hoehner and James Uglum, with Josh Eckstein serving as Youth and Family Life Director, Rachel Weinhold as Ministry Coordinator, Nancy Seifert as Music Director, and Erin Hoehner directing the Preschool. Together they shepherd a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in St. Peters whose identity is shaped by its four-times-weekly worship, its Faith Milestones walk with children and families, and its monthly E-Service that says in word and in practice: all are welcome here.