Set on Spain Road NE in the foothills of northeast Albuquerque, Faith Lutheran Church is a multigenerational Lutheran congregation that has put down roots in the city and stretched its reach across New Mexico and the world. The church is known locally for its three weekend worship services, a robust Christian education program for every age, an on-site preschool, and a steady stream of mission partnerships - from stocking the shelves of food pantries in the Duke City to sponsoring students in Guatemala, Madagascar, and Haiti. Dr. Jerry Watts, who has served congregations in California, Texas, and New Mexico for more than thirty years, has pastored the congregation since 2010 and leads alongside Dr. Jennifer Wilson, assistant pastor and director of youth and family ministries.

Three Services, One Story

Faith's weekend rhythm centers on three services, each with its own character. Saturday at 5:00 pm is the casual gathering, with Holy Communion celebrated every week. Sunday at 9:00 am is the traditional service, led by the chancel choir and organist Ronda Schripsema. Sunday at 10:30 am is the contemporary service, led by the Emmaus band under Tom Crow. Digital bulletins are posted online before each service, and every service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel so that homebound members and friends can worship alongside the gathered body. Holy Communion is open to all adult Christians; children may participate after completing the congregation's Welcome to the Lord's Table classes. Gluten-free options are always available.

What to Expect on a First Visit

Faith's building sits at 10000 Spain Road NE, just east of Eubank on the south side of Spain Road. The campus includes a large south parking lot, a smaller handicapped lot on the northwest side of the building, ramps, and an elevator, making the entire building wheelchair accessible. Assistive listening devices are available in the sanctuary, and bulletins can be picked up in print at the door or read online. Children ages six months through four years are welcomed in the nursery during both Sunday services, and Children's Ministry is offered for grades K-5 at both 9:00 am and 10:30 am. Visitors are encouraged to dress however they feel comfortable; Saturday worship tends to be the most casual.

Mission, Vision, and Lutheran Identity

The congregation's vision statement, refreshed in September 2022, is succinct and warm: "Faith is a home where we walk a path living a Jesus-shaped life with God, each other, and the people we encounter." The mission is to lead people to Christ, incorporate them into the life of the church, and equip one another for effective Christian living. Faith Lutheran identifies with the sixteenth-century Lutheran Reformation and teaches the classic solas - grace alone, faith alone, word alone, Christ alone. The church is a member of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), an association of congregations that are free in Christ, accountable to one another, and rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. The Book of Concord and the Augsburg Confession are recognized as the congregation's confessional documents.

What Faith Believes

The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of the church's proclamation, faith, and life. There is one God who has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior, confessed in the words of the Apostles' Creed - conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, raised on the third day, ascended, and seated at the right hand of the Father. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, especially in human lives, convicting sinners of their need for grace and producing the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Faith teaches that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, rejecting the idea that some people are predestined to be saved and others to be lost. The two sacraments given by Jesus Christ to his Church are Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Baptism is the sign and means of incorporation into the Christian life, and the congregation welcomes both children and adults, accepting the validity of all Christian baptisms. Holy Communion is the meal of grace in which the Body and Blood of Christ are received in and with the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins. Faith affirms traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality, marriage, and the ordination of pastors, holding that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman.

Wednesday Midweek: Supper, Worship, Discipleship

Wednesday nights are the busiest door of the church. From September through May, the rhythm is built around food and formation. Music Ministry starts at 5:00 pm, with guitar and piano lessons and the Ignite Youth Band. Supper Together begins at 5:45 pm in the Fellowship Hall, with a rotating menu that has included pasta night, breakfast for supper, sloppy joes, BBQ chicken, and taco salad. At 6:20 pm the whole congregation gathers for all-ages worship. From 6:45 to 8:00 pm, discipleship hour offers age-appropriate programming: the Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study for adults in the Communion Room (using Ray Vander Laan's "The Path to the Cross" with on-site archaeological video), the Young Adult small group, choir practice, and children's and youth ministries from third grade through twelfth grade. The nursery is open during Wednesday evening programming so parents can volunteer, attend class, or sing in the choir.

Children, Youth, and Family Ministries

Faith invests heavily in its next generation. Children of Faith Preschool has served the families of Albuquerque on the church campus since 2001 and operates as a ministry of the congregation under the direction of Jennifer Alcocer, who has worked in early-childhood education for more than twenty years. The preschool's mission is to lead children to Christ by providing quality learning experiences in a loving, nurturing environment; the teaching philosophy follows the National Association for the Education of Young Children guidelines and integrates Christian development with cognitive, motor, physical, psychological, and emotional growth.

On Sundays, K-5 ministry runs alongside both services. Recent series have taken children "On the Farm" to explore the Fruit of the Spirit, with lesson time, music, and crafts. Middle and high school youth meet at 9:00 am for discipleship, then join the Ignite band practice at 9:45 am, worship with their families at 10:30 am, and finish the morning with youth drama practice from 11:15 am to noon. The annual Youth Fall Retreat sends the whole confirmation class and youth group to Bonita Park in Alto, New Mexico, for a weekend of ropes courses, paintball, pool parties, campfires, and teaching built around Matthew 16:24. Service trips to Locker #505, the student clothing bank on Menaul Boulevard, give youth a chance to give back during the school year. A new Dads' Ministry launched in 2026, studying "Unleashing the Lion Within" by Chris Grainger; the long-running Moms' Ministry meets monthly to study "Moms at the Well."

Adults: Classes, Studies, and Fellowship

The adult education calendar runs deep. Sunday morning offerings include C.S. Lewis' "The Four Loves" book study led by Buzz Busboom at 9:00 and 10:30 am in the Lecture Hall; Bethel Bible Series, a picture-based sweep through the whole New Testament meeting at 8:00 am; Bible 101, a four-week introduction designed for newcomers; and the Covenant Bible Study, which meets at 8:00 am in Room 13 and pairs with Senior Pastor Jerry Watts's sermon series - currently working through 1 Corinthians. The Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study continues on Wednesday evenings. Tuesday is for women's study: a Zoom Bible study meets at 6:00 pm with the study opening at 6:30. Men gather for Bible and Brew on the first and third Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in rotating homes, and Men of Faith Bible Study Fellowship meets every Saturday at 7:00 am, with a breakfast out on the first Sunday of each month. The Women's Book Club meets on the third Thursday of every month at 1:00 pm in the youth wing, and the Lunch & Learn series welcomes a guest speaker each month on topics ranging from archaeology and apologetics to advance funeral planning and Bible-science discussions.

Financial Peace University, the Dave Ramsey curriculum taught from a Christian foundation, is offered at no cost to the public several times a year; Faith has hosted the full nine-week course since 2024, both on campus and online via Zoom, facilitated by Dominic and Jessica Anderson. The course is open to anyone in the community, with no church membership required.

Music at Faith

Music is woven through every corner of the church's life. Helen Bielejec, who has been on staff since 2003, directs the chancel choir, the children's choir, and small ensembles. The Emmaus Band, led since 2009 by Tom Crow - a songwriter and pianist since the age of four - anchors the 10:30 am contemporary service and is described by its leader as a "talented and dedicated group of musicians who strive every week to bring glory to God through beautiful music." Ronda Schripsema, a graduate of Calvin College who has played at Faith since 2000, serves as organist. Ruth Ronan directs Campanas de Fe (Bells of Faith), the handbell choir she has led since 1984, when the congregation first acquired its two octaves of handbells. On Wednesday nights, students from third grade through high school gather at 5:00 pm for guitar and piano lessons and the Ignite Youth Band.

Missions Near and Far

The Mission & Service Ministry Team directs a meaningful share of Faith's budget outward. Quarterly distributions in 2026 sent $2,000 each to Cuidando Los Niños, which serves children and families experiencing housing instability; Locker #505, the student-focused clothing bank that lets children choose outfits with dignity; The Storehouse New Mexico, which has provided free groceries to working-poor families for more than fifty years; and Roadrunner Food Bank, the state's largest hunger-relief organization. Faith has also been a steady partner with The Storehouse through its long-running tuna collection, and youth groups pack a pickup with school supplies each fall for the McKinney Vento and Foster Care program serving homeless families.

Across the globe, Faith sponsors students through Common Hope in Guatemala and the Nofy i Androy program in Madagascar, and supports Trinity Hope's school ministry in Haiti. Missionaries Dave and Angela Breidenbach, members of the congregation, have served for twenty years with Spiritual Orphans Network and have shared their learnings with Faith's adult education classes. Members of Faith also volunteer with Joni & Friends to support families affected by disability.

Military Ministry

The Military Ministry cares for deployed service members and veterans. On the second Monday of each month, volunteers meet in Room 6 to pack care packages, with a donation box for tuna packets, protein bars, peanut butter, jerky, canned green chile, instant coffee, hygiene items, and other supplies. An annual Veterans Appreciation Dinner and Dance brings the community together, and veterans are honored in all services over a designated weekend each November, encouraged to wear any part of their uniform.

Young Adults

Faith's Young Adult Ministry is open to anyone between eighteen and twenty-five looking for friendships and a place to grow. The group meets for lunch out on the first Sunday of every month at noon and gathers for a small group on Wednesday evenings from 6:45 to 8:30 pm. Pastor Jennifer Wilson oversees the ministry and is the main point of contact.

New Members, Weddings, and Funerals

New Member Classes are offered periodically throughout the year for anyone curious about making Faith their church home. Weddings are part of the congregation's worship life and must align with its statements of belief; couples work through three or more pre-marital counseling sessions with a Faith Lutheran pastor. Funerals are also a pastoral priority, and the staff walks alongside grieving families with planning and services.

Endowment and Giving

Faith's Endowment Fund was established in 1984 with a single check for $1,000 and has grown to more than $500,000. Its interest funds grants that go beyond the general operating budget - past grants have supported a mission congregation in Arizona, a missionary in Dubai, music ministry upgrades, seminary scholarships, Children of Faith Preschool, livestreaming technology, a school in Cambodia, and youth scholarships. Giving is offered online, by check, through required minimum distributions, stock donations, and estate planning. The fund accepts grant applications from December through March, with decisions in early May.

Accessibility and Building

Faith takes seriously its welcome of people with disabilities. The building is fully wheelchair accessible with ramps, an elevator, and parking close to the entrance. Assistive listening devices are available in the sanctuary, bulletins are printed in large print on request, and the church partners with Joni & Friends to support individuals and families touched by disability. Gluten-free wafers are available at every communion service.

Weekly and Monthly Rhythms

Beyond Sunday worship and Wednesday programming, the church publishes a weekly email called Faith News and a monthly newsletter, Faith Alive, with stories, calendars, and updates. The annual Arts & Crafts Fair draws hundreds to the campus for hand-crafted goods from local artisans. The Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat fills the south parking lot with decorated trunks and inflatables each October, and is followed by the Saturday 5:00 pm worship service, giving the whole community a chance to swing by, eat, and stay for worship.

From Saturday's casual gathering through the Wednesday night fellowship, from preschoolers in the courtyard to veterans honored in November, Faith Lutheran Church keeps a simple promise at the center of its life: it is a home where people walk a path of a Jesus-shaped life with God, with one another, and with everyone they meet.