Faith Lutheran in Grand Blanc
Faith Lutheran Church stands along Holly Road in Grand Blanc, a growing Genesee County community southeast of Flint. Members and visitors describe it as a congregation where worship is at the center of life: Sunday services that pair organ and choir with screens and modern elements, a midweek service called Faith Alive that gathers around supper and study, a licensed preschool that has been in continuous operation for nearly three decades, and a steady stream of outreach ministry that reaches from the neighborhood food pantry to a mission on Flint's east side.
Faith is part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, working with other LCMS congregations in the area. Services are held in English, and Holy Communion is celebrated at every Sunday service.
Sunday Mornings and the Rhythm of Worship
Worship is offered twice on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Each service blends the ancient and the modern. Multi-media presentations share the screen with an organ, vocal choirs, hand-chimes, and other instruments. Holy Communion is part of every service.
Between those two services, at 9:30 a.m., the church building fills again for Bible study. Adults meet in year-round classes; Sunday School for children and youth runs September through May. Children and adults move through the education hour together before returning for the late service.
Those who cannot come in person can join the services online. The Sunday services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel and are available to watch later.
Faith Alive: Wednesday Evenings at the Heart of the Week
On Wednesdays from September through April, the church hosts an evening called Faith Alive. It opens with a family supper at 5:30 p.m., when members and guests share a meal together. From 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., Bible study classes meet for every age group - preschool through adult. Then at 7:00 p.m., the community gathers for a relaxed and informal service.
The Wednesday worship is intentionally different from the Sunday schedule. The music is modern praise led by a variety of musicians. The sermon is conversational and interactive, designed to walk through the Bible readings that will be used the following Sunday. The church describes it as a place to come as you are.
Children's Ministry: Sunday School, Tiny Tots, Acolytes, and a Puppet Club
Faith takes seriously the task of teaching children the Christian faith from preschool through high school. Sunday School runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings, September through May, with age-based classrooms from preschool up.
On Wednesday mornings, a separate program called Tiny Tots offers a one-day-a-week experience for children ages 3 through 5. Tiny Tots runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., September through April, with a Bible story, craft, gym time, snack, and music. Older children can also join the Puppet Club, which meets on Wednesday afternoons for students in third grade and up.
Children are also included in worship itself. Acolytes - mostly youth members - light and extinguish the altar candles before and after services. The children's ministry wraps around the church calendar year with classes for every developmental stage.
Confirmation at Faith
For students in seventh and eighth grade, Faith offers a two-year Confirmation program built on Luther's Small Catechism, Scripture, and the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Baptism, Confession and Absolution, the Office of the Keys, and the Sacrament of the Altar. The program meets during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday education hour and includes an annual retreat.
Each student eventually meets with a pastor for conversational interviews, chooses a confirmation verse, writes a faith statement, and is confirmed on a date their family selects, with parents and baptism sponsors invited to share in the rite.
Youth Ministry: Home-Centered and Church-Supported
The youth program follows a home-centered, church-supported model, recognizing parents as the primary teachers of the faith. Youth in kindergarten through high school are part of the same fellowship family, with programming designed to build Christian relationships through Jesus.
Monthly high school gatherings include a devotion and time to choose from games, gym time, or conversation. Parents often meet in a parallel space at the same time, building their own friendships. Seasonal trips and retreats are added throughout the year. Youth who play or sing can join the church's music ministry, and the youth Bible class meets Sunday mornings in the youth lounge from 9:30 to 10:30.
Music Ministry: Choirs, Handbells, and Modern Praise
Music is woven through every part of worship at Faith. The Chancel Choir is a mixed-voice ensemble that sings four-part music once a month and on special services, rehearsing from September through May. The Men's Chorus and Women's Choir meet on Thursday evenings and welcome singers from sixth grade through adult, with no prior musical experience required.
For instrumentalists, the Faithful Ringers handbell choir rehearses on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., playing monthly in worship. Other instrumentalists accompany congregational hymns, play with choirs, or form ensembles. Modern praise music also appears in the Wednesday night worship, performed by a rotating group of musicians.
Emily Craw serves as Director of Worship and Music, leading the choirs and the Wednesday night band.
Men's Ministry and Women's Ministry
Faith's Men's Ministry gathers men around Bible study, service projects, fellowship, and mentorship. The Men's Bible Study meets every Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. for a discussion of various books of the Bible, led by a pastor. Men of all ages are welcome, and the group is described as a place to be sharpened in faith and equipped to live boldly for Christ.
The Women's Ministry offers several ways to gather. The H.O.T. Ladies (Hearts of Truth) Bible Study meets Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. from September through April. A faith-based book club meets the first Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m., either in person at the church or via Zoom. A Widow's Group provides Christian support for women who have lost a husband, and a Women's Divorce Care group walks alongside women working through a difficult season. Childcare and a Wednesday meal add flexibility for women to attend.
Outreach: A Food Pantry, GriefShare, American Heritage Girls, and Franklin Avenue Mission
Outreach is described at Faith as Christ's love in action. The church maintains a food pantry of non-perishable goods for anyone in the community who needs help, and donations of canned and boxed food are always welcome.
For those navigating loss, Faith hosts GriefShare, a 13-week program that helps people move through the grief process. DivorceCare is offered for those working through separation or divorce.
Faith partners with the nonprofit Kindnest to identify and meet the needs of mothers and babies in the community. An American Heritage Girls troop - a Christ-centered character and leadership program for girls ages 5 to 18 - meets at the church. A knitting and crochet group called KOOL (Knitting Out of Love) gathers on Tuesday evenings from September through May to make blankets, baby items, hats, scarves, and comfort mats for community members.
The church also partners with the Franklin Avenue Mission on Flint's east side, an economically-depressed neighborhood where Faith and other LCMS congregations offer after-school activities for children, community meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sunday morning worship, a limited medical clinic, a clothing store, and a food pantry.
Christie Hansard, a parish nurse and deaconess, coordinates parish nursing under six areas: health educator, health counselor, referral adviser, health advocate, visitation, and volunteer coordinator. The parish nurse supports CPR and first-aid classes, blood pressure clinics, home and hospital visits, flu shot clinics, and more.
Students of Faith is an outreach to Christian students at Kettering University, meeting every other Tuesday through each semester and led by Faith's pastors along with the parish nurse.
Faith Lutheran Preschool
Attached to the church is a fully licensed preschool that has been in continuous operation for 28 years. The preschool offers classes for two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and four-year-olds, along with an after-school enrichment option called Lunch with Friends for three- and four-year-olds.
The two-year-old program meets two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. The three-year-old program can be two or three days per week, and the four-year-old program runs three or five days per week, with extended hours to 12:00 p.m. and optional Lunch with Friends care through 3:00 p.m.
The preschool is play-based and developmentally appropriate, with a Christ-centered curriculum, security code entry, small class sizes, a full-sized gym for large-motor activities, and experienced teachers. It has been recognized as a Top Rated Preschool by the Mid-Michigan Moms Blog. Cindy LaFontaine serves as Director of Early Education.
Becoming a Member: The 'What's Faith?' Class
For those exploring membership, Faith offers a six-week course called "What's Faith?" The class introduces basic Christian beliefs from a Lutheran perspective - including who God is, what He has done in Jesus Christ, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper - and gives participants a chance to meet staff, learn about programs, and consider membership.
The path to membership typically begins with a conversation with one of the pastors. If a candidate has not been baptized, the sacrament is offered as part of the process. The associate pastor, Bob Scott, oversees Mission and Outreach, and is the contact for the next "What's Faith?" class.
Staff and Pastoral Leadership
Faith is led by Senior Pastor Jakob Andrzejewski, a 2016 graduate of Concordia University Ann Arbor and a 2020 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. Associate Pastor Bob Scott heads Mission and Outreach and is a second-career pastor who retired from a 30-year career at GM before ordination in 2015. Visitation Pastor Joe Cottam, a 1987 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, brings decades of pastoral experience including prior work with migrant children. Joel Zander, with more than 25 years in youth and family ministry, serves as Director of Education and Youth. Cindy LaFontaine leads the preschool, Deaconess Christie Hansard serves as parish nurse, and Emily Craw directs worship and music.
What Faith Believes
Faith identifies with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and teaches the Christian faith from a confessional Lutheran perspective. Worship is centered on God's Word and the Sacraments. The congregation practices Holy Communion at every Sunday service, Baptizes both children and adults, and teaches Luther's Small Catechism through Confirmation. The Associate in Ministry for outreach includes service to neighbors in need as part of Christian discipleship.
Visiting Faith for the First Time
Worship services are held on Sunday mornings at 8:15 and 10:45 a.m. and on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 12534 Holly Road in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and the building is fully accessible. Worship is welcoming and Christ-centered, with both traditional and modern elements; the Wednesday service is more informal and described as a come-as-you-are setting. Those who cannot attend in person can join Sunday services via the church's YouTube livestream. Children are welcome in worship, with Sunday School, Tiny Tots, and a Puppet Club available during the week. To learn more about membership or the next "What's Faith?" class, contact the church office at 810-694-9351 or churchoffice@faithgb.org.