Sunday Morning at 753 North Calumet Avenue
Faith Memorial Lutheran Church sits at 753 North Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso, Indiana, in a building it shares with Valparaiso Christian Academy. The congregation gathers each Sunday at 9:00am for worship in a traditional Lutheran liturgy that includes readings, preaching, congregational hymnody, and the celebration of Holy Communion. Visitors who arrive early will notice worship handouts and bulletins prepared for each Sunday, music streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-702844, and an order of service rooted in the Lutheran heritage of Word and Sacrament.
After the service, the morning continues at 10:30am with a rotating Adult Bible Class and a Youth and Children's Sunday School that meets most weeks of the year. The adult class moves through different books of the Bible and topics throughout the year. The youth program runs alongside it so that families with children of all ages can study and learn in the same hour. The Sunday bulletin invites newcomers to pick up a worship handout and join the conversation.
A Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Congregation
Faith Memorial identifies itself as a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Lutheran body with which it is affiliated. The congregation's mission statement reads: "Redeemed in Christ and growing together in Grace. We Care because God Cares!" Eight values shape the life of the church: Vocation (Christ-centered living as witnesses), Education (maturing through regular study of God's Word), Evangelism (intentionally sharing the good news of Christ), Worship (praising God through Word, liturgy, sacrament, and music), Prayer (commending one another to God's purpose), Service (working for the justice and peace of God's kingdom), and Fellowship (joyfully celebrating God's promises as sisters and brothers in Christ).
What the church teaches follows classic Lutheran convictions. Grace is what saves. God loves the world even though people are sinful and rebel against Him, and the Father sent His Son to love the unlovable and save the ungodly (John 3:16). Scripture is without error and comes directly from the mouth of God; it is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16). Faith is the gift that connects people to God and to the salvation won by Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Christ alone is the way back into a restored and eternal relationship with the Father (John 14:6).
Pastor Eric Schoech and Pastoral Care
The pastor of Faith Memorial is Rev. Eric Schoech. He and the congregation make it a priority to visit those who are hospitalized, homebound, or otherwise limited in their mobility. Pastoral care is offered in person, by phone, or through follow-up visits as requested. Because of privacy laws, the church asks that members, family, or the patient themselves notify the office about hospital stays, including the hospital, date, type of procedure, and arrival time.
For an immediate pastoral emergency, a separate after-hours line is available: (317) 983-3652. Callers state their name when prompted and the service contacts the pastor right away. If a caller does not hear back, the church office line, (219) 462-7684, is the backup. Requests for non-urgent visits, prayers, or spiritual care are sent to office@faithmemorial.net or phoned in to the church office during business hours.
Members and visitors can also submit prayer requests online. Each request can be directed to one or more of three channels: shared during worship, lifted up on the Prayer Chain, or brought to the pastoral leadership and staff.
Serving During Worship
Faith Memorial prides itself on the number of ways members can take part in the worship life of the congregation. Lay roles are part of the Sunday rhythm. Acolytes, usually of high school or college age, assist in the communion services. The Altar Guild cares for the bread and wine of communion and tends the paraments, altar hangings, robes, and candles. Communion Assistants, often drawn from the Board of Elders, help distribute the sacrament. An Intercessor offers the prayers of the people at each celebration of Holy Communion. A Lector reads the appointed scripture lessons. Ushers distribute worship materials, gather the offerings, and direct the flow for communion.
The music life of the congregation has its own dedicated servants. Cantors sing the psalms, verses, offertories, and other canticles during worship. The Adult Choir sings for major festivals and on other occasions throughout the year, with weekly rehearsals scheduled. Worship handouts name the music and prayers for each service and make it easy for newcomers to follow along.
The Church Year and Holy Week
The congregation follows the historic church calendar, and the seasons of the year shape the preaching and the additional services. During Lent, midweek services are held on Wednesdays at 7:00pm. Ash Wednesday begins the season with imposition of ashes, and the Wednesdays that follow lead the congregation through preaching on Christ's journey to the cross. Holy Week includes a 7:00pm Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion, a 3:00pm Liturgy of the Cross on Good Friday, and a 7:00pm Tenebrae service. Easter Sunday brings the congregation back to the empty tomb at the regular 9:00am hour, and the year closes with Advent Wednesday services in late November and December.
Past Lenten series have given the preaching an arc that runs from Genesis to the Resurrection. The 2019 series, "Return from Exile," traced the journey from the Garden of Eden through the Passover, the Wilderness, and the Lord's Supper to the empty tomb. A 2020 series used the same arc with materials that Concordia Publishing House generously allowed the church to post online during the COVID-19 situation. Worship handouts for each service, including the midweek services, are archived on the website for personal study.
Sermon Series and Sermon Archive
Pastoral preaching at Faith Memorial is organized around sermon series that walk through books of the Bible or a single theological theme. Recent and ongoing series include "The Story," a journey through a novelization of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation published by Zondervan, and "The Best Is Yet to Come," based on the book of the same name by John H. Kieschnick, which explored seven doors of spiritual growth: Worship, Connections, Bible Study, Prayer, Service, Giving, and Growth.
Recordings of sermons and services are available on the Faith Lutheran Valpo YouTube channel. The channel carries recent services, sermon audio, midweek Lent services, and short video devotions from Pastor Schoech. A complete archive of worship handouts is also kept on the website so that members can revisit the texts and hymns used on any given Sunday.
Sunday School and Family Faith Formation
Children and youth have a place to learn alongside their parents on Sunday mornings. The Youth and Children's Sunday School meets at 10:30am most weeks of the year, in the same hour as the adult Bible Class. The church publishes a detailed Christian Parenting resource that walks parents through faith formation from birth through the senior high years, with book recommendations, conversation tools, and age-specific practices. Newborns and toddlers are introduced to prayer at meal time and to the love of God through lullabies and stories. Three- to five-year-olds are guided through Bible stories and learn that God loves them and watches over them. Six- to ten-year-olds build character through service projects, conversations at the dinner table, and time with caring adults. Pre-teens and teens are coached rather than lectured, and the church points families toward devotional books, confirmation materials, and journaling practices that suit each stage.
For families who want extra tools at home, the church points to the Bible App for Kids, the Adventure Bible website, Lutheran Hour Ministries kids' booklets, Higher Things: Reflections (a devotion based on the weekly readings and Luther's Catechism), and Concordia Publishing House. The conversation bowl, a simple dinner table ritual with written questions for family discussion, is recommended as a way to draw Sunday's teaching into everyday conversation.
Small Groups and Bible Studies
The church's approach to small groups is captured in the line "Faith is Life - Live it Together!" Small groups meet at various times and locations around Valparaiso and exist to support three things: study and application of God's Word, Christian community and support, and service and outreach. The Truth Project, a Focus on the Family Bible study series, has been a recent small-group offering.
Anyone interested in joining or hosting a small group is invited to contact the church office. The staff is happy to connect people with existing groups or to help start something new.
GriefShare
Faith Memorial hosts GriefShare, a thirteen-week seminar and support group designed for people grieving the death of someone they love. The group uses video teaching, discussion, and a workbook, and the church works with GriefShare to schedule new sessions on a recurring basis. To register or to ask about the next start date, callers dial the church office at (219) 462-7684. Additional locations and times are listed at GriefShare.org.
Care Ministry and Mental Health
The Care Ministry of Faith Memorial exists to help both those who are struggling and those who want to help. The church points members to professional resources for mental health, recovery, and crisis situations. For life-threatening emergencies the guidance is to dial 911. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is reached by dialing or texting 988. The Veteran Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255.
Local and national referrals include Porter Starke Services in Valparaiso (219-476-4523), the Crisis Center of Gary, Alcoholics Anonymous, AA Northern Indiana, Al-Anon Indiana, Narcotics Anonymous Indiana, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The website also connects visitors to First Contact, the Immanuel Valparaiso food pantry, Hilltop House, New Creation Empowers, and Porter County ACS for wraparound social services.
Online Worship and Drive-In Worship
Worship is available in three formats. The Sunday 9:00am service takes place in the sanctuary and is livestreamed on YouTube. During the COVID-19 period the church added a drive-in option broadcast on 99.1 FM in the parking lot, and that infrastructure has stayed in place for members who prefer to worship from their cars. The church also points viewers toward "Worship Anew," a weekly televised Lutheran service that airs on WPWR 50 (CW) in Northwest Indiana on Sundays at 8:00am and is also available on the Worship Anew website.
For those who cannot be present on a given Sunday, archived service recordings, sermon audio, and worship handouts are kept online so that the preaching and the liturgy can be revisited at any time.
Music and the Arts
The music program at Faith Memorial centers on the hymnody of the Lutheran tradition, with permission secured through ONE LICENSE for congregational music. Cantors lead the chanting of psalms and the singing of offertories. The Adult Choir sings for major festivals, including Christmas, Easter, and other high holy days, with weekly rehearsals. A children's Christmas program has been a particular highlight of recent years, with a recorded video of the children's service made available online. The pastor and cantor lead the congregation through a liturgy that balances historic Lutheran hymnody with the specific texts appointed for each Sunday in the three-year lectionary.
Education Resources
Beyond the Sunday morning Bible Class, the church maintains a curated set of study tools for members and visitors. Free online resources include Bible Gateway, the YouVersion Bible app, RightNow Media (a streaming library of Bible studies, training, and family-friendly videos available through the church), and BibleProject's animated videos and podcasts. Concordia Publishing House's Faith Courses offers structured online studies with a Lutheran flavor, and Hymnary.org allows users to look up hymns by scripture reference or topic. For daily devotions on the go, Lutheran Hour Ministries offers an audio and mobile devotional, and higherthings.org/reflections provides a devotion for families and teens built on the church-year readings and Luther's Catechism. The church also hosts a downloadable liturgical calendar in iCalendar format so that members can keep the readings on their phones or computers.
Giving
Members and friends support the ministry of Faith Memorial through several channels. Online donations are processed through Vanco Payments, accessible by phone at 1-800-675-7430, on the web, or through the Give Plus mobile app. Checks may be mailed to the church at its office address. The mailing address for contributions is Faith Memorial Lutheran Church, c/o SFT, 825 E Lincolnway, Valparaiso, IN 46383. The Giving page quotes Deuteronomy 16:17 and reminds givers that God calls Christians to give not only of wealth but of time and talent.
Community Connections
Faith Memorial sees itself as connected to a wider network of Lutheran and Christian service. The church supports Lutheran Mission in Latin America, Lutheran World Relief, and Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan's Purse) through prayer, giving, and encouragement. Local connections include Hilltop House, First Contact, Immanuel Valparaiso, New Creation Empowers, and Porter County ACS. The church's faith resources page lists the official site of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at lcms.org for anyone who wants to learn more about the broader denomination.
Planning a Visit
The church office at 753 North Calumet Avenue is generally open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00am to 3:00pm, with additional hours that vary by staff schedule. Because the building is shared with Valparaiso Christian Academy, the exterior doors are typically kept locked during academy hours; visitors use the doorbells at doors A and B, or call the office in advance so that someone can greet them when they arrive. The office number is (219) 462-7684 and the email is office@faithmemorial.net. Sunday morning visitors are welcome to come as they are; the congregation gathers at 9:00am for worship and at 10:30am for Bible study and Sunday School. Newcomers are encouraged to ask any member for help finding a seat, a hymnbook, or a worship handout.
The Faithful Reporter
The congregation's newsletter, The Faithful Reporter, is published monthly and is archived on the website going back several years. Each issue gathers the Sunday readings, the church calendar, announcements, and brief reflections from the pastor and lay leaders. Reading the newsletter is a good way to get a feel for the rhythm of the congregation before a first visit.