A Lutheran House of Worship in East Mesa
Victory Lutheran Church sits on East University Drive in east Mesa, drawing worshipers from across the East Valley for a weekend rhythm of three in-person services, an on-site food pantry, and a music program built around choir, bell choir, and a long-running concert series. Its motto, drawn from 1 Corinthians 15:57, is "Through Christ, we are victorious!" and its stated mission is to serve and glorify God by being and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Victory describes itself as a joyful and loving community where traditional Lutheran worship, deep care ministries, and active outreach to the wider Mesa area meet under one roof.
The congregation belongs to Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), a fellowship of Lutheran congregations who describe themselves as free in Christ, accountable to one another, and rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Victory's Vision frames the church as a joyful, loving community that transforms and deploys Christ-centered disciples who lead others into God's mission frontiers, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Worship on the Weekend
Victory's weekend rhythm gives visitors four ways to gather:
- Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. - Casual Traditional. Liturgical worship in a come-as-you-are atmosphere. Pastors do not robe, but the music, message, and familiar Lutheran structure remain central.
- Sundays at 8:00 a.m. - Traditional Worship with Communion, a service that maintains a strong link to historical practices and offers communion every week.
- Sundays at 9:30 a.m. - Traditional Liturgical Worship. This service follows the Lutheran Service Book closely, moving through the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost with their themes, colors, and readings.
- Sundays at 11:00 a.m. - Contemporary Worship. Modern Christian praise led from guitars, drums, and keyboards, with children's messages woven in.
The Sunday 9:30 a.m. service is also the service that is livestreamed each week, with all special services and events available online through the Online Campus. Communion is offered every week at the 8:00 a.m. service, and on the first weekend of each month, communion is served in all weekend services. The congregation practices open communion; no matter a visitor's background, they are welcome to participate.
First-time guests will find reserved parking near the entrance, greeters at the door, and a Connect Card to fill out for a small welcome gift at the Welcome Center. An unstaffed nursery is open during all weekend services so that parents can stay close to little ones while still catching the service over audio. There is no dress code beyond whatever feels respectful and comfortable. "Sunday best" can mean almost anything here, and the staff is quick to say the goal is for guests to be themselves.
Music and the Concert Series
Music is central to life at Victory. Classic hymns accompanied by organ and piano are the backbone of the traditional services, and the church's worship space hosts a strong choir that sings every Sunday from fall through spring, plus a seasonal bell choir that adds to most services. Guest instrumentalists - violinists, cellists, oboists, flutists, brass players, vocalists - regularly lift the music above the everyday.
Each year Victory carries its love for music out of the sanctuary and into the community through its Concert Series, a season of guest artist concerts and special music nights at the church. Ensembles within the Music Ministry rehearse weekly during the high season to prepare for worship services and the events on the concert calendar. The Director of Worship and Music, Kristin Holton Prouty, oversees this work and welcomes newcomers who want to sing, ring, or play.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Victory works to make the first visit feel low-key. The worship service at the 9:30 a.m. service and most special services can be watched online, and in-person services are held Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The contemporary service follows at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays. Parking is described as a breeze, with a large lot on the premises. Visitors who would like a guided introduction are encouraged to fill out the Connect Card online and bring it to the Welcome Center for a small gift.
Children are welcome in every service. An unstaffed nursery is available during all services, and during the 11:00 a.m. Contemporary service, Children's Church is offered for children ages 2 through 10. Children are dismissed from the Worship Center after the Children's Message and meet in the Nursery for their own teaching time, with two adults present at all times. Parents check children in before the service begins and receive matching name tags.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The phone line, (480) 830-5024, is staffed during those hours, and the church can also be reached at hello@victorylutheran.com.
Communion, Creeds, and the Lutheran Service Book
The 9:30 a.m. Sunday service is the most fully liturgical gathering, with a clear order from the Lutheran Service Book that moves the congregation through the seasons of the church year. The creeds - Invocation, Confession, Absolution, Scripture readings, Sermon, Creed, and Prayers of the People - anchor the service and create a rhythm familiar to anyone who has worshipped in a Lutheran congregation before.
Sermons are grounded in Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and the pastoral team's recent preaching series reflects that pattern. Recent and ongoing series have walked through Philippians in "Never Meant To Walk Alone" and "Joy That Holds," explored 2 Peter in "The Recipe of a Godly Life," and brought Old and New Testament figures to life in series such as "Luther," "Elijah," "Jonah," "Esther: Summoned By God," and "Ruth: From Grief to Grace." Advent, Lent, Easter, and Christmas seasons shape the choice of readings, colors, and music throughout the year, and special midweek services fill out the seasons of Lent and Holy Week.
Walking Through Hard Seasons: Stephen Ministry and GriefShare
Two of Victory's longest-running care ministries are built around one thing: staying with people through difficult days.
Stephen Ministry equips laypeople to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in the congregation and the wider community who are facing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation. Stephen Ministers are trained through Stephen Ministries St. Louis using the congregation's Stephen Leaders. After being matched with a care receiver, a Stephen Minister meets weekly for about an hour to listen, encourage, and offer emotional and spiritual support for as long as the need continues. Galatians 6:2 - "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" - anchors the work.
GriefShare is a 13-week video-and-discussion series that walks participants through the grief process after the death of a spouse, child, family member, or friend. Each week begins with a 30-minute video featuring experts on grief-related topics and people who have experienced loss, followed by a small-group discussion. The Victory group meets Mondays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., with each session designed to stand alone so newcomers can join at any point in the 13-week cycle. Recent sessions have run from September through early December; new cycles begin after each season concludes.
Feeding Mesa: Food Pantry, I-HELP, and Family Promise
Victory's longest-running outreach partnership is its on-site food pantry with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW). Food boxes are distributed on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Visitors only need a photo ID, and Victory is one of two LSS-SW pantry locations in Mesa. Utility and rental assistance through LSS-SW is also available by appointment at 480-654-4539.
The Victory Quilters gather on the third Tuesday and Wednesday of most months at 8:30 a.m. to cut, sew, pin, and tie quilts that are donated to Navajo Lutheran Mission, Orchard: Africa, and Lutheran Social Ministries. No experience is required, and the group breaks for the summer. A separate Victory Women initiative sells Fair Trade hand-made crafts, jewelry, coffee, and tea through Lutheran World Relief, with proceeds supporting small-scale farmers and artisans overseas.
Through the I-HELP program, Victory provides a safe and secure place for women experiencing homelessness on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Through Family Promise - a Valley-wide network of more than 30 interfaith congregations - Victory hosts families experiencing homelessness several times a year for a week at a time. Volunteers set up and take down bedrooms, prepare meals, serve as evening and overnight hosts, do laundry, and bake for the guests, with a church bus transporting families to and from the Scottsdale Day Center each weekday morning.
Reaching Beyond Mesa: Mission Partners
Victory takes seriously the Acts 1:8 call to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Mission engagement is built around that geography:
- Locally, Victory serves through Family Promise, I-HELP, the Food Pantry, and the Quilters.
- Regionally, the church supports the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, Arizona - a remote village near the Four Corners whose campus includes a K-2 private Christian school, a clinic, a cultural center, a water project, and a food bank.
- Globally, Victory partners with Orchard: Africa (supporting Food & Agriculture, Care, Education, and Ministry programs), Lutheran World Relief (Fair Trade and clean water, health, and education projects), and Samaritan's Purse through Operation Christmas Child, the shoebox-gift ministry that travels to children around the world.
Once a month, a Victory group travels off-site to Feed My Starving Children in Tempe to package fortified rice meals for distribution to schools, churches, orphanages, and community shelters around the world. The church also heads off-site for outings such as Sunshine Acres Crafts with Kids (a craft afternoon with children at a Mesa group home, with transportation provided by the church) and occasional group outings to local theater and cultural events.
Women's Ministry
Victory's women's ministry gathers under a purpose statement that describes a community of women created in the image of God, called to discipleship in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The ministry is committed to growing in faith, affirming gifts, supporting one another in callings, engaging in ministry and action, and promoting healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world.
From May through September, the women's Bible study meets on the second Tuesday of each month as one combined group on campus at 9:30 a.m. From October through April, the ministry meets on the second Tuesday of the month in three groups: Esperanza (9:30 a.m.), Naomi (2:00 p.m.), and Mary (1:30 p.m., in-home). All women are welcome, and a Men's Bible Study meets through the year on Tuesday and Saturday mornings as well, with communion observed during the Tuesday gathering.
Men, Small Groups, and Bible Study
Victory's small-group ministry, called Group Time, is built around the conviction that faith is not meant to be lived alone. Victory estimates that 1% of a month is roughly seven hours and challenges members to spend that 1% with a small group, Bible study, discipling huddle, or ministry team. The church is convinced that when members embrace "The 5% Life" as a starting point, the rest of the week follows into deeper community and mission.
Men's ministry includes a Tuesday Bible study in the Courtyard Luther Room (C-1) that focuses on sermon notes and observes communion, a Saturday Bible study in the Courtyard Fireside Room, and a monthly Men's Breakfast Fellowship that meets off-site at an east Mesa IHOP. Co-ed small groups include "The Seekers," an in-depth Bible study led by Mike Menke and Judy Bailey that meets on the first and third Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room B7. New groups can be started by any member with a HOST starter kit, a chosen curriculum from the church's list, and the support of Associate Pastor Denton Bennet, who oversees the ministry.
Recovery and support meetings hosted at Victory include an AA Men's Meeting on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Al-Anon Family Group meetings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Prayer, Confirmation, and Learning
Victory's Prayer Group meets on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. as a fellowship gathered to seek God's guidance and intercede for the needs of the congregation and beyond. Open to anyone from new believers to seasoned Christians, the prayer group offers a quiet space for heartfelt conversation with God.
For students preparing to affirm their baptismal vows, Victory runs a Confirmation Class as part of its educational ministry. The church also maintains a Confirmation and faith-formation pathway that walks youth and adults through the basics of the Lutheran confession alongside other teaching ministries.
The Online Campus
Victory extends its ministry into a digital space through an Online Campus designed for people who live outside the Mesa area or who cannot attend in person. The Sunday 9:30 a.m. service is livestreamed live and remains available on demand, sermons are archived for catch-up viewing, and Daily Hope devotionals offer a touchpoint throughout the week. Online Groups offer another doorway into fellowship for those worshiping from a distance. Followers can also keep up with Victory through its Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter channels and through a weekly e-blast sign-up.
Lent, Easter, and Christmas Eve
The seasons of the church year shape life at Victory. During Lent, the church offers Wednesday evening services, often followed by a soup supper. Holy Week includes Palm Sunday services at regular weekend times, a Maundy Thursday service, a Good Friday service, a Saturday sunrise Easter service at 6:00 a.m. followed by a continental breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., and Easter services at the regular weekend times.
Christmas Eve at Victory features five candlelight services - typically at 1:00 p.m. (with choir), 3:00 p.m. (with choir), 5:00 p.m. (with choir), 7:00 p.m. (Contemplative), and 9:00 p.m. (with communion) - and a Christmas Day service on December 25 at 10:00 a.m. Greeters are stationed at the doors, instrumentalists and choirs lead the carols, and the candle-lighting of "Silent Night" is the climax of the evening.
Beliefs and the LCMC Family
Victory's stated beliefs center on the historic Christian confession of one God in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-equal and one God. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of all people, rose again after three days, ascended to heaven, and will return to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus, lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation, and provides power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance into righteousness.
The Bible is God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, and stands as the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living, without any mixture of error. Human beings were created in the image of God, marred by an attitude of disobedience called sin that separates people from God, and in need of salvation as a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ rather than by self-improvement or good works. Those who trust in Christ are eternally secure because God is the one who saves and sustains. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence, and people were created to exist forever.
As an LCMC congregation, Victory is part of an association of Lutheran congregations who describe themselves as free in Christ, accountable to one another, rooted in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, and working together to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
Getting Connected
Newcomers can take several first steps at any time. The Connect Card, available online or at the Welcome Center, is the easiest way to introduce yourself. Discovering Victory is offered periodically on Sundays as a two-week introduction to the life, mission, and ministry of the church. Small groups, Bible studies, the Music Ministry, the Quilters, Stephen Ministry, GriefShare, the Food Pantry, and the missions network all welcome new volunteers. Online giving is available through the church's giving portal, by texting the word GIVE and an amount to (888) 897-5573, by mail to the church's University Drive address, or in person at the donation receptacles in the building. Daily Hope devotionals, weekly e-blast updates, and the church's social channels keep the wider community connected between Sundays.
FAQ
What time are services?
Saturday at 4:00 p.m., Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. (traditional services), and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (contemporary). Communion is offered every week at 8:00 a.m. and on the first weekend of each month in all services.
What should I wear?
Whatever feels comfortable and respectful. "Sunday Best" can mean different things to different people, and the goal is for visitors to be themselves.
Is there anything for my kids?
Children are welcome in every service. An unstaffed nursery is open during all services, and Children's Church is offered during the 11:00 a.m. contemporary service for ages 2 through 10.
Is the service livestreamed?
The Sunday 9:30 a.m. service is livestreamed live, and most special services and events are available online through the Online Campus.
Is communion open to visitors?
Yes. Victory practices open communion, welcoming all who wish to participate regardless of background.
What does the church do for the community?
Victory runs an on-site food pantry with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest on Mondays and Wednesdays, hosts families experiencing homelessness through Family Promise several times a year, opens its space for AA and Al-Anon meetings, and supports the I-HELP program for women experiencing homelessness.
How can I get involved?
Fill out the Connect Card online or at the Welcome Center, join a small group or Bible study, volunteer with the Quilters, Music Ministry, Stephen Ministry, GriefShare, or missions, or sign up to serve in the food pantry or Family Promise host weeks.