Visitor Information
Where are you located?
We are located on the corner of Rt 6 and Sage St in Channahon, 2.5 miles west of I-55. We are across the street from Pioneer Path Elementary School. For a map and more info, click here.
Where should I park?
You can park in one of the spots in front of our building or in the Pioneer Path Elementary School lot.
What are your services like?
In order to understand our services, there are three important things to know about River of Life.
1. As Lutherans, we believe that Christ won our salvation in His death and resurrection.
2. We believe that Christ established His Church to be the place where we could receive the salvation won for us on the cross and in the empty tomb.
3. We also believe that we receive this salvation through the preached word of forgiveness, baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
It's for this reason that we worship the way we do--beginning every service by confessing our sins and hearing Christ's word of absolution, singing of God's mercy in our hymns, confessing His triune nature in the Creed, listening to preaching that covers us in the love of Christ, feasting upon His body and blood inHoly Communion, and concluding with the benediction promise that we now have peace with God through His Son who dwells with us in Word and Sacrament.
For our Sunday morning liturgy, we follow the Divine Service settings in Lutheran Service Book every week. And for our hymns, we avail ourselves of the great treasures found in that same hymnal. The organ is the primary instrument for our musical accompaniment.
If you are not familiar with our worship service, it can often be tricky to navigate the hymnal. For this reason, we provide a visitor's bulletin each week, designed to make the service easier to follow. The visitor's bulletin includes the entire liturgy, our readings, and hymns for the day. If you'd like one, just ask one of our ushers. If you still have trouble, don't be afraid to ask one of our members to help you follow along. It may take you a Sunday or two to get used to our service, but we believe the beauty of our liturgy makes it worth it in the end.
Are my kids welcome?
Absolutely! We are always overjoyed when Christ's little ones gather with us to receive the gifts of salvation. While children may often fidget and fuss as they learn to sit and hear God's word, we consider the noise that they make in our sanctuary to be a form of sacred music, as this is the sound of God's children learning more and more what it means to be Christians. And it's for this reason that we invite the children to stay with us for the entire service.
If you feel your children are being disruptive, we do have a nursery room. However, barring a sonic outburst of ear-drum shattering proportions, we encourage you to keep your children in the sanctuary as long as possible. And, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, we also encourage those with young children to sit up front, as doing so makes it easier for them to see what's happening, which tends to hold their attention longer.
May I take communion?
The Scriptures teach that Holy Communion is the true, physical body and blood of Jesus Christ given to us for the forgiveness of our sins (Mat 26:26-28, Mar 14:22-24, Luk 22:19-20, 1Co 11:23-26). The Scriptures also teach that Holy Communion is a sacred meal that Christians should only share together once they have put away all their divisions and are of the same mind and judgment (1Co 1:10, 11:18). Furthermore, the Scriptures teach that pastors are to be "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1Co 4:1) and that this mystery called the Lord's Supper brings condemnation to those who eat and drink of it in an unworthy manner (1Co 11:27-30).
It is for these reasons that we require all who commune at our altar to be of the same mind and judgment as our congregation, that they prepare their hearts to receive this sacrament worthily, and that they announce their intent to commune to Pastor Mitschke so that he may faithfully carry out his stewardship of this mystery by ensuring that all who receive the sacrament from him do so to their benefit.
How do I join?
If you are currently a member of another LCMS congregation and would like to join River of Life, please speak to Pastor Mitschke and your current pastor about requesting a transfer of membership.
If you are not currently a member of an LCMS congregation, please speak with Pastor Mitschke about how to come into membership. While the length of preparation for membership may vary from person to person depending on various circumstances, the standard length for Pastor Mitschke's adult instruction class is sixteen sessions of a two hour class called "That I May be His Own." This class is generally taught once in the fall and once in the spring, but may also be made available by appointment.