Our Beliefs

As ELCA Lutherans, our beliefs are rooted in the Bible, God's message of love and hope for all people. We believe the Bible is the written Word of God, given to us to reveal the truth that we are saved from sin and eternal death through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that the Bible teaches us what we need to know about God's love and God’s gifts to us.

Our beliefs are rooted in the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther, who led the Reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. Luther’s teachings and those of the reformers are summarized in three key principles: Grace alone, Scripture alone, and Faith alone.

Grace is an unearned, undeserved gift to us. God loves us, even though we are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for us. When we hear this Good News and believe it, we have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives us forgiveness through Him.

The Bible is God’s Word. In it, God reveals the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.

The entire narrative of the Bible focuses on humanity's need for a savior. God provides us with our needed savior in the person of Jesus Christ and it is in Christ alone that salvation is found.
Praying Beliefs

Our History

In the middle of the turbulent decade of the 1960s, residents of the small community of Welcome, North Carolina, felt the desire to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with their neighbors. On March 6, 1966, ninety-nine men, women, and children agreed to form Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Being one of the first Lutheran churches in this area led to some early struggles as the congregation sought to establish itself as a presence in the community. As the decade grew to a close, the congregation established a permanent home when the sanctuary was completed and dedicated on November 2, 1969.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the congregation experienced times of both growth and struggle. Community outreach took place through the ministry of a Mother’s Morning Out program, a Bloodmobile, Ecumenical Social Ministry, Crop Walk, and support for families in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. The congregation did face financial struggles during these years but never let those challenges hinder the ministry to which God has called them.

Despite a lack of hope for growth in membership, the 1990s began with a very positive experience of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the congregation in May of 1991. In anticipation of this celebration, the congregation recognized that they had been through times when the struggles seemed to outweigh the triumphs. Yet through it all, they had never lost the hope and faith that served as the anchors for the congregation.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran entered into the new century with new determination to serve Jesus and the community. To help facilitate this new determination, the congregation stepped out in faith and built a new Fellowship Hall. Completed and dedicated in 2008, the Fellowship Hall has provided a location for local school events, summer reading programs, meals for school athletic team, and a local election site. In March of 2022, the congregation rejoiced in the fact that the mortgage for the building was paid off- ten years earlier than the terms of the loan. In 2024, the congregation completed work on a beautiful columbarium to provide our members with a place to rest in peace.

Today, Our Saviour’s Lutheran continues to worship God and serve our community. We offer vibrant weekly worship services on Sunday mornings at 10:00. Our music reflects a blend of old and new. Our sermons are biblically based and apply to contemporary life. We serve together in the community through our monthly Birthday Bingo program at a local assisted living facility; we provide food through our Red Door Pantry and other needed items in our Blessing Box.

Since our beginning in 1966 and continuing today, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church is a loving, sharing, feeding community by the grace of God.