The mission of Christ Church is to bring purpose to the lives of people of all ages through an abundant and empowering relationship with Christ.

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1 Dear Friend in Christ, We believe that every person who comes into this special fellowship here at Christ Church was sent. It s not by accident that we have had the joy of meeting you, and you the opportunity to worship with and meet us. Please know that we are thankful for your presence among us. Above all else we want to express Christ s love to you with genuine, heartfelt warmth. We re eager to know you even more, and we re excited to share with you the marvelous ways God is working in our church. We know that Christ has an incredible present and future for this Church. It is our hope that you will feel God s calling to be a part of that future. It won t take you long to discover that this is truly a family, rich in the relationships that matter most. Growing together, we worship, we serve, we laugh, we cry, we learn, and we reach out to our world with truth. We reach out to you as well. Our doors are open. If you ve been thinking, praying, searching and hoping for a place to belong, we say, Welcome Home. It is my sincere hope that you will receive and accept this invitation. Come experience an On Purpose Life with us! We are always blessed by your presence. In Christ s Service, Rev. Robert D. Suhr

2 FAST Facts Our facility is located at N Port Washington Road, at the intersection of Port Washington and Bonniwell roads, just off the I-43 highway in Mequon. Adventure Camp is held every Sunday during every worship hour and welcomes children from birth through 5 th grade. Our camp-themed children s wing includes two E.A.G.L.E.S. Nursery Rooms, a spacious Junior Kidz preschool room, a large gathering room for children s worship, and several cozy spaces for Kidz Camp small groups. Adventure Heights Kids can t resist hanging out in our two-story indoor playground! Middle school & high school students love to hang out in the Youth Room, which has a stage, pool table, air hockey, and a snack bar with booths. Impact is our youth group for middle and high school students. They gather from 6:30 8:30pm on Sundays for games, a biblical lesson, and age/gender specific small groups. Christ Perks Café is open to the public. Perfect for meeting friends, reading, or using your laptop with free wi-fi, the café also has a stage for live music. The Main Worship Room is equipped with the latest lighting and sound technology and seats several hundred people for Sunday services. The space, utilizing chairs instead of pews, can be used during the week for banquets or performances. Traditions Worship gathers on Sundays at 8:00am and blends the church s historic liturgy with inspiring music and Bible preaching. Called By Name, our 6-8 member praise team, leads worship at our 9:30am Contemporary Worship and our 11:00am Edge Worship. Pastor Bob combines humor, history, and videos for powerful Bible teaching relevant to living as Christians in today s culture. Small Group Ministries are held throughout the week. Members and friends gather for a variety of opportunities for growth including, but not limited to, men s groups, women s studies, and various home groups and interest groups. Led by Pastor Bob Suhr, the church s ministry staff includes a Youth & Family Director, a Children s & Family Director and a Music & Arts Director. These leaders organize a variety of programs and events for all age groups. A Lutheran congregation, Christ Church draws on the strength of our historic creeds and confessions to communicate Christ s grace to today s culture.

3 CORE Ministries SERMONS Pertinent to everyday people, living in today s world Each sermon is crafted and built upon the everlasting Word of God Dig deeper into relevant & meaningful topics through each sermon series If you can t make a service, watch us online LIVE every Sunday North Port Washington Road YOUTH Impact - Youth Group for middle and high school students. Games, lessons, and small groups Camps and retreats to build faith and relationships Confirmation program-personal, biblical, and relevant Encounter - times of praise and worship music through our student-led band CHILDREN Adventure Camp - ages birth through 5 th grade, open EVERY Sunday morning E.A.G.L.E.S. Nursery - Gentle arms to care for birth to 3-year-olds and share God s love Jr. Kidz - A special time of learning and fun for preschoolers aged 3-5 years. Kidz Camp - games, music, large groups, small groups, and hands-on activities make Bible truths come alive Adventure Heights - Come climb, play, and make friends in our indoor playground Special Events - such as Family Week in July, Parent s Night Out, and Family Night at Church JUMP - a midweek ministry for Preteens, 3 rd grade 5 th grade MUSIC & WORSHIP Chorale - bring words to life as you sing your heart out at Traditions or Contemporary Worship Called By Name - lead others in worship at 9:30am Contemporary and 11:00am Edge Worship Handbell Choir - let your praises ring at 8:00am Traditions Worship Drama - acting, writing, directing, costuming, and staging for short skits in worship and/or larger productions Media Team - operate our computer, sound, lighting, and video for all services and special events Special Events - Live Nativity, holiday services, parades, concerts, and much more SMALL GROUPS Bible studies - find one that feeds you Book studies - expand your own understanding through another person s words of wisdom Get plugged in through our Core Classes, Home Groups, Caring Callers, Prayer Warriors, Financial Peace, and a vast variety of other ministries in our ever-growing church Be a leader on Church Council, Outreach Team, Prayer Chain, staff, volunteer teams, and more

4 MEET the Pastor Pastor Bob Suhr s passion is building strong, Christ-centered families. As pastor of Christ Church in Mequon, he ministers to families from Ozaukee, Washington and Milwaukee counties through Bible-based preaching, family-focused programming, and personal pastoral support. Suhr was called to lead Christ Church in During his years of service, the congregation has seen significant membership and programming growth. The church has added ministry staff to lead programs for youth, families with young children and music and drama. In the past three years, he oversaw the building of a new church facility that is unique among mainline Lutheran churches in the region for its innovative approach to ministry space. Previous to his call at Christ Church, Suhr pastored Peace Lutheran Church in Burlington, Wis. for 14 years. He led a successful congregational renewal that tripled the church s average worship attendance, resulting in a place for him on the Greater Milwaukee Synod s Growth & Renewal Task Force. Suhr graduated from Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.) and received his Master of Divinity degree from Northwestern Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.). He has completed further graduate studies through Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.) and the Beeson Institute of Asbury Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.). An ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), he and his wife Jill are the parents of three adult children and live in Mequon.

5 The Mission, Vision & Outlook of Christ Church MISSION Bringing purpose to the lives of all people through an abundant and growing relationship with Christ. VISION To be a relevant, Spirited (Acts 2), Growing (Matthew 28), and Christ-centered (John 13) community that makes a difference in today s world. OUTLOOK Christ is life. The rest is details. Jesus alone is our life, and the only real lasting hope for the world (John 14:6). We love him. For this reason, we don t apologize for the gospel or for putting our relationship with him first in our lives (Romans 1:16). We strive to respond faithfully to the call of Jesus to follow him above all else in this world which so often competes for our time, energy, and attention (Luke 14:15-24). God wants the best for all lost people and so do we. Jesus was sent to reconcile a distant world to God (Luke 15:1-32), and he calls us to do the same. We like all people, and we know what a difference Jesus can make in their lives. For this reason we seek to reach out to the world around us and share the everlasting love of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, John 20:21, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27). We worship God, not tradition. Where tradition helps to proclaim the good news of Jesus between God and his people, we seek to tear it down (John 2:13-22, Matthew 23:13-16, John 9:1-41). While the gospel message of Christ remains (Hebrews 13:8), the manner in which it is proclaimed must change for it to be communicated effectively in a changing world (Mark 2:21-22). In our worship and in our ministry, we intentionally offer a wide variety of options from the Holy Spirit of God all for the sake of Christian mission (Psalm , Acts 2:1-42). Following Christ is a growing experience. We can t outgrow Christian faith. As modern day disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to move from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity (Philippians 3:13-14, Ephesians 4:12-14). For this reason we strive to bring people into an ever-growing relationship with Christ (Matthew 28:19). This growth best happens in small groups (Acts 2:42-47). As we grow in faith, we turn our heart to God, giving of ourselves and our resources freely and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). We are one body, united in Christ. We are a church of individuals, different in many ways, yet called together by God to be one in ministry and mission. As members of the same body, we become more effective when we work in harmony as a unified whole (John 17:20-23). Among us, love for one another is the norm (John 13:34, Romans 13:8), conflicts are resolved according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17), and we see to build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We rejoice together, and we suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:25-27).

6 What Christ Church Believes GOD We teach that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is spirit (John 4:24), indivisible (Deuteronomy 6:4), of infinite power and wisdom (Jeremiah 10:12), and goodness (2 Chronicles 7:3, Matthew 19:17). We believe that God created all things, visible and invisible, and that He continues to sustain and preserve all things in accordance with His own gracious will. JESUS We teach that Jesus Christ, the second person in the Trinity, is the Lord and Savior of the world. We believe Jesus is the Word of God made man, that he was in the beginning with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and that all things were created through him (John 1:1-5, 14). We believe that Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, born of the Virgin Mary, was sent to suffer and die on the cross as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. We believe that he was raised from the dead by the power of God so that we might receive forgiveness of sin and everlasting life with God in heaven. We believe that Jesus will return at the end of time in judgment (John 5:27-30). We believe that just as Jesus was obedient to the will of God the Father, we too, should be imitators of his obedience and life, and therefore, love and serve as he did (Ephesians 4:11-13, 5:1-2). HOLY SPIRIT We teach that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is active in the lives of people today (John 14:16-17). We believe that the Holy Spirit is at work calling us, building us in to a holy temple (Ephesians 2:22), and teaching us how to live the new life we have been given in Christ (John 16:13-14, Romans 8:13-16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We believe that every Christian ought to desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 5:18). BIBLE We teach that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God and as such is the definitive authority for all matter of our faith and lives. We believe that the Bible is true and bears witness to the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ, the word made flesh (John 5:39, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). SALVATION We teach that we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not something that we can earn or attain on our own. This was God s choice so that we would in all matters learn to be dependent upon Him (John 1:12-13, 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-10).

7 CHURCH We teach that Christ is the head of the church, which is gathered by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit calls and gathers believers together in order that we may be empowered and equipped to carry out the Great Commission of Christ to go out and preach, teach, baptize, and make disciples of all nations. We believe that the purpose of the church is to bear witness to Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:14-16; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13, 2:22). DISCIPLESHIP We teach that Christian life is lived out in the call of Jesus, Follow me. Discipleship is a life-long call to obedience, love, service, study, prayer, worship, fellowship, stewardship and spiritual growth. BAPTISM Jesus commands his followers to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19). This is not a polite suggestion. It is a command from Jesus which he gives as his "last words" before his ascension into heaven. The Bible does not say that we are saved by baptism. It clearly says that we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). The assurance of salvation comes when the promises proclaimed at baptism are claimed and confirmed. At Christ Church, we baptize people of all ages infants through adults with water, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (the Trinity). We recognize all Christian baptisms performed in this manner as valid and lasting. CONFIRMATION As baptized infants and children grow, their faith grows through hearing and experiencing God's Word. Confirmation is a time for those who have been baptized as infants or children to make a public affirmation of their Christian faith (saying "yes" to God!). COMMUNION The first communion or The Lord s Supper can be found in the Bible (Luke 22:1-20). At Christ Church we participate in communion every Sunday and believe that Jesus body and blood are present in the bread and wine. We invite all who are seeking a deeper relationship with Christ to receive communion with us.