About Us
Living Word is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). We are a family-friendly church serving Sonoma County. Sunday morning worship at 9am with Sunday School and Bible Study to follow. Online worship available via Zoom. Midweek Bible Study held Sept – May in member homes throughout Sonoma County. We have a thriving Community Garden with plots located behind the church that are available through Petaluma Bounty. We would love to serve you and your family!
Our Core Values
Worship
We worship The Lord, our God, in Spirit and in truth, remaining faithful to God’s Holy and inspired Word.
Nurture
We nurture our church families by providing a place to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and His Word.
Community
We are a Christian presence in our community and share God’s truth and love.
Engage
We actively engage with and support our world missionaries as they spread the light of the gospel to all the ends of the earth.
Our Church History
The History of LIVING WORD EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH of Petaluma, California
as written by Paul H. Marggraf – May 1, 1984
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina — December 17, 1903. Orville Wright climbs into his bi-plane, “The Flyer,” and if the words are not actually spoken, a few spectators are no doubt thinking, “It will never get off the ground.” Despite the skepticism “The Flyer” lived up to its name and the rest is history.
During the early history of what is now Living Word Evangelical Lutheran Church there were those of us who[…]
Visitor Information
We hope this page will answer some of the questions you might have before you visit our church. This guide exists to help you, our guest, as you consider visiting our congregation.
Attire
Attire
Our members and visitors dress in a variety of ways. Some come in their favorite pair of jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. Others prefer to go “business casual” with khakis and a polo shirt. Still others enjoy wearing their “Sunday best” and pull out their dresses or suits.
Children
Children
We welcome people of all ages at our worship services. Many of our families with young children prefer to sit towards the back, so they can easily move to the narthex area if need be. We also have a kids room with some toys and books.
Worship
Worship
The worship service is printed out each week in our worship folder, which you will receive as you enter the sanctuary. All the congregation’s spoken or sung “responses” can be found in the worship folder. You’ll also find the Scripture lessons and the sermon information for the day.
Offering
Offering
Our members bring offerings to God through their church. These offerings give them the opportunity not only to show love to Christ, but also to support the work of the congregation as we bring the Good News of Christ’s love to more people. Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one can dictate what an individual is to give.
WELS Lutherans
Living Word Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member of the national church body called the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).
This church body got its name because it was formed in Wisconsin in the 1850’s. Our membership in this national church body unites us with Christians across our country and the world. It allows us to pool our resources for mission work, the production of Bible-based Christian literature, and the training of pastors and grade school teachers. But above all, we can be comforted by the fact that we know there are Christians throughout the world who share a common faith with us.
Our congregation and our national church body are solidly based in the Bible. We believe that Jesus is our Savior and the only way to heaven. Through faith in Jesus we are united to him and each other. The name “Lutheran” comes from the great reformer, Martin Luther. In a period of history when the Church had lost sight of its Savior and the truth of his Word, Martin Luther boldly challenged these errors and preached Jesus Christ as Savior. We are proud to remember his work in bringing the truth of God’s Word by using his name to identify ourselves.
