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What to expect on a Sunday


Whether you have visited us at Trinity before or are just considering it, we are very glad that you stopped by here. We would like to give you an introduction to what you will find here so that you can feel as comfortable and at home as possible.

1. We have two campuses

The original campus at 1205 6th Street is what we call the Downtown campus. It’s not really downtown, but pretty close. The original white church was built in 1925 (we met in rented buildings starting in 1909). The current sanctuary was built in 1968 and the downtown complex has been added on to several times since then.

Our other campus is at 614 Badlands Road and it is what we call the Family Center. It was opened in 2002 to reach out to people who were moving in to the east part of the greater Hudson area. We started it as a childcare/preschool facility with weekend worship in the multipurpose room.

2. Parking

There is usually plenty of parking with handicapped spaces available. Our buildings are also handicap accessible inside and outside.

The Family Center has one large parking lot on its 15 acre campus off Badlands Road.

The Downtown campus has a parking lot at its main entrance off Sixth Street. There is also parking in the lower lot off Fifth Street. You can also park on the streets around the building. All of the doors should be unlocked at the Downtown campus on Sunday mornings when you arrive. The doors from the lower lot will take you into the Academy part of our building on the lower level. Just follow the hallway to the stairs or the elevator. The sanctuary is on the main (upper) level.

3. At the Front Door – A Greeting

When you come in to the Family Center or arrive at the main level of the Downtown campus, a family or several people will be standing at the door to greet you.  They will shake your hand and be glad to answer your questions or point you in the right direction. These would be good people to ask about where to hang your coat or where the rest rooms are, although all of us try to be friendly and would be glad to help you.

3. Coffee and goodies

Both campuses have coffee, punch, cookies, and other goodies available in the gathering spaces right off the sanctuaries. There may be a basket for a free-will donation to help cover the cost of the goodies. But you are our guest, so please feel free to help yourself; no donation is expected.

4. Nursery

Nursery is available for the little ones at both campuses.

At the Family Center, the nursery is the first childcare room on the right as you go down the childcare wing.

At the Downtown campus, the nursery is the first room on the hallway north of the sanctuary, just past the restrooms.

5. Rest Rooms

At the Family Center campus the rest rooms are just to the right as you go past the main desk down the childcare wing. Both rest rooms are handicap accessible with changing stations for babies with diapers.

At the Downtown campus, rest rooms are available off the north hallway to the right just past the coat room. A unisex handicap accessible rest room with changing station for babies is located off the coat room.

6. At the Doors to the Sanctuaries – Ushers

At both campuses, ushers will greet you at the doors of the sanctuaries. They will give you a bulletin and let you find your own seat in a comfortable place. If it is getting crowded, they may help you to find a place if you wish. Again, feel free to ask these people any questions you may have. They love to help with whatever they can. They are also stationed in the back of the sanctuaries to help with any needs during the services.

7. The Order of Service

Down below we will describe the various worship services here. They are somewhat different from each other so that we can provide a worship experience that matches up with our guests’ and members’ preferences in music and style.

All of our services have the following things in common, though:

  • They are led by teams of musicians and leaders who spend long hours preparing for each service through practice and prayer because God deserves our best in worship and preaching.
  • All of our services contain congregational singing, Scripture reading, a sermon, an offering, prayers, and Holy Communion. Not only is this typical of the Lutheran Church since the Reformation, but it also reflects the ancient church practice going back to the first century of the Church.
  • In keeping with Lutheran practice, a trained, ordained pastor preaches, announces absolution, and officiates at Communion; and trained, committed lay men and women serve as worship music leaders, readers, communion assistants, ushers, and in a wide variety of other ways.
  • We try to keep all of our worship services to one hour in length. However, in all truthfulness, there is usually so much goodness and joy to share, and so much of God’s grace and love to proclaim, that it is not uncommon for our services to stretch ten minutes past the hour mark – but usually not more.
  • We receive an offering at every service as a way of thanking and praising God for his gifts and grace in our lives. While you are free to participate in the offering if you feel so moved, it is not expected. You are a guest here and we believe God has called us together to serve him by serving you. Please do not feel that you have to put something in the offering baskets.
  • At both campuses we ask people to “sign in.” At the Family Center we pass a notebook down each row and at the Downtown campus we have slips in each bulletin for each family to fill in and put in the offering basket or give to an usher on the way to communion. We ask people to do this because it gives folks a chance to give us feedback or let us know about a sickness, prayer request, or other need or suggestion. For guests, it lets us welcome you properly. We will send you a letter welcoming you. And if you check that you would like more information or would to join Trinity or would like a pastor to call you, we will do that. We will not share your information with anyone else.
  • At both campuses, we invite people to come to communion who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, who believe that Christ’s Body and Blood are really present in the bread and wine, and who know that they are sinners and are coming for the forgiveness of their sins. If you have any doubts about our understanding and teaching of communion, please talk to a pastor. We also welcome children as young as 5th grade to Holy Communion who have gone through a preparation process so that they understand the gift that God is giving us.
  • We project our services including songs and readings on large screens at all of our services. Our sermons usually use Powerpoint to illustrate the messages, and we oftentimes use short video clips to enhance the worship and message.

8. Worship at the Family Center – Sundays 9:00 and 10:30 am

  • Video Countdown 5 minutes before the service
  • Worship songs: All of our services at the Family Center feature contemporary music led by a praise/worship team
  • Greeting: From the worship leader and then we greet one another
  • Announcements
  • Scripture reading: The pastor reads the scripture passage that is the center of the theme for the service.
  • Confession and Forgiveness: The pastor leads us in reflecting on our sin and praying for forgiveness.
  • Words of Institution: The pastor speaks the words Jesus used in giving us Holy Communion.
  • Communion: Three pairs of people take the bread and the cups down the aisles. When they get to your row, the people in your row will file out past the communion assistants. One of them will have the bread and give it to you. The other assistant will hold a cup with wine (red) and a cup with grape juice (white). Please dip the bread in either the wine or the grape juice and receive Christ’s Body and Blood given for you. Then continue on down the aisle, around the back of the chairs and return to your row using the opposite aisle. Children are welcome to walk with you past the communion assistants for a blessing.
  • Offering: Again, since you are our guest, please don’t feel that you have to put anything into the offering.
  • Children’s Message: The children come up and sit in the front for the Children’s Message. After the Message they go to Xtreme Kids (Trinity’s Sunday School) in the classrooms in the childcare wing. You can take them if you wish. They can also come back and sit with you.
  • Worship song(s)
  • Message
  • Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
  • Closing Song
  • Prayer Partners are available by the windows on the far side of the sanctuary after the services to pray with individuals who desire it.

Worship at the Downtown campus – Sundays 9:00 am (Traditional)

  • This Traditional service is projected on the screens but follows the basic outline and content of the Lutheran Book of Worship. Hymns come from this “green hymnal” or other traditional sources. The service is led by organ and/or piano and features special music by other classical instruments.
  • Pre-service Music
  • Welcome
  • Announcements
  • Greet one another
  • Confession and Forgiveness
  • Invocation – Lord, have mercy – Hymn of Praise
  • Prayer of the Day
  • Children’s Message: if there are children present. Most of the children at this service are in Xtreme Kids (Sunday School) downstairs in the Academy classrooms for the entire hour.
  • Scripture readings
  • Hymn/Choir
  • Message
  • Prayer
  • Apostles’ Creed
  • Offering
  • Order of Holy Communion
  • Distribution of Communion: At this service, people are ushered forward row by row to kneel around the communion rail. The communion assistants bring the bread and trays of wine with grape juice in the center ring of the trays to the people around the rail. The pastor also has gluten-free bread on his tray for those who need that alternative; just indicate to him that you need the gluten-free wafter. There is a blessing after each “table” has received communion and then people return to their seats and put their glasses in the baskets at the far end of each line.
  • Prayer of Thanks
  • Benediction
  • Closing Hymn
  • Dismissal: Go in peace – serve the Lord.
  • Prayer Partners are available up front after the service to pray with individuals.

Worship at the Downtown Campus – Sundays 10:30 am  (Contemporary)

  • Pre-service Music
  • Welcome and Announcements
  • Greet one another
  • Opening Prayer
  • Worship songs: All of the music at that service is contemporary, led by a praise/worship team
  • Prayer of Confession
  • Children’s Message: There is no Xtreme Kids (Sunday School) at this hour
  • Scripture readings
  • Message
  • Prayer
  • Offering
  • Prayer and Words of Institution
  • Distribution of Communion: At this service, people come up to the front in a continuous line. One assistant gives them the bread (gluten-free bread is also available; just ask the assistant). Go to the other communion assistant and dip the bread in either the wine (red) or the grape juice (white) that they are holding. Continue on around the front to the opposite aisle and return to your seat.
  • Closing Prayer
  • Closing Song
  • Blessing: Go in peace – serve the Lord.
  • Prayer Partners are available up front after the service to pray with individuals.

Worship at the Downtown Campus – Wednesdays 7:00 pm

  • This service follows the same general order of service as the Sunday 9:00 am (Traditional) service at the Downtown campus.
  • This service takes place in the Chapel that is across from the main sanctuary at the Downtown campus.
  • The music is led by piano and the service is more informal than the Sunday 9:00 am (Traditional) service.

We hope that you will feel comfortable and at home here at Trinity. If there is anything we can do for you, please let one of us know.

If you are interested in joining us, please check out How do I join…