Living Word in Waukesha, WI, still meets in a gym at a local grade school (Rose Glen Elementary School). Every Sunday, the congregation sets up metal folding chairs, unpacks the altar and hauls in the musical instruments. The saying there is, “We may have cold chairs, but we make up for it with smiling faces.”

In order to reach out in an ever-changing culture, Living Word’s worship is intentionally different:  a mix of traditional and contemporary styles.  People show up in jeans and don’t have a problem clapping in church.  Drums and guitar are regular additions to the music, and Pastor John Borgwardt wears a suit instead of a robe. But the message remains the same:  Jesus Christ crucified and risen. Knowing this, Living Word strives to be a team player and is happy to refer anyone to the other WELS churches in the area, especially if they prefer more traditional worship. Since Living Word doesn’t have a facility, each year some special services times (Advent in particular) of the other churches are printed in the bulletin. Granted, the congregation is a bit different and will continue to do things that way, but the main focus is mission work while complementing the other congregations. [slideshow=4]

Living Word’s beginning was also different compared to normal WELS mission starts. It started as an exploratory mission in 2002 and was supported and funded mainly by 17 “mother churches”—the WELS churches in Waukesha County. With additional support from WELS Home Missions, Living Word has grown to around  120 communicant members. The primary focus is mission work and evangelism to the recent developments around Waukesha West High School, extending towards the neighboring areas.

Each Sunday, the mission statement is spoken: “Alive in Jesus, we are learning, living and sharing God’s living word.” Since Day One, Living Word has really tried to emulate that statement. The congregation took advantage of 2 opportunities to send 2 teams to Peru to assist Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) Missionary Terry Schultz conduct Bible storytelling and build a church in the developing community, Nueva Amistad, just outside Tarapoto, Peru, near the Amazon Jungle.

Each summer the Day Camp is a huge hit with local families. Reaching out to the Rose Glen school family is a priority as well, especially since a young female student was diagnosed with cancer and accumulated a large amount of bills in a short time. The congregation responded by raising money for her family to afford the harsh treatments in order to battle her cancer. Recently, the push to affect the high school crowd has been stepped up as well. Events like “battle of the bands” and youth Bible studies are on the schedule and plans for a “before-and-after school mentoring/supervision” type of program are in motion.

Living Word is just like every other WELS congregation in many ways. As with all WELS churches, God’s Word is taught in its truth and purity. In order to empower the members, Pastor Borgwardt is doing what his fellow pastors do. He offers several Bible classes and encourages everyone to get in the Word on a daily basis. Besides several weeknight Bible classes, every Sunday morning Pastor B is grilled by caffeine-enhanced members with all kinds of questions regarding the WELS publication, “This We Believe” or a book of the Bible. With the help of the Church Extension Fund, Living Word purchased land this last year with hopes to start building in the next 5 years. Every WELS church can relate to the struggles and trials of being a beacon of light in a dark, ever-challenging world. One thing remains constant for Living Word, however, and that is God. What a great comfort during the holidays…