About us

It is our mission at Christ Church to "Celebrate and Share God's Gospel for the World throughout the World's Borough." As Church centered on Christ, and as a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod we are all about the Gospel. The Gospel is "the Good News" of God's redeeming love for the world which was fully accomplished in Christ Jesus' life, ministry, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead and the gift of God's Holy Spirit, as we are brought to faith in Jesus through this powerful "Good News." In this Good News, we experience all the grace of God, which means, receiving God's loving favor by which God forgives us all our sins and restores us to himself. But in fact, this Gospel is not just for human beings, but it is for the whole creation to experience restoration. God created everything, and so, God has a Gospel purpose for everything in the person of Jesus his Son. Through God's defeat of death and sin in Jesus' resurrection, there is a new creation in store for all things! This Good News is at the center of what the whole of Scripture wants to teach about God. That means if we want to know what the bible is really about, we have to see Jesus at the center. (Yes, God gives laws in scripture, like in the "Ten Commandments" and the other laws and instructions that are taught throughout the bible. However, the Law, as important as it is for knowing what God desires for the shape of our lives, as it essentially teaches "love for God and love for our neighbors," isn't how we have our relationship with God. If anything, the law is like an x-ray that shows us where our heart really is at in our life with God. That means the law doesn't save us when we sin. In fact, it shows us when we sin. God's answer to the problem of sin and brokenness isn't, "try harder!" God's response to sin and brokenness is as a loving and compassionate Father giving us the good news of the gospel, God's own work for us in and as Jesus! In other words, God comes in person to save us!) As Lutheran Christians, we emphasize that solely because of Jesus and all that he accomplished, we are "justified," or put into a right relationship with God. We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus apart from our works. Faith is not simply head knowledge but the trust and confidence of our hearts, where we trust that God's love and forgiveness is not earned by our efforts, nor are we afraid of losing God's love due to our sins. Faith trusts in the "Good News" that we are loved, forgiven, justified, redeemed, restored and assured of eternal life with our Triune God, through God's work centered on Jesus and experienced by His Holy Spirit. When we have this faith in our Triune God, we have a whole new life with God and others! In fact, to be justified, is more than just being in good relationship with God. It is having a new life as being part the family of God! This is what we celebrate at Christ Church. And truly, this redeeming and justifying love, where we enjoy our new life in the family of God, is worth celebrating. So, we gather regularly in worship as this family. (We should also say that this family of God is from all peoples, nations, and languages and we certainly see that in the pews of Christ Church!) And that's what Church is. Church is being the family of God in Christ Jesus, gathered from all over the world through the Gospel. And also, Church is lived out by gathering together regularly to celebrate our life as God's family in Christ Jesus in worship. Worship is like coming to a weekly family meal, where we receive the spiritual nourishment and love of our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus our Lord so that we can live out our faith throughout our whole lives. In worship, we are constantly receiving the gifts of God's love and forgiveness in Jesus, who is present to serve us His divine grace. Like a loving parent who always has a spot at the table so that you always know you are loved and at home, in worship we gather at the call of our heavenly Father who feds us and loves us in Jesus and his Holy Spirit. As Lutheran Christians, we even call our worship, "The Divine Service," because we understand that in worship our loving God is serving us with the grace we need. In worship, with the historic liturgy of the church, we read the scriptures, hear the word preached, confess the historic creeds (the Apostle's Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed) of the Christian Faith, receive Jesus' true body and blood in the sacrament of Communion and respond with our thanks and praise in the form of prayers and singing. Again, it's like the rhythm of coming home for the family meal, because we need to be fed in our life with God. Thankfully, it is God's good pleasure to give us what we need, so that we always have confidence in who we are in Jesus. Because we have this new life through faith, our Christian life is characterized by loving God and loving our neighbors. And, as Jesus makes clear, our neighbors are absolutely everyone without exception. As Christians, we aren't perfect, we still sin and need to receive God's grace again and again, but through the gift of God's forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we are learning to truly love God and others with true integrity as the fruit of our faith as we live in hope of our eternal life with God and a restored creation. Because we have received and experienced this Gospel Good News in Christ Jesus, through the Word of the Scriptures, in the promise of baptism and through being fed each week's Divine Service with Jesus' body and blood in communion, we at Christ Church want to share this Gospel Good News for the whole world by our words and actions throughout all of the "World's Borough"--Queens, New York! You always have a place in God's family here at Christ Church! We are eager to share God's love with you! ...If you want to know more about what it means to be a "Lutheran" Christian, you can see the collection of documents known as the Book of Concord, especially the Augsburg confession. Essentially though, "Lutherans" are not a different "church," but we are committed to the scriptural and apostolic faith of the historic "catholic" or universal Christian Church. However, "Lutherans" are Christians who are committed to always reforming the Church back to keeping the Gospel of God's grace in Christ Alone received through faith alone at the center, should the Church ever get sidetracked. We also believe that the Scriptures alone are sufficient for teaching who God is, who we are as God's creation, God's purposes for the world and our lives, and for salvation in God. We don't reject traditions in the church but gladly use traditions, in freedom, that help teach and reinforce the Gospel. However, traditions that are used must not be forced upon people as required and must help us understand the bible and the gospel, otherwise they can be distracting or harmful to our Christian faith.

The life of faith is in biblical terms, a walk of life. That's why Jesus refers to himself as "The Way." As the bible shows again and again, following Jesus, walking with God as his people, doesn't mean life is easier for Christians. Being disciples doesn't make life feel easy, but it makes it real in our life with God. Our real life with God, however, is still messy. We have real times of consolation and real times of desolation. We have times in life that seem like great successes to rejoice in, but also times of epic failure and sin where we need the truth and mercy of God. Through all of the realities of life, God is present to guide and redeem through Jesus and sanctify through His Spirit. At Christ Church, we offer Pastoral care for all of the topography of real life. Therefore, Christ Church is always ready to share the Word of God and be the body of Christ as a testament to Jesus' real presence. Pastor Alex is available for spiritual counsel, direction, prayer, teaching, private confession and absolution, visitation, grief counseling, home blessings, pre-marriage counseling, marriage counseling etc. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are in need of Gospel care! Email:revalexchristwoodside@gmail.com

Consider contacting us for the following types of care: