Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Kingston (Scranton, Washington: appointed, school, university)

[ScranBarre]

Is anyone here familiar with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church along Wyoming Avenue in Kingston? As a lifelong Lutheran I really wish to re-connect with my faith after months of feeling "adrift," but after attending a church service today at my childhood Lutheran church in Pittston I was very disappointed in what I saw had changed during my absence. Since I often work on Sundays just over the Kingston border anyways it would make perfect sense for me to possibly begin attending services here and then head directly into work.

Can someone provide me with some insight into some of the primary differences between the Missouri Synod and ELCA Lutheran Churches? I've heard that the latter is more "liberal" whereas the former is more traditionalist. I drive by this church all the time on my way to work and have always wanted to give it a try. I suppose the best way to know for sure is to just cast my apprehensions aside and sit in on a service sometime soon (maybe even next Sunday), but having some "Insider Information" beforehand could prove helpful!

Thank you in advance, NEPA!

[MermanMike]

I don't know anything about the Lutheran church. Why not try checking out the Unitarian Universalist congregation that meets on Sundays. I visited once when I was staying down there and found it to be a really wonderful group of people who put on a beautiful service. It would be very close to work too. 10am Sundays, 851 W. Market St. in Kingston. Main Page - UUCWV Web

[sheena12]

I am a "LLL" (life long Lutheran) myself and it just so happens that I have been checking out Lutheran churches in the Scranton area. I have never attended any of the but I will be trying them out soon.
First let me say I fully understand the "feeling adrift" thing. In my early 20s I went through this. When I returned to the church of my youth, I felt like a "fish out of water". Everyone was either like 97 years old or they were 35 with 3 kids.
Alas a lot of churches are STILL like that. The sad thing is that extreme right wing churches do a good job of attracting people in your age group - then they lay their hateful agenda on them.

OK enough of that. Now on to Lutherans. You are correct now there are only 2 denominations (there are more but these are the biggies in the North East) in the Lutheran Faith - Missouri Synod and ELCA - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The more socially conservative is Missouri Synod and the more progressive and open minded tends to be ELCA. LCMS does not permit women to be pastors and has a very hard stance against homosexuallity. This obviously would not be a good set up for you. It's not good for me either because I disagree vehemently with both of these tenets.

Holy Trinity in Kingston seems like one of the best churches in the area. They also have a Sat. Night service and a very active music ministry. They have a Contemporary Christian Band - the Living Stones. My oldest son is a myspace friend with one of the band members who is also in a secular alternative band.

Right in Scranton there is a church that seems to be cool - but might not work for me because they do not seem to have a confirmation class or Sunday school. It seems more like an "urban church" than a "suburban church" It's on Taylor. The name escapes me but St.Peter comes to mind.

If I can be of any further help let me know. Also if you check out any of these churches let me know how you found them.

Best of luck in your serch! You will be in my prayers!

[sheena12]

Also check out Home - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - they have a great informative website.
And yes the one on Taylor is St.Peter's.

[Gerania]

So you left the Lutherans and you want to go back to the Lutheran church? You're going there because you're comfortable with something that is familiar or are you looking for someplace where you feel comfortable? Those could be two different things.

If you're at all interested, I encourage you to go, check it out. I assume that you'd be attending on your own. I'm kind of wondering what happens down the road.

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by Gerania

So you left the Lutherans and you want to go back to the Lutheran church? You're going there because you're comfortable with something that is familiar or are you looking for someplace where you feel comfortable? Those could be two different things.

If you're at all interested, I encourage you to go, check it out. I assume that you'd be attending on your own. I'm kind of wondering what happens down the road.

In my opinion, religion is not a "1 size fits all" issue.

I was raised Catholic & to this day I still love the rituals, ceremony & pomp of it all (I can still remember all the old hymns & prayers the nuns taught us in grade school!!...scary huh??)....but I would never "become" a Catholic again due to the hypocrisy & "un-Christlike" attitudes of the organized religion I've seen.

I read somewhere that "the loftiest gothic cathedral, full of gold, exotic woods & craftmanship is no different than the twig & grass hut used for worship on Africa's plains" & to me that makes sense.

It's actually not what a church brings to you, it's what you bring to God.

[Dawne]

Paul, you would not be allowed to take communion in a LCMS church. My mom, an ELCA church member, occasionally goes to an LCMS church when she's visiting a friend and she is not allowed to take communion. They're a very "closed" Lutheran organization.

[sheena12]

You are right Dawne, LCMS churches are not open and accepting.To say the least. There are some wonderful people who attend LCMS churches but most are REALLY SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE.\
My eldest son was baptized at an LCMS church but that was the only Lutheran church for miles and my then Pastor was very open minded.
I too am looking for a good ELCA church in Scranton that has oppertunities for teens and kids.If I end up moving to the Kingston area I would choose Holy Trinity.
Are there any other Lutherans on the forum with recomendations?

[Dawne]

Sorry, Sheena. I'm a lifelong Lutheran but I don't live close enough to make any recommendations for you. I think finding a church is a matter of attending several, choosing one you feel comfortable in, and then attending for a while before making a final decision, and maybe go back to some others and give them a second chance.

I'm currently training as an Authorized Lay Catechist through the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the ELCA and I'm learning so much more than I ever though I would about the Bible and being a Lutheran. One of our teachers for this class, which meets a full day once a month in Washingtonville, is an ordained ELCA minister and professor at Susquehanna University. She (note the gender) grew up in an LCMS church in the midwest (I think Minnesota) and now when she goes back to visit her family and goes to church with them she gets the cold shoulder and is not allowed to take communion any more in the church she grew up in!!

[tofulovinvegan]

i grew up in a LCMS lutheran church, and when i asked about reincarnation and ghosts they laughed at me. They were kind of closeminded, the elders that is. The elders overruled everything the pastor did. anyway, i then decided to go to an ELCA lutheran church, and i must say i like the LCMS service better. However, i'm extremely liberal and i don't agree with everything that lutherans "should" believe, but it is nice to have a community, and to go to church when i want.

but since i did grow up in an lcms lutheran church i think i will always have a soft spot for organ playing and the little things that the elca church by me doesn't do.


However, my parents got married in a LCMS lutheran church and then they moved out of state for awhile and came back had my sister and i and the church said my mom was no longer a member because she moved out of state and that was agaisnt the rules! i don't know, i like to base my beliefs on the lutheran religion [i do prefer it over catholicism, and some others] but i like to mix all bunch of religions into one i like to follow, but still go a lutheran church when i want to. the pastor of the ELCA church i went to, actually said we didn't have to donate if we couldn't and just come to church when we can, which i felt was nice because usually they demand you come weekly and they want a lot of money from you.

but, i think it depends on the members in the church and the pastor him/herself because you could find a closeminded ELCA pastor or an openminded LCMS member.

hope you find a church that is homey and welcoming