St. Jacob's Lutheran Church

A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

  

I am a Guest

The cross behind the alter at St. Jacobs.

Visiting a new Church can be a bit intimidating, and we know that! To help ease the nerves, we’ve created a section of information about what to expect when you visit St. Jacob’s. Portions of this information are also available on other locations of our website, but we would like to answer any questions you may have about our community.

Where are we located?

We are centrally located between North Canton, Hartville and Uniontown. St. Jacob’s is located on the south side of State Street between Route 43 (Kent Avenue) and Market Avenue. We are approximately five miles east of the Akron Canton airport. Using a GPS devise, you may need to enter “Canton” as the city, although our postal designation is North Canton.


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What to wear?

God welcomes all to worship on Sunday mornings (and Thursday evenings during the summer months), and our family of faith extends the same welcome. We dress to honor and respect God’s creation and that takes many forms from dresses, jackets and ties to jeans, polo shirts and boots. Please wear what you feel is comfortable and honors the time together to worship God at St. Jacob’s.

Announcing Yourself.

Yes, it is true that some congregations will make you stand up and identify yourself during the worship service. St. Jacob’s is not one of these congregations! Our ushers will greet you when you arrive, a member of the Hospitality Team will open our worship and invite any and all guests to talk to him/her after worship if they desire. We would ask you to sign the friendship pad, along with our members, at the beginning of worship, and if you are so moved, you can stop by our Hospitality Center where you will find a wide variety of information about St. Jacob’s.

If you are looking for a church home, we invite you to make St. Jacob’s your family of faith.

Are children welcome in worship?

We are thankful that parents bring their children to worship and we believe that it is important to train children in the practice of worship! Children are invited to come forward for the children’s sermon, to use one of the “Quiet Bags” in the Narthex (entry area to our worship space) and to come forward for a blessing at communion. If you prefer, we have a nursery located on the upper level of the education wing, just across the hall from the front Sanctuary entrance. Arrangements to care for children in the nursery will be made upon request, and parents are always welcome to take children to the nursery during worship. In addition, if your older child needs a “stroll” during worship, the bulletin boards and posters on the walls of the education wing feature biblical stories and teachings.

How we celebrate communion

At St. Jacob’s the Sacrament of Holy Communion is offered weekly at both services.

All who are baptized and trust and believe in the words of Our Lord This is my Body; this in my Blood are invited to receive Holy Communion. This gift is itself the real presence of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Our table does not belong to the members of St. Jacob’s or the Lutheran Church, but to God’s family.

After the sermon and offering, ushers will indicate when it is your row’s turn to come forward for the Sacrament, if you choose to participate.

On the first Sunday of the month we commune at the altar rail. The ushers will direct you to come forward by the side aisle and to kneel (if you are able) at the altar rail. After all have communed, the pastor will say “Go in peace” and you will return to your seat via the center aisle. On all other Sundays of the month we commune by “station.” The ushers will direct you to come forward by the center aisle. At the front of the church you will receive the bread and wine.

More specifically, the pastor will hand you the bread/wafer and say “The body of Christ, given for you.” You may respond with “Amen.” After which you will be offered the wine. Gluten-free wafers are available. Please notify the pastor prior to the service of your need. If you would like to partake in communion but are unable to walk to the front, please notify the usher, and communion will be shared with you at your seat.

  • At 8am this will be in a chalice (large ceramic cup) into which you may intinct (dip) the bread/wafer and then eat your bread/wafer. Alternatively, you may choose to eat the bread/wafer and may drink from the cup directly. With the wine the assistant will say “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” Again, you may respond with “Amen.”
  • At 10:30am (9:30am in the summer) the wine will be offered by the assistant in small glasses arranged in a large tray. The in-most circle in the tray has glasses of white grape juice. All other glasses are filled with wine. With the wine the assistant will say “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” Again, you may respond with “Amen.” As you return to your place via the side aisles there a “wooden baskets” into which you place your empty glass.

Offering of our treasure

After the sermon, an offering will be collected. Ushers will come forward, receive offering plates, and begin to pass the plates around. This offering is an opportunity to financially support the work of the St. Jacob’s community in response to the grace and blessings from God. You are neither expected nor required to place anything in the offering plates, however, you are certainly welcome to share if you would like.

Following the flow of our service

A bulletin will be given to you by our ushers as you enter the worship space. The bulletin contains a detailed outline of the worship service. The ELW hymnals are located in the pews and will match the bulletin’s directions for parts of the service.

Sign of the Cross

You may observe some members making the sign of the cross at various times during the worship service. If this is your practice, you are also invited to do so.

Education in the faith

St. Jacob’s provides Sunday morning Christian Education for all ages, running during the academic year (September through May/June). More information can be found at the Education Tab.

Where are the restrooms?

St. Jacob’s has three sets of restrooms.

  • Handicapped accessible restrooms are located off of Garnes Hall (our large fellowship space on the west end of the building). Go down the hall where the quilt is displayed and the restrooms are at the end of the hallway. Diaper changing tables are located in both the men’s and women’s restrooms.
  • Restrooms are also located at the end of the hallway of the education wing (eastside of the building).
  • An additional set of restrooms are located off of the Activities Room, which is directly below the Sanctuary. Stairs to the lower level are located in the narthex (entry area), at the near end of the education wing, by the parlor and at the far end of the education wing.

To Learn More.

For more information on what it means to be a Lutheran Christian or to hear sermons on-line, please see our Worship & Education and Activities & Outreach pages. We hope that the information contained here and throughout our web-site conveys the sense of welcome that you are sure to feel when you walk through the doors of St. Jacob’s.