Welcome to the big changes taking place at ULC!
Our Worship Gatherings
A new chapter at The Chapel begins when we open the doors to our new home at our old location, 315 College Main during Howdy Week this Fall Semester 2023. The Chapel is a student center and home to four organizations of students and scholars: Lutheran Student Fellowship, International Friends, FOLLOW New Student Leaders, and Beta Sigma Psi Fraternity. Our first worship service at The REV Northgate is Sunday, August 20th! Our worship is Christ-centered, as we believe that Jesus Christ is present with us through His Word and the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Baptism. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated each Sunday. Many aspects of our services are student-led, including music and ushers. We encourage participation! For more information about ULC's worship services or beliefs, e-mail us at UniversityLutheranCS@gmail.com.
University Lutheran Chapel is a place for Christ-centered worship, Bible study, mission and fellowship. It is home to Lutheran Student Fellowship (LSF), the official LCMS campus ministry at Texas A&M and Blinn College, and All Nations Christian Center (ANCC), an LCMS outreach to international students and their families.
Why are we called Lutherans?
Lutherans are named after Dr. Martin Luther. He lived in the 1500s and taught at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. As a young theologian, he found that he disagreed with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church about how a person attains salvation. He discovered that what the church was teaching and doing was quite different than what the Bible says. Luther addressed many points of disagreement and nailed them on the local church door. These 95 Theses, as they came to be known, interested many who read them. They were widely circulated and debated. Luther’s ideas inspired and encouraged others throughout Europe. They began to call themselves “Lutherans,” though that was never Dr. Luther’s desire. He simply wanted to reform the Roman church. However, his efforts resulted in the world-changing Protestant Reformation. As Lutherans, we hold Dr. Luther in high esteem, but we don’t worship him. His writings are important to Lutherans, but not as important as the inspired Word of God, the Bible.
How do Lutherans worship God?
Lutherans typically go to church to worship, although a person can worship God in any setting. Here are a few reasons we gather at church on Sundays:
1. To come together with other believers. When we gather at church, we gather with those who believe as we do. We share a common confession of faith. We encourage each other to live lives of joy, peace, and love, in Christ.
2. To receive Holy Communion together. When Jesus was on Earth, he initiated a special meal, which we continue to receive even today. He took ordinary bread and wine and said that in them, His body and blood are really present, for the forgiveness of sins. Because we sin daily, we receive Holy Communion often, so that we can receive the blessings of this holy meal. It is one of the sacraments of the church.
3. The other sacrament is Holy Baptism. Lutherans baptize infants and adults because the Bible says that all, including infants, have sinned and are separated from God and in need of forgiveness. In baptism, one receives the forgiveness of sins, and thus, the promise of eternal life in heaven, in the presence of God.
Our Beliefs
This is what we believe, teach and confess, as a campus ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod:
Sin — All of us have the same problem: from the moment we are conceived, we are enemies of God (Psalm 51:5). We rebel against the love He has for us, His creation. We do not do what God desires. We think we know what is best for us. This is called sin. We are each sinners. That is why all of us physically die. (Romans 6:23)
Grace — The word grace means “favor.” Though our sin separates us from our Creator, He is a gracious God. In his grace, He gives us the gift of a relationship with Him, even though we don’t deserve it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Jesus — Reflecting his gracious nature, our God has a solution for our sin problem. God himself entered the world, taking on human form, just like us. But He was still God, too. While He lived on earth, he laughed, cried, got hungry and tired, was tempted to sin, just like all human beings. But because He was God, He never sinned. He led a perfect life. His name is Jesus. (John 1:1-14)
Cross — Our rebellion against God can’t go unpunished, because He is holy. Instead of punishing us as we deserve, God punished Jesus. This happened on a wooden cross to which Jesus was nailed, some 2,000 years ago. God punished Jesus for the sins of all people. Jesus died, physically and spiritually, on the cross for all people. (II Cor. 5:21)
Resurrection — Jesus did not remain in the grave, however. On the third day, God raised him from the dead, to show that He has ultimate power over sin and death. Because Jesus lives, we, too, have the possibility of eternal life with God in heaven. (Luke 24:1-12)
Faith — This eternal life becomes ours when we personally receive Jesus as our Savior, by faith (John 1:12-13). The Bible says that faith is a gift of God. Faith is the vehicle that makes God’s promises ours. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, the Bible (Romans 10:17). Faith is the thing that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
Scripture — Scripture, or the Bible, is the inspired Word of God (II Timothy 3:16). It is the only source of spiritual truth for Lutherans. The Bible contains all that we need to know about and receive God’s plan of salvation. It is the source and norm for our teaching and preaching.