You Are Welcome at Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace Lutheran Church sits on Dequindre Road near the Twelve Mile intersection in Warren, Michigan, part of the Southeastern Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The congregation's front-door message sets the tone for everything that follows: "No matter your race, no matter your color, no matter your marital status, no matter your identity, you are welcome here." The list goes on to name single, married, divorced, blue collar, white collar, no collar, straight, LGBTQ+, searching, dirt poor, filthy rich, in recovery, pierced, inked, doubters and disciples. The congregation says plainly that jeans or something fancy are equally welcome, and that anyone who has been hurt by church, anyone who just woke up, and anyone who just got out of jail will find a seat.
Amazing Grace is grounded in God's Word and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. The congregation describes its life together as a loving, welcoming, and growing Christian community that reaches out to share God's love and grace through spirited worship, practicing what it proclaims, Christ-centered education, and fellowship for all ages.
One Sunday Morning Service at Ten
The whole congregation gathers for a single Sunday worship service at 10:00 a.m. The gathering lasts about an hour and is built around great music, a Bible-based message focused on real life, and time for fellowship afterward. Coffee and treats are ready both before and after the service, and visitors are invited to arrive a few minutes early to grab a cup or stay late to talk.
The service is intentionally blended, drawing on both traditional and contemporary elements. Lyrics for songs and hymns are projected, and slides accompany the prayers, responses, and sermon. Worship is "come as you are"; jeans and t-shirts are as common as dresses and slacks, and long hair, short hair, beards, tattoos, and piercings are all part of the mix. Communion is celebrated at every service, and worship is livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot be in the room. Recorded services remain available on the channel for viewing later.
Open Communion at God's Table
Amazing Grace practices open communion, a meaningful part of the congregation's identity. Everyone is welcomed at God's table to receive the promise of new life in Christ through Holy Communion, and no one needs to be a member of Amazing Grace or of any church to receive the gifts God offers. Those who prefer may use a communion kit, and anyone is welcome to come forward.
Faith Formation for a Lifetime
Faith formation is described as a lifelong journey, and Amazing Grace makes it a priority for all God's children, from birth through eternal life. Bible Studies, Sunday School, Confirmation, Youth Group, Adult Education, Vacation Bible School, and more are offered under that umbrella, with a deep commitment to life-long learning and to welcoming people of all learning styles and stages of spiritual journey.
Sunday School During Worship
Sunday School at Amazing Grace takes place during the 10:00 worship service. Each Sunday begins with a Children's Sermon in the sanctuary: all kids are encouraged to come forward for a story with the leader before heading to the learning center for activities and instruction. They return later in the service for communion and to share what they have been learning. A new lesson builds week by week, with each one focused on a different Bible story such as Noah's Ark, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Jonah and the Whale, or Jesus walking on water. Children who miss a week are given time to catch up, and beginners are welcome. The program also welcomes donations of snacks, drinks, and materials.
Confirmation in Seventh and Eighth Grade
Confirmation is a two-year program for seventh and eighth graders, culminating in Affirmation of Baptism on Reformation Day of the ninth grade year. Pastor Susanna Muzzin teaches the classes, which currently meet on the first and third Sundays after church, with fun activities scheduled throughout the year. The Confirmation blessing used at the church asks God to stir up in confirmands the gift of the Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in God's presence, both now and forever.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study
An adult Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m., and participants can join in person at the church or on Zoom. The group is open to anyone who wants to dig into the texts of the week alongside others.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School has been a long-running part of the church's summer rhythm. Past programs have included a half-day Saturday VBS themed "Animals of the Bible," with Bible stories, games, snacks, and lunch, and the Wonderful Wednesdays summer series, an inter-generational program that combines a shared meal, age-specific learning, fellowship, and a relaxed, family-friendly worship experience.
Women of the ELCA at Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace has an active Women of the ELCA (WELCA) group. WELCA is the women's organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, gathering in more than 7,000 locations across the United States and Caribbean. The Amazing Grace chapter's mission is to mobilize women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ and to love one another as God has loved and forgiven us, and it carries that out in three areas: Action, Community, and Growth.
Action includes quarterly meetings with speakers on timely subjects, monthly "Willing Workers" crafts and projects, participation in MCREST, the annual rummage sale, Lutheran World Relief projects, and contributions to local causes. Community gatherings include an annual Women of the Year luncheon, an annual May Daughter's Luncheon, a summer social, and an annual Christmas social, dinner, and auction. Growth comes through a monthly Bible study using the magazine Gather for Faith and Action, a monthly book group, and attendance at local conventions and biennial synodical conventions.
The current officers are President Sherri Switzer, Vice President Barb Westerberg, Secretary Mary Haller, and Treasurer Marilyn McQueen, with board members for Action, Community, and Growth.
Serving the Neighborhood and Beyond
Amazing Grace believes serving Christ in the neighbor is the greatest call on the lives of its members, and the church's calendar is full of hands-on projects. Recent service work has included sponsoring a week at MCREST, the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team; making Easter baskets for children in Flint and Warren; collecting and delivering food to Gleaners; packing lunches for the NOAH Project in Detroit; and collecting and distributing hats, gloves, and scarves to schoolchildren in need in Warren.
The congregation has also delivered more than 16,000 large bottles of water to Salem Lutheran Church in Flint to help address the city's water crisis, supported the Lutheran World Relief quilt and school kit ministries, and assembled Blessing Bags, small packages of snacks, hand warmers, toothbrushes, combs, soap, bus tickets, hand wipes, tissues, and lotion, that members carry to distribute to people on the streets. One member described handing a Blessing Bag to a young man standing in the road and telling him, "God loves him and so do I."
The Prayer Blanket Ministry, which began in April 2006, ties prayers into every blanket made for someone facing serious illness, surgery, or another struggle. By 2017, more than 270 prayer blankets had been made and delivered, sometimes over long distances, and the ministry continues to comfort those who are suffering.
Other community offerings include a Blood Drive in partnership with the Red Cross and a Boy Scout Troop that meets at the church on Thursdays. The congregation has also hosted an Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Group that meets in the narthex on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
Pastor Susanna Muzzin
Pastor Susanna Muzzin joined Amazing Grace in July 2019, first as an intern pastor and then as the congregation's full pastor after her ordination in January 2021. She was born in Indiana, grew up in Maine, and earned degrees in History from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. After a career as a middle school history teacher in Baltimore and the Detroit area, she answered a call to seminary at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Before coming to Amazing Grace, she led Children, Youth, and Family Ministry at Antioch and Hope Lutheran Churches in Farmington Hills and at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Grosse Pointe Farms.
She lives in Farmington Hills with her husband, Michael, who works in the electric vehicle battery industry, and their chocolate Lab, Packard. Their daughter, Elspeth, earned her Master's in Social Work at Wayne State University and works for the University of Michigan - Dearborn. Pastor Susanna is passionate about sharing God's love for all of creation through preaching, leading worship, community engagement, Bible studies, and teaching Confirmation. In her spare time she loves to weave, write, travel, garden, and read, especially science fiction, mysteries, and poetry. One of her favorite verses is Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Office Administrator Liz Duerksen
Elizabeth "Liz" Duerksen has been a member of Amazing Grace since February 2016 and was appointed Office Administrator by the Church Council in August 2024. She is an award-winning Girl Scout leader, a business owner, and a wife and mother of three. The congregation notes that her children are around the office often, because children are welcome at Amazing Grace.
Getting to Amazing Grace
The church building is located at 29860 Dequindre Road, near the intersection of Twelve Mile Road and Dequindre. The office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with the understanding that hours may vary and a call ahead is wise. Meetings with Pastor Susanna are by appointment. The phone number is 586-751-7750, the office email is aglcwarren@gmail.com, and the pastor's email is PastorSusannaAGLC@gmail.com.
Worship is livestreamed on the congregation's YouTube channel each Sunday at 10:00 a.m., and recordings remain available afterward. A sermon and special-service video archive on the church's site goes back to 2019, and recorded Morning and Evening Prayer videos from 2021 are also available for those who want to pray the daily office with the congregation.
A Short History
Amazing Grace Lutheran Church was preceded by Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church. In 1998 the congregation took on the new name Amazing Grace, a step marked in 2018 by a celebration for Denise Rodi, who had served as the church's secretary for thirty years across both eras. The church has continued to grow under that name, rooted in the sacraments and the wider welcome of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.