A Neighborhood Lutheran Witness on Burlingame Road
Christ Lutheran Church sits on the south side of Topeka at 3509 SW Burlingame Road, where the congregation has long served the surrounding neighborhoods as a congregation of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Members describe the atmosphere as warm and welcoming, and the rhythm of life here centers on the preaching of the Gospel, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and a steady pattern of Christian education for every age. The church offices are open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with the building itself welcoming visitors from Sunday morning through Wednesday evenings during the school year.
The congregation's purpose is summed up in a single sentence: "In grateful response to God's grace, we witness to the Good News of salvation through Christ, we share the mercy of Christ in our community, and we share the love of Christ in our life together through word and sacrament." Three short phrases, Witness, Mercy, and Life Together, shape everything the congregation does.
Sunday Worship at 8 and 10:30
Worship is the heart of the week at Christ. Two Sunday services are offered, both following the historic liturgy of the LCMS. The first service begins at 8:00 AM and is livestreamed on Facebook and online at the same hour; recordings are posted after the livestream concludes. The second service begins at 10:30 AM. A full Sunday morning bulletin is available for download each week from the worship services archive.
Music in worship draws on a mix of organ, piano, vocal choir, instrumental soloists, and what the church describes as contemporary music used during the offering and communion. The church choir, which rehearses on Wednesday evenings, sings in services several times a year. Ushers and readers serve at each service, with sign-up sheets available in the coffee lobby.
Witness, Mercy, Life Together
Three verses from Scripture hang over the congregation's identity. Witness is anchored in 1 John 5:7-8, the Spirit and the water and the blood that testify to Christ. Mercy comes from Mark 10:45: the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Life Together rests on 1 Corinthians 1:9, the call into the fellowship of God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Together, those three words describe how the people of Christ Lutheran Church seek to proclaim the Gospel in their congregation, in their community, and throughout the world.
The teaching that anchors the congregation is the central Lutheran confession: that Jesus is the Savior of the world, that He gave His life on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins, and that He rose again. Through faith in Jesus, the gift of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven is given, and, as the church puts it, even the faith to receive that gift is itself a gift of God.
Wednesday Family of Faith Night
When the school year begins each September, the church shifts into a second weekly rhythm called Family of Faith Night. The evening opens at 5:15 PM with a free fellowship meal; Christ provides the food, and volunteers from the congregation prepare and cook it each week, with an occasional potluck sprinkled into the schedule. At 6:00 PM, age-appropriate Bible classes meet for children, youth, and adults. At 7:00 PM, the choir gathers to rehearse.
The whole evening is designed to be a draw for visitors. The meal is open to guests and non-members, and classes are framed as an outreach opportunity as much as a formation time for those already at home at Christ. The night takes the summer off for other activities and resumes each fall.
Sunday Morning at 9:15
The hour between the two Sunday services is set aside for Christian education. Children's Sunday School gathers in the upstairs education wing for children in Pre-K through sixth grade. Youth in seventh through twelfth grade meet in the basement youth room. Adults have several options to choose from, including a Bible study led by the pastor in the Schemm Family Life Center (the church gym) and additional small-group studies that meet throughout the building. The Sunday morning education hour runs year round.
Children, Youth, and Young Adults
Children are folded into the life of the church from their earliest years. In addition to worship and Sunday School, children in Pre-K through sixth grade are encouraged to attend the Wednesday Midweek program for fellowship and Bible classes. The congregation also hosts a packed calendar of family events: Touch a Truck on the first Saturday of August in the church parking lot, a Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat on the Saturday before Halloween, and Breakfast in Bethlehem on the first Saturday of December in the church gym. Game days, craft projects, and movie nights round out the year.
Students in fourth through sixth grade are invited to Jr. Youth, which typically meets at the church at 4:00 PM on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Youth in seventh through twelfth grade gather for the Youth Group at 5:15 PM on the same second and fourth Sundays, with fellowship, a devotion, and a Bible study. Beyond the church building, students take part in district and national events such as Middle School Huddle, Confirmation Retreat, the Kansas District Youth Gathering, the LCMS National Youth Gathering, and summer camp at Lutheran Valley Retreat. Fundraising opportunities and scholarships are available so that cost does not keep a student home.
College students and other young adults (ages 18-25) are invited to join Lutheran Bods, a group that does not require attendance at Washburn University to be part of. Contact for the group runs through the Director of Christian Education.
Hands and Hearts for Topeka and Beyond
The congregation has seven partner ministries that span Topeka, Kansas, the country, and the world. Together in Mission supports LCMS Missionary Chelsea Irwin, who serves as missionary coordinator for volunteer opportunities from Český Těšín in the Czech Republic, placing volunteers across the Eurasia region for English Bible Camps, theological education, and mission education. The Kansas District LCMS West Africa Partnership has, for twenty-nine years, supported the growth of the church in Guinea; the 2024 Pentecost Offering and designated funds sent fifty thousand dollars from the district, and the two main seminary buildings of the Centre Luthérien d'Études Théologiques (CLET) Guinea have been completed, with six students currently enrolled in the pastoral program.
Three local partners carry the congregation's mercy into Topeka. The Topeka Rescue Mission shelters between 220 and 240 individuals each night and provides community food distribution, mobile showers and laundry, education and job readiness training, and rehousing stabilization. Doorstep, Topeka's home for hope, offers short-term assistance with food, clothing, rent, prescriptions, transportation, and utilities for neighbors recovering from sudden job loss or health-related issues. Lifeline Women's Resource Center serves women and families during and after pregnancy with free pregnancy testing, free obstetric ultrasound, and free counseling.
Across the country and around the world, the congregation also supports Orphan Grain Train, a volunteer network that gathers donations of clothing, medical supplies, food, Christian literature, and other aid to meet real needs, and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, the official women's auxiliary of the LCMS.
Lutheran Women's Missionary League at Christ
LWML is one of the most active groups in the congregation. Membership is open to any woman who is a communicant member of an LCMS congregation, and the local chapter offers multiple ways to be involved. A monthly business meeting and Bible study meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 2:00 PM, with a separate evening time slot at 7:00 PM that adds a devotion and a service project. A Work Day on the fourth Tuesday at 9:00 AM ties and finishes quilts that are donated through Orphan Grain Train. Mite Boxes, named for the small coins the widow gave at the temple, support Kansas District and National Mission Grants that proclaim the Gospel around the world.
Pastoral Staff and Leadership
The pastoral team is led by Rev. Avery Hjulberg, who was installed at Christ Lutheran Church on August 31, 2025. Before his arrival, services were led by Pastor Jeff Lane, Pastor Martin Albrecht, Pastor Jacob Heine, and KS District President Justin Panzer, who filled the pulpit during the pastoral vacancy. Amanda Adams serves as Director of Christian Education, overseeing children, youth, and family ministry programs. Mel Lang is the Office Manager. Elders and the church council provide lay governance, and the altar guild cares for the sanctuary, altar, paraments, candles, and banners.
Summer Ministries
When the school year ends, the congregation turns its energy to summer ministry. Vacation Bible School is held annually in June for children entering Kindergarten through fifth grade, running for one week from 9:00 AM to noon each day with Bible stories, crafts, music, and activity stations. The Friday of VBS week closes with a free Family Night hot-dog picnic in the gym, followed by a short program in the sanctuary showcasing what the students learned. The congregation also offers church support for K-12 students attending an LCMS summer camp: the Christ Lutheran Youth Account covers up to one-third of the cost with a $250 maximum, and the Margaret Schaefer Scholarship, established by the Voters Assembly in February of 1993, can cover an additional one-third. Summer Fellowship Nights (potluck dinners, craft and paint projects, and movie nights) and a Summer Bible Reading Challenge keep the wider congregation connected through the warmer months.
Online Resources and Devotional Life
The congregation points members and visitors to a wide shelf of online resources for daily devotion. The Bible.com app and the Lutheran Study Bible App put Scripture and study notes on a phone. The Congregation at Prayer, a weekly resource based on the Sunday lectionary readings, is offered by the Kansas District LCMS. LWML Mustard Seed Devotions and Lutheran Hour Ministries provide short daily readings. Recommended podcasts include God's Mission Here, The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge, and The Lutheran Witness from the LCMS, 30 Minutes in the New Testament and 40 Minutes in the Old Testament from 1517, Family Style Theology, and Gospel Adventures for children. The Book of Concord is also available for those who want to read the historic Lutheran confessions online.
Visiting Christ Lutheran
Visitors can expect two Sunday morning worship services at 8:00 and 10:30 AM, with a livestream of the 8:00 AM service on Facebook and online for those who cannot attend in person. Sunday School and Adult Bible Study are offered at 9:15 AM. Wednesday evenings during the school year open with a free meal at 5:15 PM and Bible classes for all ages at 6:00 PM. The building is also active on Saturday mornings for a women's monthly Bible study and a weekly men's Zoom Bible study.
Online giving is available through Vanco, both online and via the Vanco mobile app. The offering plate is still passed during worship, and gifts may be mailed to the church office. Designated giving funds include the Together in Mission fund for Chelsea Irwin's work in Eurasia, the Kansas District LCMS fund for the West Africa Partnership, the Local Missions fund, the LWML fund, the Margaret Schaefer Scholarship, and others.
The church office can be reached at (785) 266-6263 or office@christlcms.org, and prayer requests may be sent through the prayer chain. Church documents are available to members, and a calendar of events is maintained through Google Calendar. With its emphasis on Word and Sacrament, its Wednesday Family of Faith Night, its missionary partnerships around the world, and its long history on Burlingame Road, Christ Lutheran Church continues to point to the same center it always has: Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.