A 1919 Congregation at 10th Street and Cliff Avenue
East Side Lutheran Church sits at the corner of East 10th Street and Cliff Avenue on the east side of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Founded in 1919, the congregation has grown to nearly 2,000 members and remains a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Lead Pastor Layne Nelson describes the church as "a community with Jesus at its center, one that is deeply rooted in the city of Sioux Falls, and one that truly loves people." The congregation welcomes everyone, regardless of age, background, gender, ethnicity, or income, and invites newcomers to attend any service or event without expectation of further commitment.
Three Weekend Services and a Blended Lutheran Liturgy
East Side Lutheran Church offers three weekly worship services: Saturday at 5:30 pm, Sunday at 8:00 am, and Sunday at 10:00 am, all in Central Time. The Sunday services follow a blended traditional Lutheran liturgy with organ, piano, and special music in a relaxed style. Scripture reading, preaching, and the sacrament of Holy Communion are central to all services, and communion is offered at every service. The celebration is also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
Infants and children are welcome at every service, and an un-staffed nursery is available. On the second Sunday of every month, a Service of Healing takes place after the 10:00 am service, beginning around 11:15. During Advent, Wednesday worship is held at 7:00 pm with a congregational meal beforehand, and during Lent, Wednesday services are held at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm, also with a shared meal.
Grace Alone at the Heart of Belief
The congregation centers its identity in the Lutheran conviction that God's life-giving, saving grace is offered freely in Jesus Christ. Members are grounded in the Bible as God's inspired and living Word, and they understand themselves to be called by the Holy Spirit to faith, sent out to share and live out that grace in daily life. Participation in God's mission is worked out in ministry to the neighborhood and the faith community, and the church frames stewardship as caring for family, community, nation, and world.
Holy Communion is celebrated at every service, and all baptized Christians who believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ are invited to the table. Preparation for communion is offered to children as young as ten years old or in the fifth grade. Holy Baptism, the other Lutheran sacrament, is offered to people of all ages.
A Radio Ministry Older Than Most Congregations
For more than 80 years, the Sunday worship service at East Side Lutheran Church has been broadcast on local radio. The ministry was started by the Reverend Harry Gregerson on the first Sunday in October 1944, originally airing on KSOO Radio. In 2021, the broadcast moved to KXRB, where it still runs every Sunday from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon. The congregation calls it the longest running continuous program on Sioux Falls radio, with listeners in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa. Weekly sponsorships at $255 a broadcast help keep the program on the air, and a sponsorship program invites members and supporters to dedicate a service to a loved one.
The Schantz Organ and a Chancel Full of Song
The Music Ministry is led by Director of Music Dr. Thomas Krause and Organist Paul Griffith, with Katrina Mitchell as accompanist. On April 29, 1956, the congregation voted to sign a contract with the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio, for a three-manual organ of 30 ranks. The organ was dedicated at a special service and recital on October 27, 1957. In 2004, the organ was enlarged from 30 to 35 ranks and 1,900 pipes with work by Charles Hendrickson, adding powerful reed voices and a movable console equipped with MIDI and a sequencer. The instrument is classified as American Classic, blending Baroque and Romantic designs.
Three choirs make up the choral program. The Celebration Ringers (handbells) rehearse on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm, September through May. The Adult Choir rehearses Wednesdays at 6:45 pm, shifting to 7:45 pm during Advent and Lent. The King's Choir, the children's choir, meets Sunday mornings at 9:15 am.
Children, Confirmation, and a Wednesday Night Rhythm
Sunday School is offered for Pre-K through 5th grade during the school year. Students begin in the 10:00 am worship, then move to their classrooms following the Children's Message, where teachers use Bible stories, activities, and song to introduce the Gospel. Parents are welcome to attend class with their child.
The Confirmation Program serves grades 6 through 9 and meets on Wednesday evenings during the school year. The evening begins with a 6:00 pm community meal, followed by opening prayer and scripture reading at 6:45, and Confirmation classes and an Adult Bible Study at 7:00 pm. The program weaves worship, service, and fun together, with field trips, service opportunities, and a requirement of 16 sermon notes. Students also serve in at least four Sunday morning services a year as acolytes. Ninth graders meet weekly with a mentor in the fall, write their own Faith Statement, and are confirmed through the rite of Affirmation of Baptism on the last Sunday of October.
Bible Camp Every Summer
Each summer, East Side Lutheran Church sends children, youth, and adults to Bible camps in the region, including Outlaw Ranch in Custer, South Dakota, Klein Ranch in Isabel, South Dakota, NeSoDak in Waubay, South Dakota, and Shetek in Slayton, Minnesota. Programs range from Confirmation Camp and Family Camp to Mini Camps designed for first-time campers in second through fourth grade. The church notes that no one should miss camp for financial reasons; assistance is available through a simple and confidential process.
Studying Scripture Together
Bible study is woven into the weekly rhythm of the congregation. Men's Bible Study meets Thursday from 8:00 to 9:00 am, Women's Bible Study meets Thursday from 10:00 to 11:00 am, and an Adult Bible Study meets on Wednesday evenings. Throughout the year, the church also offers new-member classes on Lutheran doctrine and practice, discipleship, stewardship, and the questions of those exploring membership.
Serving Across the Congregation and the City
Members of East Side Lutheran Church serve in worship as ushers, communion assistants, greeters, scripture readers, adult choir and bell ringers, and on Altar Guild. Service extends well beyond the building. The church helps supply the Food to You Mobile Food Pantry, assembles Lutheran World Relief supplies, provides home communion to shut-ins, supports The Banquet in Sioux Falls, and participates in prison worship at St. Dysmas. Members also bring meals to those in need, visit nursing homes and the homebound, and serve on the church's Wednesday night meals and Sunday coffee fellowship.
For those with specific gifts, the church has put carpentry, painting, plumbing, mechanics, accounting, legal, health care, photography, sewing, theatre, and technology on the list of ways members share their expertise. Pastoral leadership and the church council guide this work, with the council covering Stewardship and Visioning, Property, Education, Evangelism, Fellowship, Outreach, and the offices of President, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Weddings, Facilities, and Hospitality Through WELCA
East Side Lutheran Church hosts weddings for both members and non-members, with the officiating pastor serving as a representative of both the Christian Church and the State of South Dakota. Couples are asked to take premarital instruction. The church also opens its facilities for birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, graduation receptions, baptisms, bridal showers, and benefits, with parties served by WELCA (Women of the ELCA) of East Side Lutheran Church. Rental is $100 a day, with a $35 per hour security fee; WELCA's serving fee is waived for milestone birthdays of 80 and older and anniversaries of 50 years and over.
Becoming a Member
Anyone interested in joining East Side Lutheran Church is invited to a new-member orientation to meet staff, learn about programs, and tour the facilities. Members transferring from another Lutheran church can do so directly, while those coming from non-Lutheran backgrounds or with no previous church membership are asked to attend a new-member class. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and Friday from 8:00 am to noon, and can be reached at (605) 336-3597 or office@eastsidelc.org.