A Summerlin Hub of Word, Sacrament, and Service
Faith Community Lutheran Church sits in the heart of Summerlin on South Town Center Drive, a Christ-centered congregation that has grown into one of the larger Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod parishes in southern Nevada since opening its doors in 1998. With about 1,400 members and a campus that also houses the church's preschool and academy, Faith Community lives out a simple mission: to invite people to know Jesus through worship, discipleship, community, and service.
Worship Rhythms Throughout the Week
Worship at Faith Community is offered in three distinct flavors across the weekend. The Saturday gathering, called Mercy 519, takes its name from Mark 5:19, where Jesus tells the man healed of demons to go home and tell his family how much the Lord has done for him. Held at 5:19 pm in the Spiritual Life Center, Mercy 519 is a blended service that mixes traditional and contemporary music and often features student musicians from Faith Lutheran High School.
Sunday mornings open with the Traditional Service at 8 am and 10 am in the Chapel, a congregation that walks through the ancient liturgy - confession, creed, Scripture, sermon, Holy Communion, and benediction - supported by hymnody, choral music, chant, and traditional instruments. The Contemporary Services at 9 am and 11 am in the Spiritual Life Center are designed with families in mind, with music, a children's message, and Communion offered early so children can receive a blessing before being dismissed to Faith Kids Sunday School.
Across all weekend services, Communion is served, the atmosphere is casual, and visitors can follow along with lyrics projected on screen. Services run a little over an hour. Coffee, donuts, and a warm welcome from the Hospitality Team await in the cafe afterward. The 8 am traditional service and the 11 am contemporary service are livestreamed.
The Next Generation: Faith Kids, Level 45, and Faith Youth
Faith Community takes seriously the conviction that parents are the primary disciple-makers in their children's lives. The church partners with families through a full slate of children's and student ministries.
Faith Kids runs during the 9 am and 11 am contemporary services for ages 4 through 3rd grade, with hands-on experiences that help kids see, hear, and feel the truth of God's Word. Faith Nursery, located next to the cafe, welcomes children from 6 months through 3 years old from 8 am to noon. The nursery uses a coded check-in system so only the matching parent can pick up a child, and every volunteer has passed a background check.
Level 45 is a new leadership program designed for 4th and 5th graders eager to develop Christian leadership skills. A First Communion Class meets for six weekly Sunday sessions in the fall and spring to prepare 4th through 6th graders to receive the sacrament.
Faith Youth gathers 7th through 12th graders on Sunday evenings from 6 pm to 8 pm for games, a home-cooked meal, worship, and Bible study. A Wednesday night program for middle school students runs from 6 pm to 8 pm during the school year, with fellowship time followed by Scripture, prayer, and small groups. A Confirmation program for 7th and 8th graders meets Wednesday evenings at the Academy from September through May. Pastor Sam Reinhard leads these gatherings alongside a team of background-checked volunteers. Beyond weekly meetings, the youth ministry organizes retreats, service projects, summer camps, and mission trips.
Schools on the Same Campus
Faith Community is more than a Sunday church. The same ministry operates a Preschool and an Academy (Kindergarten through Grade 5) on or near the church campus, with a Christ-centered curriculum and small class sizes. The Mercy 519 service often features student musicians from affiliated Faith Lutheran High School, a separate school in the ministry family. A summer camp is offered each year on the Academy campus, and the preschool accepts children year-round.
Salome the Comfort Dog
One of the most distinctive things about Faith Community is Salome, a purebred Golden Retriever and the congregation's own Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog. Born on Christmas Day 2018, Salome trained for more than 2,000 hours before being placed at Faith Community, where she and her team of volunteer handlers serve as a bridge to ministry. The team visits hospitals, nursing homes, schools, first responder stations, veterans' programs, children's programs, and grief support groups, and deploys during disaster response. Salome is named after the biblical woman who, with Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, never left Christ's side - a reminder that even when people cannot fix things, they can show up.
Care Ministries for Every Season
Faith Community's care ministry is built around walking with people through life's joys and challenges. Several recovery and support groups meet on the church campus throughout the week. Alcoholics Anonymous meets daily at 7 am, with additional meetings Monday through Saturday at noon. The Better Together and Summerlin Beginners AA groups offer open discussion at midday. Al-Anon gathers Saturday mornings at 9 am for those affected by someone else's drinking.
GriefShare provides a 13-session video-based program for people who have lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, with materials provided at no charge. Cancer Companions offers one-to-one support throughout the year for those currently being treated, post-treatment, their loved ones, and caregivers, using videos, devotionals, and stories of faith.
Other care groups include Card Ministry, which crafts and mails encouragement and birthday cards to members experiencing life-changing circumstances; Threads of Faith, which knits scarves, hats, blankets, and lap covers for children, the homeless, and wheelchair-bound seniors; and Mercy Mats, which transforms 500 to 700 plastic grocery bags into waterproof sleeping mats for the homeless. Pastors and trained volunteers also make hospital and home visits upon request.
Multicultural Ministries: Mandarin, Oromo, and Beyond
Faith Community is intentionally multilingual. A Mandarin Bible Study meets Sundays at 11 am in the Chapel alongside the contemporary service, with both weekday and weekend Bible studies offered in Mandarin. The Mandarin Ministry also celebrates traditional Chinese holidays, shares potluck meals, and provides English language classes. Linda Shen coordinates the Mandarin Ministry.
The Oromo Evangelical Church of Las Vegas, meeting Sundays from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Academy, welcomes Oromo-speaking individuals and families for worship, with midweek services Wednesdays from 6 pm to 7:30 pm, a prayer team meeting Thursdays at 5:30 pm, and a pastor and board prayer gathering every other Monday evening. Pastor Alemayehu Fite leads this ministry.
A Hispanic Ministry is also forming, offering Bible studies and fellowship events for Spanish-speaking individuals and families.
GRACE Groups and Bible Study
Beyond the church campus, Faith Community's GRACE Groups form the everyday life of the congregation. The acronym stands for Gather, Read and Reflect on God's Word, Ask through prayer, Care for one another, and Expand the Kingdom of God. A GRACE Group is simply three or more people - friends, neighbors, coworkers, or fellow church members - meeting consistently in a home, coffee shop, or online to study Scripture and care for one another. Unlike seasonal Growth Groups, GRACE Groups have no end date.
The church also runs seasonal Bible studies, women's groups, men's groups, young adult groups, and senior groups, along with special studies such as a Spanish-language Introduction to Lutheran Doctrine study.
Mission Partners Near and Far
Each month, Faith Community champions one mission partner to support with time, talent, and resources. Local partners include The Balm of Gilead, which brings food distribution, tutoring, legal support, and medical support to one of the valley's most impoverished neighborhoods; ALLyfe, supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies; Hoving Home, restoring the lives of women recovering from addiction, abuse, and trafficking; and Olive Crest, serving children in crisis.
National and global partners include Samaritan's Purse, providing spiritual and physical aid around the world; Lutheran Bible Translators, helping communities gain access to God's Word in their heart language; and The Luke 2 Project, a community that uses apparel and resources to multiply hope.
What Faith Community Believes
As part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Faith Community teaches that the entire Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God; that God is Triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and that in six days God created all things and declared them good. Because of the fall into sin, all people are separated from God and under His wrath, but Jesus Christ, God's only Son, came to save us by living a perfect life, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising from the dead. Salvation is God's free gift, received by grace through faith, and the Gospel is both the power of salvation and the power to change lives.
The church also confesses that God's design for marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, and that parents bear the primary responsibility for the spiritual development of their children, with the church, academy, and preschool coming alongside to support and equip them.
Visiting Faith Community
Dress is whatever one would normally wear - from casual to business professional, the congregation runs the full range. Free coffee and donuts are available in the cafe after services, and the Welcome Center has a free gift for first-time visitors. For those who want to explore further, an in-person campus tour can be scheduled, a connection card is available, and staff are ready to answer questions about baptism, membership transfer, or next steps.
Connecting Throughout the Week
Giving can be done online, by texting any amount to 84321, by dropping a check in the offering baskets during worship, or by mail. The free Church Center app for iOS and Android handles giving, group sign-ups, event registration, and the church directory. Sermon audio, full services, and the Table Talks podcast with pastors are available on YouTube and Spotify, and a Bible-in-a-Year reading plan led by Pastor Bob Sundquist is available through the Faithlife app. Prayer requests can be submitted at any time, and the weekly prayer gathering meets Tuesdays at 6 pm.
Faith Community Lutheran Church is a place where Word and Sacrament, a Lutheran confession, a school, a comfort dog, and a patchwork of multicultural and care ministries come together under one roof in Summerlin - all gathered around a single invitation: to know Jesus.