First Evangelical Lutheran Church sits at 414 Main Street in La Crescent, Minnesota, a small Mississippi River town that looks across the water at La Crosse, Wisconsin. The congregation's identity is captured in a single phrase that runs through nearly everything it does: Keeping Christ First. From its welcome to the year-round rhythm of Bible classes, the church frames every program around a simple priority, placing Christ at the center of worship, study, home, work, and play. As a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, First Lutheran teaches and worships in a traditional, liturgical style shaped by the church year and the Lutheran confessions, with deep ties to a worldwide network of schools, camps, and mission fields.
Worship Through the Week
The heart of the church is its Sunday morning service at 9:00 AM. The building seats about 200 people, and visitors often remark on the friendly, family atmosphere that fills the sanctuary. A second weekly service is held on Mondays at 6:30 PM, with the exception of Lent, when Monday services pause and the church instead gathers on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM. During Lent, a simple meal is served at 5:30 PM before the service. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first and third weekends of each month.
First Lutheran follows a liturgical calendar that gives shape to the whole year. The annual rhythm includes Thanksgiving Eve worship at 6:30 PM, Christmas Eve worship at 6:30 PM, a Christmas Day service with Holy Communion at 9:00 AM, and a New Year's Eve service with Holy Communion at 6:30 PM. Holy Week is observed with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services at 6:30 PM, and Easter Sunday brings a 7:00 AM sunrise service and a 9:00 AM service, with breakfast served between the two. The seasons of the church year include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and the long stretch of Ordinary Time, and they structure the church's preaching and the paraments on the altar.
Inside the Sanctuary
A worship service at First Lutheran centers on what God has to say in the Bible. Each gathering includes several Scripture readings, a sermon, four or five songs, and several prayers. As worshipers walk in, a greeter hands them a worship folder that lists the week's events, and the Order of Worship is projected on a screen so no one has to guess what comes next. Hymnals and Bibles rest at every seat, and the congregation stands at certain points, such as when the Gospel is read. Most songs are sung by everyone in the pews, with the choir adding its voice about once a month and more often at Christmas and Easter. Visitors are welcome to participate as much or as little as they wish; the church does not call visitors out or ask them to stand and introduce themselves, and many first-time guests attend several times before striking up a longer conversation.
Communion is a particular moment in the service. The congregation practices a form of close communion, inviting to the table members of First Lutheran, members of another WELS or ELS congregation, and visitors who have spoken with the pastor before the service. The church teaches that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper are the very body and blood of Christ, "in, with, and under" the elements, a confession of faith reflected in the prominent place of the altar at the front of the sanctuary. The Altar Team prepares the elements for distribution, changes the paraments with the seasons, and adds worship atmosphere with flowers and banners as the church year turns.
What First Lutheran Teaches
The church's teaching is rooted in Scripture and summarized in the Lutheran confessions. Members often hear the message put this way: by our very nature we are all rebels against God; God answered that rebellion with love; Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life as a substitute for us, and died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. This foundational truth, the centrality of grace through Christ, is emphasized in all of First Lutheran's programs and is the central theme of its worship. The church invites questions, encouraging anyone to ask, "Where is that taught in the Bible?"
The church's pastors speak of a theology of the cross rather than a theology of glory, a willingness to let the message of Christ crucified stand on its own, even when the surrounding culture finds it foolish. Confessing the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, the historic creeds, the meaning of baptism, and the comforting doctrine of election are all part of the regular diet of teaching, along with sermons that walk through books of the Bible and apply them to everyday life.
Pastor and Leadership
Pastor Adam Pilarski shepherds the congregation and can be reached at pastor@keepchristfirst.com or 605-515-2388. The church office, open Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (closed Tuesdays), is staffed at 507-895-4775 and churchoffice@keepchristfirst.com. Day-to-day spiritual and operational leadership is shared with the Board for Lay Ministry, chaired by Tony Breeser with David Wendt as vice-chairman, Ryan Brown as secretary, and a team of elders covering encouragement, finance, property and grounds, and the early learning center: Kyle Schroeder, Terry Beitlich, Tim Welke, and Dan Buchholz.
The church's missional heart runs deep. A previous pastor served for twenty-one years in Zambia and Malawi, helped shape mission work in Cameroon, and later was called to India before returning to the United States. That background shapes the church's ties to the WELS Board for World Missions and its support of the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society, particularly the Winona Circuit. The pastor's monthly newsletter, Pastor's Update, has been a long-running feature of congregational life, exploring the church year, the Lutheran confessions, and what it means to live as a forgiven child of God.
Children and Youth
First Lutheran welcomes children into the sanctuary rather than pushing them out. Worship bags with quiet activities hang on hooks near the back wall, and a speaker-equipped nursery with a window into the sanctuary sits near the entry, along with a changing-table restroom. Families are encouraged to worship together, and the church has a tradition of pointing visitors to nearby seats where a friendly member can guide them through the service.
Sunday School runs during the school year after worship for children ages four through fourteen, from preschool through eighth grade. Each class learns a Bible story, practices a memory passage, and usually has time for an activity. The children sing in services throughout the year and lead a Children's Christmas Service in December. Vacation Bible School is a regular feature of the summer, organized through WELS resources and run with the help of youth and adult volunteers.
High school students have their own rhythms. A Youth Group for anyone in high school meets for outings such as bowling, skiing, and the international WELS Youth Rally, and its members help around the church by running the Sunday slideshow, volunteering at VBS, and serving in other ways. A Teen Bible Study gathers weekly after the Sunday service until 11:15 AM, with opportunities to help during Easter services, usher, and run the slideshow. The church is also planning to restart CrossTalk Children's Ministry for grades one through six, with a monthly evening gathering on the first Thursday of each month and a Sunday morning option during the school year, including devotion, activities, snacks, and songs.
Bible Studies and Classes for Every Age
Bible study is woven into the church's weekly life. Two pastor-led studies are open to anyone: one on Sunday morning at 10:15 AM, beginning after a brief fellowship time, and another on Monday morning from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Teens and children are welcome; parents decide whether an adult topic fits their family.
Men meet once a month for Grill Kings, sharing a hearty meal provided by members of the group and then a topical Bible study led by a volunteer. Women gather twice a month in small groups, usually held in members' homes, around a Bible study book. The First Women ministry meets on the second Saturday of the month from September through May, 9:00 AM to noon, with a devotion, a speaker, an activity, and time for fellowship and planning. Summer months bring a more relaxed schedule of destination gatherings for fun and fellowship. Both men's and women's ministries are designed to put the church's teaching into practice through devotion, service, and support, held together by fellowship, fun, and food.
Confirmation instruction is offered for students in grades six through eight, taught by the pastor and meeting on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM during the school year, with nonmembers welcome to attend. During Lent the class shifts to an after-school schedule from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. A Bible Information Class (BIC) is scheduled at various times for anyone wanting to learn more about what the Bible teaches, and Luther's Small Catechism is offered as a downloadable study aid for use at home.
Music and Service Teams
The choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, September through May, and sings in services about once a month, with more frequent appearances during Advent, Christmas, and Easter. No audition is required; experienced singers help newcomers learn the parts.
Ushers, greeters, the Altar Team, and an IT and Technology team round out the worship-support ministries. Greeters arrive about fifteen minutes before the service and welcome everyone with a smile; ushers arrive about thirty minutes ahead and are the first to greet visitors as the official doorkeepers of the house, ready to answer questions, assist anyone who needs help, count attendance during the sermon, and direct those who wish to receive communion at the pew rather than walking forward. Anyone middle school age or older can help run the slides and video during services after a short training.
Service Beyond the Walls
First Lutheran is small but connects its members to wider service. Members join with other local churches to deliver Mobile Meals to homebound seniors in La Crescent, taking a route about once every six or seven weeks for roughly an hour at a time. Drivers pick up containerized meals and delivery instructions at the La Crescent Community Center around 11:20 AM.
Through Jesus Cares Ministry, members of First Lutheran and Immanuel Lutheran South Ridge lead twice-monthly Bible-based services for residents with developmental disabilities at the ABLE home in La Crescent, meeting on the second and fourth Tuesdays from 5:00 to 5:30 PM. The pastors of the two congregations alternate leading the services, and team members help set up chairs, pass out song books, and offer warm, gentle companionship.
The Winona Circuit of the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society receives the congregation's support. Tuition assistance forms and a WELS-affiliated scholarship are also available for families seeking to attend WELS schools.
First Steps Early Learning Center
Sharing the same 414 Main Street address is First Steps Early Learning Center, a Christian, nonprofit, state-licensed childcare and preschool program that has served families in the coulee region since 2001. Director Carol Schroeder and her team care for children from twelve weeks old through their first day of kindergarten, with infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms and a daily schedule that weaves in Bible stories, songs, naps, and play. The center is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM, offers part-time and full-time care, and welcomes families regardless of race, color, or national or ethnic origin. The mission of First Steps is to help children take the steps of their early educational walk while growing in God's love in Christ, echoing the words of Jesus, "Let the little children come to me...for the kingdom of God belongs to these" (Mark 10:14). Information and tour scheduling are available at 507-895-5704 or director@keepchristfirst.com.
WELS Roots and Wider Connections
As a member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, First Lutheran shares fellowship and resources with a network of schools, camps, and mission organizations, including La Crosse Area Lutheran Schools, Luther High School, Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, and Camp Phillip, a WELS camp for relaxation and renewal. Catechism instruction, daily devotions from WELS Spiritual Help, the international WELS Youth Rally, and the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society all connect the small congregation to a much wider family of believers who share its confession.
What to Expect as a Visitor
Visitors can park in the angled street parking in front of the church or in the small lot to the west. The side front door has no step, accessible reserved parking is near the entrance, accessible restrooms are on both floors beside a full-size elevator, and a wheelchair is available from the ushers. Dress ranges from casual to formal; regulars wear what helps them focus on worship, with some choosing their best clothes and others wearing what is comfortable, knowing that God accepts them as they are. Bibles and hymnals are at every seat, and refreshments are sometimes served after the service, with a more regular fellowship hour in the works.
Worship services are recorded and posted to a Vimeo sermon archive, and catechism lessons are available to watch online, making it easy to keep up with the church's teaching when travel or schedule keeps someone away. Daily devotions are available through WELS Spiritual Help, and a calendar of upcoming events is published both as a Google calendar and as monthly PDF calendars and newsletters.