At 2011 Austin Parkway in Sugar Land, Texas, Fishers of Men Lutheran Church is an open-armed family of believers with the motto “Growing, Loving, and Serving Like Jesus.” The congregation is known for equipping the next generation in Christ through two Sunday worship services, a Bible study hour between them, ministries from preschool through college, and mission work reaching from Sugar Land to India. Its people call the church family the “FOMily,” a name that reflects the fellowship, growth, and service they share.
Traditional Hymns at 8:30, Blended Songs at 11:00
Sunday worship takes place in the main sanctuary at 8:30 and 11:00. The 8:30 service is traditional, with hymns led by piano and choir. The 11:00 service is blended, combining hymns with contemporary Christian songs led by the Praise Band. Both services include a children’s message, and Holy Communion is served on the first, third, and fifth Sundays. On every fifth Sunday, a combined worship service and church potluck begin at 10:00.
Fishers of Men teaches the Real Presence of Christ in Holy Communion. All who believe in Jesus as Savior and examine themselves are welcome to commune; a person who is not communing may fold their hands to receive a blessing. The church encourages those with questions about joining the congregation for Communion to speak with the pastor or an elder before the service. The individual cups in the center ring contain non-alcoholic wine, and gluten-free wafers are available on request.
The church works to make worship relaxed and meaningful. Sunday best is welcome, but so are jeans and a T-shirt. Both Sunday services are livestreamed at their scheduled times through the YouTube livestream, and a sermon audio archive records messages for later listening.
Children Are Included in the Worship
Children are treated as full members of the worshiping congregation. At each service, children are invited to the front for a special message from the children’s ministry coordinator or pastor, often told through object lessons or experiments. Busy Boxes are available for children to borrow, with quiet toys, activities, and books. Crayon bags and clipboards hold coloring pages and worksheets connected to the day’s Bible story or message.
A free nursery is provided for children 4 and under, with no preregistration required. It is staffed during the 9:45 Sunday School and Bible study hour and the 11:00 worship service. During the 8:30 service, the Nursery Room is available as an unstaffed cry room or play space for children who need a break. A television in the room carries the worship livestream during both services, and nursery staff use a sign-in sheet to collect emergency contact information.
Sunday School and Bible study meet from 9:45 to 10:45. Children from 2 years old through 5th grade gather in the Fishers Kids Area on the first floor, while middle and high school students meet in the Youth Room upstairs. Families check in at the front desk, complete a contact form on a child's first visit, and can take books from the Fishers Kids Library using traditional library cards. Confirmation classes for students in 6th through 8th grades meet on Sunday mornings. Vacation Bible School returns each summer with Bible stories, games, songs, and snacks, while annual Easter egg hunts and Trunks & Treats add seasonal activities for families.
The 9:45 Bible Study Hour
Adult Bible study runs from 9:45 to 10:45 in Fellowship Chapel, Room C-150, with participation through the Fishers of Men livestream also possible. Led primarily by Senior Pastor Chuck Ridley with occasional guest speakers, the class offers a relaxed, casual setting for asking questions, engaging with Scripture, and learning together. No previous Bible knowledge is required. The class runs at the same time as Sunday School and youth Bible study, allowing children, students, and adults to study together as families.
Fishers also offers a one-day Discovery Class throughout the year for people joining the church. Pastor Chuck Ridley leads the class from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with breakfast and lunch provided. It surveys the Christian faith through Luther’s Small Catechism and introduces the Triune God, the life of faith, and the church as a family. Members unable to attend adult classes in person can catch up through the church’s Bible study video library.
Students, College Students, and Young Adults
Fishers Student Ministry welcomes students in 6th grade through college for Sunday worship and fellowship from 9:45 to 10:45 AM. Confirmation classes serve students in 6th through 8th grades. The ministry gives middle school, high school, and college students a regular place to worship, learn, and build relationships with one another.
Young Adult Ministry serves people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s with Lutheran fellowship and biblical teaching. Its monthly rhythm includes a small-group Bible study on the second Thursday and a fellowship and social night on the fourth Thursday. These locally hosted gatherings are designed to help younger adults navigate life, faith, and community together.
Small Groups for Adults
Small groups are a central expression of Fishers of Men’s “church for life” idea. They provide places to grow in new life from Jesus, form friendships, share encouragement, offer care, and support one another in the life of faith.
Men's Fellowship
The Men’s Group gathers every Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM for Christ-centered fellowship and devotion, alternating between fellowship and Bible study. Brews Brothers meets every other Wednesday at 7:00 PM for discussion of theology and its application to everyday life. Its members may bring a favorite adult beverage.
Women Serving and Learning Together
Lady Fishers is connected to Lutheran Women in Mission, with the stated aim of proclaiming Christ, supporting missions, and equipping women to serve. Ladies Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 10:00 AM in Rooms A209/211, both in person and on Zoom. The LWML supports local, district, and global missions through events and donations. Lady Fishers Quilters meet Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 AM, require no quilting experience, and make quilts for Lutheran World Relief, Orphan Grain Train, and local agencies. The Deaconess Ministry walks with women through prayer, love, and encouragement, while the FLIRT Book Club meets at 1:00 PM on the fourth Thursday of each month.
Young at Heart
Young at Heart is an active seniors’ group that meets at the church campus every Tuesday at 12:30 PM for dominoes. On the second Tuesday of each month, a potluck luncheon is followed by games or occasional trips.
Little Fishers Preschool
Since 1997, Little Fishers Preschool has served as a ministry of Fishers of Men for children in Sugar Land and surrounding communities. The Christ-centered early childhood program serves children from 18 months old through kindergarten. It seeks to help children grow spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially while learning cooperation, independence, self-confidence, and how to interact with other children. Its mission is to “EXCITE, EXPLORE, EDUCATE THROUGH CHRIST AND GROW WITH GOD.” Weekly themed summer camps for current and incoming students add games, art, outdoor play, and other activities.
A Digital Church Family and Media Library
Fishers calls itself “your church for life” because its people receive life from Jesus through His Word and sacraments and share that new life together. The CCB digital church directory helps members share life, connect with friends, grow as Christians, and serve together. Members can request an account, update profiles, add social links, and use the mobile directory to look up friends while away.
Fishers also gives members access to a RightNow Media library with more than 3,500 videos. Its collection includes devotional material, Bible studies for individuals, couples, families, and small groups, and animated films for children. Worship recordings, sermon audio, and Bible study videos support worship and formation at home. Tithes, offerings, and special gifts can be made as one-time or recurring contributions through PushPay giving, or by texting FISHERSOFMEN to 77977.
What Fishers of Men Means by Lutheran
Fishers of Men is a congregation of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It holds to the historic teachings of Christian orthodoxy expressed in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds and subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions, which it believes faithfully express the teaching of Holy Scripture. Its beliefs hold that the books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired, inerrant, and authoritative, with the Bible as the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine. God’s Word comes through the Word written, the Word proclaimed, and the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ.
God’s grace is defined as undeserved and unearned favor. Faith is trust in the person, work, and promises of Jesus Christ, established by God through His Word. Salvation means forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and one another, and eternal life free from sin’s burden, received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The church is God’s family rather than merely a building. People are joined to this family through Holy Baptism and empowered by the Holy Spirit, while Word and Sacrament serve as God’s means of grace.
Fishers baptizes people of all ages, from infants to the elderly, because Baptism creates or strengthens faith, assures forgiveness, and marks membership in God’s family. The Lord’s Supper is understood as a divine means of grace in which the body and blood of Christ are truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine. The church also affirms that every human life is made in the image of God and deserves dignity and respect. Its mission is not to condemn the world, but to hold out the Word of life through the Gospel and show mercy as Jesus did.
Pastor Chuck Ridley and Church Life
Senior Pastor Chuck Ridley was called through the people of Fishers of Men to preach the Word and administer the sacraments. He combines analytical skills with a passion for teaching, seeking to guide others in living out the Christian faith. His ministry centers on using the gifts God has given him in service to God and to his neighbors. Worship Coordinator Andre Berry leads the congregation’s musical worship, Karl Miller directs family ministry, and Lindsey Wiesenborn leads Little Fishers Preschool.
People who belong to another LCMS congregation can transfer their membership to Fishers of Men, while the Discovery Class introduces newcomers to the Christian faith and the church. Baptisms can occur during either Sunday worship service, with one baptism generally scheduled per service. The church regards marriage as a holy union of one man and one woman, provides premarital counseling, and has written wedding guidelines. Its facilities may also be requested for approved church or non-church events through a separate facility-use process.
Mercy in Sugar Land, Mission Around the World
Fishers offers free weekly English classes in a supportive, friendly environment. Meeting most Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 PM, the classes bring together people seeking to learn English. This local outreach is joined by partnerships with LINC Houston, a network of churches seeking to establish healthy, self-supporting faith communities in Houston’s ethnic and urban neighborhoods, and POBLO International, which serves immigrants and refugees and trains churches for cross-cultural outreach.
The church supports the East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry and its food pantry, including donations of empty egg cartons and other urgently needed items. It also regularly hosts blood donation drives with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, asking people to give an hour of their time to help patients, families, and communities. These partnerships place practical care alongside the congregation’s teaching and worship.
Internationally, Fishers partners with Jehovah-Jireh Ministries founders Ebnezar and Jehoshibah Kurapati. That work supports four congregations in India through building projects, food, school supplies, and prayer. Fishers has also helped build mission churches in India as part of the Kurapatis’ outreach to the Hindu community. Its partnership with Lutheran World Relief addresses global poverty, emergency needs, and sustainable livelihoods. Lady Fishers contributes hundreds of quilts each year to that relief work, turning a shared sewing ministry into practical support for families around the world.
Finding Fishers of Men in Sugar Land
Fishers of Men Lutheran Church is at 2011 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, Texas 77479. Directions to the church are also available. From the northeast, drivers take I-69 south, exit at Highway 6, turn left on Highway 6, and turn right on Grants Lake Boulevard. From the east, take Highway 6 west to Grants Lake Boulevard and turn left. From the south, take I-69 north, exit at Highway 6, turn right on Highway 6, and turn right on Grants Lake Boulevard.
The church office can be reached at 281-242-7711 or info@fishersofmen.org. Its Sunday rhythm centers on traditional worship at 8:30 AM, Bible study for all ages at 9:45 AM, and blended worship at 11:00 AM, with combined worship and a church potluck at 10:00 on every fifth Sunday.