At the west end of Williamston, on the north side of West Grand River Avenue, Memorial Lutheran Church is known for connecting liturgical worship with education for every age. The congregation worships at 1022 West Grand River Avenue and operates Memorial Lutheran School and Preschool Learning Center two miles north at 2070 East Sherwood Road. Organized in 1948, this is one congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) with a church, school, and preschool joined by a shared mission of teaching the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Sharing God's Word of His Saving Grace
Memorial's motto is “Sharing God's Word of His Saving Grace.” Its work begins with the forgiveness of sins and eternal life received through faith in Jesus Christ, and that message shapes the congregation, school, preschool, and mission work. The three parts share one aim: children encounter biblical teaching in preschool, elementary school, and Sunday school, while adults continue in Bible study and join the same worship life.
Organized in 1948 to strengthen its members and present the Bible's timeless teachings to people without assurance of heaven through faith in Christ Jesus, Memorial describes its purpose as a grateful, loving response to forgiveness. The church uses the Word of God and the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion to strengthen the faith of members and carry its message into the community and across the world through the mission efforts of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Memorial is united with more than 1,200 WELS congregations in its confession of faith.
A Sunday at 1022 West Grand River Avenue
Sunday begins at 8:45 a.m. with Bible Class for teens and adults in the sanctuary and Sunday School for children ages three through eighth grade in the fellowship hall. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. The church stands on the north side of West Grand River Avenue at the west end of Williamston, directly across from Bappert Automotive and east of Admiral Gas Station.
- Invocation, calling on the Savior Lord with song
- Confession and Absolution
- Readings from the Bible
- A Bible-based sermon for children and adults
- Thanksgiving with offerings and prayers
- A final blessing
Christ is at the center of Memorial's liturgical worship. Some portions remain the same each Sunday so that Christ is proclaimed and praised, while other portions change according to the appointed church year. Scripture readings, a sermon centered on the Word of God, music, and congregational singing are central to the service.
There is no prescribed outfit for worship. The church asks for simple decency and Christian humility, while leaving the choice between casual and formal clothing to the individual. Running shoes and heels, jeans and suits, open collars and ties, casual slacks, and dresses are all familiar examples of what congregants wear.
Services are intended for the whole family. Families with young children may sit near the back of the sanctuary, where a cry room allows a child to be taken without missing the service; worshipers in the cry room can hear and see what is happening. Memorial considers it important that people of every age hear God's Word and sing together. Each Sunday service is recorded, with the recording posted on YouTube on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.
The Second and Fourth Sundays: Close Communion
The Lord's Supper is offered on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Memorial calls its practice “Close Communion,” which it shares with other WELS congregations. The pastor is available to explain the practice and its place in the congregation's worship.
This rhythm places the sacrament within the ordered Sunday liturgy rather than separating it from the rest of the service. The recurring 8:45 a.m. classes, 10:00 a.m. worship, and communion on two Sundays each month form the regular pattern of congregational life at the West Grand River Avenue church.
Bible Study, Sunday School, and Catechism at 8:45
Sunday School welcomes visiting children ages three through eighth grade. Students use the Christ Light curriculum published by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. During the school-year program, which begins the Sunday after Labor Day and concludes the Sunday before Memorial Day, children sing in worship several times and join the Lutheran elementary school students at the Christmas Eve service.
At the same time, the Bible Class meets in the sanctuary for teens and adults. Its studies cover portions of God's Word, the history of Christianity, biblical geography, and related biblical subjects. Guests are welcome, and the class follows the same school-year schedule as Sunday School.
Pastor Dey also conducts a weekly Catechism class for seventh- and eighth-grade students. Using the Bible and Luther's Small Catechism, the class prepares students for communicant membership in Memorial's congregation.
The adult Bible Information Class welcomes people interested in becoming communicant members, parents of new school students, those who want to understand the church's teachings, and current members seeking a review of biblical doctrine. It meets once each week for four to five months, with sessions lasting 60 to 75 minutes. The congregation provides the class book at no cost, and participants may keep it after the class; Bibles are also available. Attending does not obligate anyone to join the church, and completing the class makes a person eligible for communicant membership when they freely agree with the teachings studied.
Memorial also holds a Thursday evening Bible study at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall. This study focuses on historic parts of Christian worship and is intended both for people who are new to the faith and for those who want to revisit what they believe.
Christian Education at 2070 East Sherwood Road
Dedicated Christian parents and congregation members worked to establish Memorial Lutheran School in 1976. Its purpose is to bring children to Jesus Christ so they may see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. The school also seeks to help children discover and develop their God-given talents, cooperate with parents in training children for purposeful living, maintain high academic standards, and develop Christ-centered character. Graduates are encouraged to become leaders in the church and the world.
Memorial Lutheran School provides daily instruction from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school day runs from 8:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with full-day kindergarten classes Monday through Friday. Students have supervised computer time and library time as part of the curriculum. The school and congregation share families, volunteers, facilities, and worship life, while the school also supports families beyond the congregation through its Christian education.
The Preschool Learning Center serves three- and four-year-olds at the same Sherwood Road campus. Three-year-olds attend three half days each week, and four-year-olds attend four half days, from 8:20 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Kindergarten children attend full days, five days each week, from 8:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The preschool is licensed by the State of Michigan and connects with the elementary curriculum for a seamless transition into kindergarten.
Children learn through active experiences that exercise their bodies, explore God's world, solve problems, express feelings, play and talk with others, and work with adults who recognize individual abilities and needs. Bible Time occurs in every classroom through Bible stories, verses, Christ-centered songs, and prayer. The school holds that education of the soul is more important than education of the mind, and that biblical instruction should be woven into every part of a child's day.
Preschool and kindergarten share the same teacher, allowing children to build a continuing relationship with one adult during their first school years. Parents and church members volunteer in many aspects of school life. Memorial's students also sing in church on the third Sunday of each month and for special services, sometimes joined by Sunday School students.
What Memorial Lutheran Church Teaches
Memorial's teaching begins with the Bible as the very word of God and the only foundation for faith and life. Its confession of faith includes these central teachings:
- God revealed in the Bible is the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three persons in one true God, and the only true God.
- All people have sinned against God's holy will, fallen short of his standard of perfection, and deserve eternal condemnation.
- Jesus Christ came to earth to rescue all people from the guilt and power of sin, and he lived, died, and rose again as the perfect and only Savior.
- Through faith created by the Holy Spirit, the benefits of Christ's work become a person's personal possession.
- On the last day, Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead and will take all who trust in him to eternal life.
The church uses the Word of God and the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion to strengthen life and faith. Its teaching is not presented as work undertaken to justify the congregation's existence, but as a loving response to forgiveness already received through Jesus Christ.
Pastor Drew Dey and a Gospel Focus on Williamston
Pastor Drew Dey was born in Saginaw, Michigan, and grew up in Bay City. He graduated from Michigan Lutheran Seminary in 2013, Martin Luther College in 2017, and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2021. During his training, he served as a vicar at St. John Lutheran Church in Princeton, Wisconsin, and later as an associate at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Racine, Wisconsin.
As Memorial's pastor, Dey emphasizes serving families with the gospel in word and sacrament, leading worship, and reaching people who are lost or straying within the congregation and the greater Williamston community. Judy Domke serves as acting principal and teaches grades one through five, while Karla Leitz directs the preschool and teaches kindergarten. Together they reflect the congregation's emphasis on worship, classroom teaching, and care for children's Christian formation.
Serving With Time, Talents, and Treasures
Memorial describes stewardship as the use of time, talents, and treasures in service to God's kingdom. The congregation organizes that service in practical roles connected to worship, education, evangelism, transportation, meals, property, and missions.
- Ushers assist throughout worship and help with the offering.
- Greeters welcome worshipers and visitors.
- The Altar Guild prepares communionware, candles, seasonal paraments, and flowers.
- The choir and musicians provide organ, piano, solo, choral, and instrumental music for worship and special occasions.
- Sunday School teachers, school and preschool aides, computer helpers, and Vacation Bible School workers assist with education.
- Evangelism volunteers visit former guests, new residents, and neighbors; other members can provide rides to worship.
- Volunteers assist with funeral dinners, library work, lawn care, snow removal, building maintenance, and other property needs.
The Ladies' Fellowship meets on the first Monday of each month during the school year at 10:00 a.m. Its members work on projects, assist with meals and library tasks, support mission giving, and spend time together in fellowship. Grayce brings together retired members and those at retirement age on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for service projects, conversation, and occasional outings. A Youth Group also brings younger people together for meetings, travel, and activities.
Mission support reaches local needs and the wider work of WELS. The congregation has directed annual fundraiser proceeds toward world, U.S., and local mission needs. Online giving is available through Clover.
At least once each month, volunteers prepare a hot lunch for school children, with much of the food donated. The school and church also identify practical needs for office supplies, including recyclable printer cartridges and rewards earned through the Box Tops for Education program.
Libraries, Music, and Shared Spaces
Memorial maintains a church library in the narthex near the cry room. It includes books, video, and audio materials for all ages. Visitors sign the title and their name in the checkout book, while book borrowers record the title on the card in the back of each volume and leave it in the marked box.
The school library also serves families and congregation members beyond student hours. Volunteers help children select books and read to them. The school library is open Monday and Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons, and families can arrange access through the school office.
Music is woven through both worship and school life. The congregation's choir rehearses on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. for several weeks before festival services. Judy Domke serves as an organist and participates in the church choir and chime choir while also directing school plays. Memorial also welcomes people with skills in choir direction, solo singing, organ, piano, and other instruments.
The sanctuary hosts weddings and funerals, while school facilities support community gatherings and weekend basketball tournaments from December through February. These spaces connect the church's worship, education, music, and service life in the same Williamston community.
Two Campuses, One Williamston Congregation
Memorial's two campuses are approximately two miles apart. The church is at 1022 West Grand River Avenue, while Memorial Lutheran School and Preschool Learning Center is at 2070 East Sherwood Road. Both share the same telephone number, 517-655-1402, and the same emphasis on biblical teaching, worship, and service.
Sunday worship recordings are available through the church's YouTube channel. The Word, sacrament, education, and service remain the center of Memorial Lutheran Church's life in Williamston.