A Missouri Synod Congregation on South 27th Street
Our Father's Lutheran Church sits on South 27th Street in Greenfield, a south suburb of Milwaukee. The congregation belongs to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and gathers each week around the Divine Service, the historic Lutheran liturgy of Word and Sacrament. Pastor Aaron T. Fenker, Sr. leads the church, and the same campus also houses Our Father's Lutheran School and a licensed childcare program, making it a place where three generations of the same families often find themselves under one roof.
The church's welcome statement, drawn from 1 John 3:1, calls the congregation "a congregation of sinners that acknowledges that though I am the chief of sinners Jesus shed His blood for me." Each Sunday the members gather to hear that the Father sent His Son "for us men and for our salvation." Visitors are invited to come and hear more about that message.
The Divine Service
The Divine Service is celebrated every Thursday at 6:30 PM and every Sunday at 9:15 AM. In describing what visitors will find, the church quotes the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: "We do not abolish the Mass but religiously keep and defend it." Services follow the Lutheran Service Book, the current hymnal of the LCMS, and rotate through the historic orders of service, including Divine Service, Setting Three, the conservative revision of the Common Service long known as "page 15" from The Lutheran Hymnal.
The music draws on hymns and songs from every age, provided they faithfully confess Christ. The Historic Lectionary, the centuries-old calendar of Bible readings used by Christians across history, guides the readings each week and leads the congregation deep into the Christian faith. The service keeps traditional ceremonies of the Church - the sign of the cross, kneeling, bowing, and standing at certain points - practiced in gospel freedom as physical reminders of the gifts received. The church is direct about its identity: visitors looking for a contemporary, me-centered worship style will not find it here, because everything in the service is measured by how it confesses Christ and preaches Law and Gospel.
Holy Communion
The Lord's Supper is offered at every Divine Service. Communion is open to members of Our Father's and to members in good standing of congregations in fellowship with the LCMS, such as Lutheran Church-Canada. Visitors who are not yet members are asked to speak with the pastor before communing. Those preparing for first communion, or for confirmation or adult baptism, are invited to meet with Pastor Fenker; he will arrange a schedule of instruction and spiritual formation at the visitor's convenience.
Sunday Morning Education Hour
Christian education for all ages begins at 8:00 AM on Sunday mornings, an hour before the Divine Service. Children gather in Sunday School classes organized by age, and the adult Bible class is taught directly by Pastor Fenker. A sermon archive from a former pastor, the Fabrizius Sermon Archive, is available online, and Pastor Fenker also maintains a personal blog linked from the church page.
Wednesday and Weekday Services
From Labor Day through Memorial Day, the midweek schedule adds Wednesday Matins at 8:05 AM and Wednesday Bible Class at 9:30 AM. Parents dropping children at the school frequently stay for the morning Bible class, and the brief Matins office is a quiet way to begin the day. Thursday evenings add a second Divine Service at 6:30 PM for those whose work or travel makes Sunday morning difficult.
Advent and Lent
During the seasons of Advent and Lent, Wednesday services move to 6:30 PM. Advent Services prepare the congregation for Christmas, while Lenten Vesper Services accompany the walk toward Holy Week. These midweek services follow the church's traditional liturgical calendar and give worshipers a regular rhythm through the church year.
Our Father's Lutheran School
The school opened in 1964, born from a long-standing Sunday School tradition that had crowded the church building. Members wanted a place where Lutheran doctrine could be reinforced every day and where children could be prepared "to serve God and their neighbor in their daily vocations." Today the fully accredited preschool through eighth grade school offers a traditional education with a strong foundation in Lutheran doctrine, emphasizing mathematics, grammar, history, and science alongside the memorization of Holy Scripture and Luther's Small Catechism.
Smaller class sizes allow teachers to focus on the needs of each student, and the school points to high standardized test scores and the subsequent success of its graduates in high school and college. Daily growth in faith includes the singing of Lutheran hymns. The school day runs from 8:00 AM to 3:10 PM, and the school office is open 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday when school is in session. The school participates in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. Principal Bob Cahill leads the faculty and staff.
Athletics, Music, and Plays
The school runs a Christian athletics program that includes basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field, and cross country. The emphasis is on competing in a Christian manner, building sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment. In music, students learn through Music Learning Theory, working from folk song literature while also singing traditional Lutheran hymns. A band program under Mrs. Angela Scaffidi offers private lessons and the chance to play in group bands with other LCMS district schools. Each year one half of the school performs a spring play or musical, in addition to the Christmas play held just before Christmas break. Past productions have included Little Luncheonette of Terror, Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone, The Principal and the Pea, E-I-E-I Oops, and the Great American Talent Show.
Childcare Program
Our Father's Lutheran Childcare, directed by Mrs. Michelle Sroka, serves families who need full-day care for infants through school-age children. The program is licensed by the State of Wisconsin and aims to develop children physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. A summer program and a school-age program round out the calendar for families whose needs shift with the school year. The childcare shares the campus with the church and school, so children enrolled in the program grow up hearing the same Lutheran teaching during the week that they hear in chapel and at Sunday services.
Online Services and Giving
Services are livestreamed online. Services are livestreamed on YouTube and also posted on Facebook, so members who are traveling or homebound can keep up with the Sunday Divine Service. Weekly bulletins are posted online in PDF form, and online giving is available through the church's electronic giving service.
Visiting Our Father's
Our Father's Lutheran is located at 6023 S. 27th Street in Greenfield. The church office can be reached at 414-282-8220, the school office at 414-282-7500, and the childcare office at 414-282-9057. Anyone wishing to learn more about the church, the school, or the childcare program is welcome to call or stop by.