On a quiet stretch of West Northgate Drive in Irving, Texas, the same congregation that held its first formal worship service on November 1, 1964 still gathers each Sunday around a simple message: that the grace of Jesus Christ is free for all. Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, often called ORLC, has spent sixty years building a multigenerational, multilingual, and multiethnic family that preaches and lives the free grace of Jesus. The congregation is a member of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and its life centers on a single address - 2505 W. Northgate Dr. - where English and Spanish services share the same Sanctuary, the same coffee bar, and the same communion table each week.
Sundays in Two Languages at 10 and 12:30
The week at ORLC is anchored by its Sunday rhythm. Worship in English begins at 10:00 a.m., followed at 11:15 a.m. by an adult English Bible study and confirmation classes for middle and high schoolers. At 12:30 p.m. the doors open again for Adoración en Español, the Spanish-language service, with a Spanish Bible study beginning at 2:00 p.m. Both worship services follow portions of the traditional Lutheran liturgy from the Lutheran Service Book, blending traditional hymns with acoustic contemporary music and, on special weekends, guest musicians playing a variety of instruments.
Services typically run between one hour and one hour and fifteen minutes. Greeters welcome visitors at the door; the Sanctuary sits immediately to the left of the main entrance. A coffee bar serves the gathering before each service begins. Worshipers are told plainly: come as you are. Members arrive in everything from jeans and T-shirts to slacks and polos to their Sunday best, and no one is asked to stand, raise a hand, or say anything publicly during worship. Children's Church, called JAM Time, is offered for children through fifth grade during the sermon portion of both services, and a newly renovated nursery is available with the services projected onto a screen so parents can still participate.
Communion Practice: The Lord's Table
Holy Communion is celebrated at every worship service at ORLC, both in English and in Spanish. The congregation practices what it calls close communion, rooted in its reading of 1 Corinthians 11:27. Church leaders teach that the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper are more than symbols of strengthening faith - they are the very means through which Jesus shares his true presence with the congregation. Visitors who are baptized believers and who approach the table with a repentant heart acknowledging the Lord's presence in communion are welcome to commune. Anyone unsure of where they stand is invited to come forward instead for a blessing, and the pastors are glad to sit down over a cup of coffee or tea to talk through the reasons behind the practice.
The Lutheran Liturgy in Motion
The liturgy at ORLC is a working blend of the historic Lutheran tradition and the present-day congregation. Each Sunday the Nicene or Apostles' Creed is spoken aloud together, and every service centers on who God is: the Father who creates, Jesus who forgives, and the Holy Spirit who preserves. Teaching through the Word of God is the constant focus. Music Director Joanne Day plans each service and plays across traditional, contemporary, and Spanish musical genres, drawing on a background that began in Edmonton, Alberta and continued through a music education degree at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.
On select occasions, guest musicians add variety to the instrumentation. During Advent and Lent, the congregation adds an English-language devotional service at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, sitting down together to mark the seasons of the church year. Audio and video recordings of recent services are kept available on YouTube, and the full archive stretches back several years in both languages.
Family Life from Cradle to College
Children and youth are at the heart of the congregation's identity, and the Family Life Ministry - led by Director Paula Ferguson - stitches together a long list of programs for every age. Children's Church, or JAM Time, meets during the sermon at both services for children through fifth grade. Each summer, Vacation Bible School invites ORLC kids and their friends from across Irving for a week of games, crafts, and Bible lessons.
Older students have their own track. Step Up in Faith Confirmation teaches discipleship and Biblical education for middle and high schoolers. First Communion Classes walk elementary-age children through the basics of the faith and the Lord's Supper over a number of weeks. Every three years, ORLC's high schoolers travel to the LCMS Youth Gathering - in 2025, the destination was New Orleans - and in other summers the youth group heads out on mission trips, most recently to Alamosa, Colorado with YouthWorks.
The family calendar is dotted with celebrations shaped by the church's bilingual identity. Día del Niño, Cinco de Mayo, and Las Posadas in early December mark the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and connect the congregation with the wider Irving Hispanic community. Each year in early May, the church trades the Sanctuary for the park: Church in the Park moves worship outside, complete with a bounce house and plenty of kid-friendly activities.
For young adults in their mid-twenties to early forties, who often carry the weight of crowded work and family schedules, the Young Adult Ministry meets on Wednesday evenings for gatherings built around spiritual growth, mutual encouragement, and prayer. Women's Ministry hosts an annual women's retreat, monthly service projects, and an evening called Christmas by Candlelight. The newer Men's Ministry gathers monthly in a rotating rhythm of Bible study nights and service nights, and likewise hosts an annual retreat.
Service Ministries Feeding Irving
The church's outward-facing work is rooted in long-running partnerships with other helping agencies in Irving. The Food Pantry at Our Redeemer opens its doors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to anyone in need. Each week, Gleaner's Harvest collects non-perishable food donations from the pews and hallway bins, which are passed along to Helping Around Town, a ministry run in Irving to feed those experiencing hunger. On the third weekend of each month, the Sandwich Ministry gathers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and prepares around 600 sandwiches - along with bags of chips and cookies - for donation to Many Helping Hands in Irving, typically finishing the work in just under an hour. Once a year, the Service of Blessing in August distributes Walmart gift cards to any family in need in the Irving area, paired with a special blessing service for teachers and students heading into a new school year.
For those in the wider Irving community facing a financial emergency, ORLC offers limited emergency financial assistance on a first-come, first-served basis. The congregation also pairs with volunteers across Irving to mentor fourth graders at Townsell Elementary through Academy 4, meeting one Friday per month to grow leadership skills, life skills, and friendship with the same mentor year after year.
English Classes, Latin Cardio, and a Coffee Bar
Long before Sunday morning, the building is busy. English as a Second Language classes meet on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The fall 2026 semester opened on September 17 and is open to anyone in the Metroplex seeking to improve their English, with beginner-level classes for Spanish speakers taught primarily in Spanish by Phillip Walker. Each class night includes a snack for students and volunteers, and the cost is $20 per semester for books and supplies. Registration is open online.
Latin Cardio classes fill the Fellowship Hall Tuesday through Friday mornings from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., and a separate Zumba class runs Tuesday through Friday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Both are led by certified Zumba instructors and are free to all. The same Fellowship Hall hosts the church's coffee bar on Sunday mornings. Many of these programs are not primarily for members - they are an open door to neighbors who may never step into the Sanctuary but who become part of the church's life nonetheless.
Beliefs: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone
Our Redeemer describes itself in three short statements that are also the historic slogans of the Reformation. Grace Alone: the church teaches that all people are by nature separated from God by sin, and that Jesus Christ - true God and the Son of God - lived a perfect life, was crucified to pay for those sins, and rose again on the third day, so that everyone who trusts him as Savior is forgiven and given eternal life. Faith Alone: faith in Jesus is entered through trust in his completed work of death and resurrection, and through baptism believers are brought into the people of God, while the Holy Spirit creates and sustains that faith. Scripture Alone: the Bible is the living and inspired Word of God, sufficient for faith, telling the story of Jesus from Genesis through Revelation.
The congregation identifies as Lutheran because of its focus on the Gospel and the scriptural truth that Jesus saves apart from works. As a member of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, it shares the doctrinal commitments of that body and sends its youth to LCMS events such as the triennial Youth Gathering.
Worshipping Online and Giving
Every Sunday service at ORLC - English at 10:00 a.m. and Spanish at 12:30 p.m. - is livestreamed through orlc.online.church, and recordings are posted on YouTube afterward, complete with current bulletins in each language. Visitors who cannot gather in person for reasons of distance, work, health, or travel can still follow along at home.
Giving is offered in several forms. In person, worshipers can leave a donation in the plate at the rear of the Sanctuary or use a card reader device. Online, the congregation points to Zeffy as its preferred digital giving platform because 100 percent of each gift reaches the church. Those who prefer to give by check are invited to mail one to the church address, and the financial secretary can help with Vanco electronic payments set up directly from a bank account. Gift designations in honor or memory of a loved one are welcomed.
Pastors and Staff
Pastor Harry Smith, who grew up in Waco and served ORLC first as Associate Pastor from 2016 to 2020 before returning as Senior Pastor in January 2021, leads the congregation with a particular love for its cross-cultural life. He is one of seven siblings, lives in Texas with his wife Hannah and their sons Lionel and Ethan, and is glad to buy anyone a good cup of coffee if they want to connect. Pastor Nelson Ortega, Associate Pastor, was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where he trained as an economist and worked in banking before moving to the United States. He and his wife Gloria have lived in Irving since 1998, joined ORLC in 2003, and entered the Center for Hispanic Studies at Concordia Seminary in 2015. He graduated in May 2020 and was called to ORLC as Associate Pastor in September 2020.
Joining them on the ministry team are Paula Ferguson, who grew up in Dallas, taught for many years in Dallas ISD, and now directs the Family Life Ministry from Children's Church through high school confirmation, and Joanne Day, the Music Director who plans worship and oversees the singers and instrumentalists across English and Spanish services. Elders, visitation elders, a financial secretary, a bookkeeper, an A/V director, and volunteer receptionists round out the wider team.
Sixty Years and Counting
Our Redeemer marked its sixtieth year of ministry in 2024, choosing the theme "Made Right" from Romans 3:28. Psalm 34:3 framed the anniversary celebration: "Glorify the Lord with me! Let us exalt his name together." Office hours now run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the building remains open through the week for ESL classes, fitness, food distribution, and the many visitors who come for help. Whether members have walked these halls for decades or are walking in for the first time, the church frames its life with the same three invitations posted at the top of its homepage: Know Christ. Grow Spiritually. Share His Love.