Two Worship Spaces Under One Roof
Sharon Lutheran Church sits on the corner of 17th Avenue South and South 20th Street in Grand Forks, North Dakota, just east of Red River High School and a short walk south of the GF Police Annex. The congregation worships in two distinct rooms inside the same building: a traditional Sanctuary for liturgical services, and a more contemporary Celebration Hall where a worship team leads a mix of modern and classic songs. Both share a single weekly rhythm, with Holy Communion offered at every Sunday and Wednesday service.
Sunday Mornings at Sharon
The Sanctuary service begins at 9:00 AM, using liturgy from the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal. The Sanctuary Choir provides music every other week, accompanied by organ and piano. The 9:00 and 10:30 AM Celebration Hall services are led by Higher Ground, a vocal team directed by Worship Director Roxanne Gessler that blends traditional hymns with contemporary Christian songs. Holy Communion is celebrated at every Sunday service in both spaces, and baptisms are a regular part of the morning.
For families, the Sunday rhythm continues with Church School from 10:30 to 11:30 AM for students from age three through 5th grade. From October through May, a separate program called 3-4-5 ALIVE gathers 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Sunday afternoons from 3:45 to 4:45 PM in the Living Room on the lower level for Bible stories, games, food, and fellowship. There is no cost or registration for 3-4-5 ALIVE; students can come when they are able.
Wednesdays in Grand Forks
Wednesday evenings are a second center of life at Sharon. A Celebration Hall worship service is held at 6:00 PM year-round, with Higher Ground providing music and communion offered at the table. Church School for ages three through 5th grade meets at the same hour, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Confirmation classes for grades 6 through 9 follow from 7:15 to 8:15 PM, and middle schoolers in grades 6 through 8 gather afterward for 5G, a youth group that meets from 8:15 to 9:00 PM in the lower level youth room for games, food, and conversation about faith, friends, and family.
For adults, a Wednesday morning Bible Study meets at 9:45 AM in South Hall, where pastoral staff lead a discussion of the upcoming Sunday's lectionary readings over coffee and the occasional plate of snacks. During Lent the Wednesday rhythm shifts earlier with a 5:15 PM midweek service and a fellowship soup meal that runs until 6:30 PM, and Sharon also hosts several Wednesday evening Dinner Church services each year, carrying on the Acts 2:42 pattern of breaking bread, prayer, and fellowship across generations.
The Open Communion Table
Communion is the through-line of Sharon's worship. Lutherans understand the sacrament as a place where God acts through simple physical elements - bread and wine, along with a spoken promise. The congregation practices an open table: anyone is welcome to receive communion regardless of age, denomination, or church background. Grape juice is available in place of wine. Christ is the host of the table, and it belongs to everyone.
Children Belong in the Pews
Sharon takes seriously Jesus's words in Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come to me." Praygrounds are set up throughout the worship space - small tables stocked with coloring pages, activity bags, snacks, and Bible storybooks for children who need something to keep their hands busy. Families with young children are encouraged to sit near the front so the little ones can see and participate up close. The church family believes that children are not just the future of the church; they are the church of today and have much to teach about the kingdom of God.
The Sharon Lutheran Nursery is open for families to use but is not staffed; parents supervise their own children. A separate breastfeeding room can be accessed through the nursery, and diaper changes happen on the changing tables in the public restrooms.
Confirmation and the 10th Grade Mentor Year
Sharon's confirmation program runs from 6th through 9th grade on Wednesday evenings. Students who complete the program are invited to affirm their baptism in the fall of their 11th grade year in a service titled "Affirmation of Baptism." The year before affirmation is the 10th Grade Mentor Year, when each student chooses a mentor to walk alongside them as they put their faith into everyday practice. The program is supported by a published guidebook for 6th through 8th grade families, and adults looking to make a public affirmation are also welcome to participate.
High school students have access to retreats as well. Castaway Retreat, usually held at the end of September, brings together young people from across the area synod for a weekend of camp-style worship, music, and learning. Summer mission trips, often in partnership with YouthWorks!, give older youth a chance to serve beyond Grand Forks.
Music Across Two Styles
Music is a centerpiece of Sharon's worship life. The Sanctuary Choir, directed by Sanctuary Choir Director Ketina Francois, rehearses on Wednesdays in the choir room and sings in worship every other week, accompanied by organist Sue Kerr and the Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal. In Celebration Hall, Higher Ground leads the music - a vocal team that guides the congregation through a blend of contemporary and classic Christian songs. Handbell choirs meet on Sundays and perform in worship and at special events during the school year, and Church School students sing in worship several times throughout the year as well.
Adults: Learning, Fellowship, and Faithfully Fit
Learning does not stop at confirmation. The 20's & 30's Community is a regional collaboration of area ELCA congregations that hosts God Talk on Tap evenings, Bible studies, retreats, and social events for younger adults, with updates shared through the Sharon Lutheran Young Adults group. The Wednesday Morning Bible Study at 9:45 AM is a long-running favorite, exploring the next Sunday's readings with pastoral staff. Women of the ELCA (WELCA) maintains several small "Circle" Bible study groups that meet monthly in homes or at the church for study and service. The Golden Age Club, for those 65 and older, gathers on the second Friday afternoon of each month from September through June for fellowship, food, and programs.
Other adult offerings include the Sharon Lutheran Book Group, which meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in Celebration Hall, and Faith in Film, an evening for those 18 and up that pairs a meal with a movie and conversation. For those who want to keep moving, Faithfully Fit Forever meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 AM in the lower level activity area for warm-up stretches, low-impact aerobics, strength training, and a closing devotion. Participants can sit or stand as needed and bring a water bottle.
Meals and Mission Beyond the Walls
Sharon lives out its call to serve in concrete ways. Love Feast is a free monthly meal offered to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity for a good meal and fellowship; Sharon prepares and serves the meal once a year, on the last Tuesday in March, at Zion United Methodist Church. Each summer, usually in June, the congregation hosts a cookout at the Northlands Rescue Mission on a weekday evening, with volunteers setting up, serving, and bringing homemade salads, bars, and watermelon. The Grand Forks Area Feed My Starving Children Mobile Pack event in the spring draws strong Sharon support, with sign-ups managed through Sign Up Genius. Through Lutheran Disaster Response, 100 percent of donations go directly to Lutheran congregations in areas hit by disaster. A quilting group also meets monthly to make quilts distributed locally and worldwide through Lutheran World Relief.
Care Ministries
Caring for one another is woven through the congregation's identity as "a caring people." Home Visits pairs volunteers with members who can no longer easily leave their homes. The Prayer Chain lifts up requests sent in by email. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits shawls prayed over during their creation, then gives them to anyone going through a hard time. Bags of Blessings collects wish-list items for homeless neighbors that are then distributed to the Northlands Rescue Mission; donations can be left on the bookshelf outside Celebration Hall. The Teddy Bear Ministry places donated bears in the pews so members can take them out into the community as a tangible reminder of God's love. The Hand Up Program, sponsored by Sharon Cares, provides small cash gifts or gift cards to people facing the squeeze of daily bills and groceries.
Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals
Anyone is welcome to be married at Sharon. Couples attend a Pre-Marriage Retreat and meet with a pastor for preparation before the wedding, then work with the church office to schedule a date and receive a packet of information, fees, and forms.
Parents planning a baptism are asked to attend a one-hour "Welcome to Baptism" orientation held monthly in the church lounge, entered through Door 1. Sponsors are welcome. Baptisms take place during worship services and can be scheduled for any Sunday or Wednesday in either the Sanctuary or Celebration Hall.
At the end of life, the congregation walks alongside families. Sharon's Funerals Ministry prepares and serves a meal after a funeral, with volunteers also baking bars and desserts, so families and friends can gather, remember, and be fed.
Pastors and Staff
Deacon Jamie Travers serves as Lead Rostered Minister. He joined Sharon in September 2019 as the Deacon of Congregational Life and brings 23 years of prior Family Ministry experience from St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Devils Lake, North Dakota. A graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jamie was commissioned as an ELCA Deacon in 1996 and completed ELCA Level 2 coaching training in 2019. He is known at the church for daily discipleship work across all ages, and his dog Ginger is a familiar presence around the building during the week.
Pastor Tawanda Murinda serves as Associate Rostered Minister. He holds a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and a bachelor's degree in engineering with a minor in physics from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Before Sharon, he served as Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Dubuque, then as Associate Pastor at Faith+Journey Lutheran Church in West Fargo, and as pastor of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Thompson. His passions include mission and service, children, youth, and young adults.
The ministry team includes Dave Berger as Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator, Heather Peters as Education Coordinator, Roxanne Gessler as Worship Director (who also directs the Higher Ground team), Sue Kerr as Organist, and Ketina Francois as Sanctuary Choir Director.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
Worshipers are invited to come as they are - some in jeans, some in suits and ties or dresses, all welcome. Each service includes gathering, liturgy, confession and forgiveness, a message or sermon, Holy Communion, a blessing, and a sending. Both worship spaces use screens to project the words for songs and liturgy so visitors can follow along. Sharon's motto is simple: "Created to Worship, Called to Teach, and Committed to Serve."
Parking lots are available on the north and south sides of the building, with overflow parking on the west side into Red River High School's lot. Automatic doors are at the south (Door 1) and west (Door 3) entrances, with accessible parking spaces in the south lot. Assistive hearing devices are available in the Sanctuary, and a limited number of wheelchairs are kept inside the building; ushers are happy to help with any of these. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with shortened Friday hours during the summer.
Worship Online and Giving
Sunday 9:00 AM Sanctuary and 10:30 AM Celebration Hall services, plus the Wednesday 6:00 PM Celebration Hall service, are livestreamed on Sharon's YouTube channel, and recordings remain available afterward. A link to the livestream is emailed to members about ten minutes before each service.
Giving can be done in the offering plate, by mailing a check to the church address, by setting up Direct Giving through the church office, by texting "Sharon1720" to 73256, or through the online giving page. Text-to-give and online giving work for one-time and recurring gifts.