St. Peter Lutheran Church sits on Dragoon Trail in Mishawaka, Indiana, a steady presence in the city since 1847. The sanctuary rises around a single conviction that gives the congregation its shape: God gathers us together by the Long Arms of the Cross, which are wide enough to embrace everyone. Beneath that embrace the people of St. Peter have built a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation known for its liturgical worship, its choirs and handbells and liturgical dancers, a Christ-centered school that runs preschool through eighth grade, a food pantry partnership that feeds neighbors across the city, and a Stephen Ministry that has walked with members through crisis since 2015.
Gathered by the Long Arms of the Cross
The sanctuary at St. Peter is its creed made visible. The vision statement carved into the church's identity reads: God gathers us together by the Long Arms of the Cross, which are wide enough to embrace everyone. The rest of the language the congregation uses flows out of that image. Together the people of St. Peter receive the Father's grace in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Together they learn to follow Jesus as fully committed disciples through worship, Bible study, servanthood, and building connections in the church and in the wider community of Mishawaka.
The phrase Live Connected runs beneath the church's name in Greek letters - ΒΙΩΜΕΝ ΣΥΝΔΕΣΜΟΙ - and acts as a kind of motto for the life the congregation is trying to live. The church seeks to live into all the ways God connects them with Himself, with each other as the Church, and with their neighbors and community. That phrasing shapes how every ministry is described, from Sunday School for toddlers to Bible studies for adults to a Braille Bible team that ships Scripture overseas.
On most any Sunday, the first thing a visitor sees near the door is the baptismal font. Beginning on Rally Day each fall, the font holds water before and during worship. Lutherans do not bless the water or treat it as holy; the bowl is there so that, as a worshipper passes, they might remember their baptism. Anyone who wishes can dip their fingers in and trace the sign of the cross over themselves, recalling that in baptism they were claimed by Christ the crucified, buried into His death that they might rise with Him to walk in new life.
The Sunday Rhythm: 9am Education Hour, 10:15am Divine Worship
The Sunday pattern at St. Peter has a dependable cadence. From September through the end of the program year, Sunday School for ages three through adult opens at 9:00am. Three age-grouped classes carry children from toddler through the teen years, while adults gather in the Fellowship Hall for the Pastor's Study. The Adult Choir, which includes teenagers, and the Handbell and Children's Choirs all support the worship that follows.
Divine Worship begins at 10:15am in the sanctuary. The service is liturgical and follows the historic church year, with a worship folder available at the entrance so first-time visitors can follow the readings, the prayers, the hymns, and the order of service. Servers - the crucifer, acolyte, lector, ushers, greeters, doorkeepers, altar guild members, hospitality coordinators, and musicians - gather briefly in the narthex at 10:05am for a short prayer led by Deaconess Amy Smessaert before the service begins.
Holy Communion is celebrated regularly. Ushers direct the congregation to the front of the sanctuary as the Agnus Dei is sung, starting with the middle rows and then the sides. On the way out, members often pause at the baptismal font to remember their own baptism, and an usher will ring a single bell at each of three phrases during the Lord's Prayer - at "Our Father," at "Daily Bread," and at "Amen."
Worship is livestreamed each Sunday through the church's Vimeo channel and on Facebook Live. A current and previous Sunday worship folder is available as a PDF for anyone who wants to follow along or catch up after the service. Those who cannot attend in person can join online from a hospital room, a dorm across the country, or a living room on the other side of the world.
For members who struggle to hear, the sanctuary is now equipped with Auracast - a new generation of Bluetooth hearing assistance that does not require pairing. Four receivers with headphones sit in a recharging cradle below the slat wall at the back of the sanctuary. Anyone with Bluetooth 5.2 or higher on their own hearing aids or phone can tune in directly, and members using older t-coil hearing aids can borrow a neckloop from the pastors.
Music as an Integral Part of the Divine Service
Music at St. Peter is a ministry serving the Lord and His people, and the philosophy is clear: music is not the focus, but an integral part of the Divine Service. The Adult Choir leads the congregation in the liturgy and hymns each week, and the choir's membership is open to anyone - including teenagers - who wants to sing, regardless of prior experience. The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:30pm to 9:00pm in the upstairs Choir Room, generally from September through May.
Around the Adult Choir, the music program has grown in several directions. A Handbell Choir and a Children's Choir participate at different points in the church year, and small choral and instrumental ensembles often offer musical gifts in worship as well. Young pianists, organists, and instrumentalists are encouraged to step forward with their gifts.
Liturgical dance has its own home here. The liturgical dance choir's mission is to dance Christ crucified. The dancers move for God's glory and to help others know and understand God through visual expression of the liturgy, the hymns, and the Scriptures. Dance at St. Peter is treated as a form of worship in motion rather than performance, and members are welcome to join as they are able.
Anyone interested in singing, ringing, playing, or dancing is invited to talk with a choir member, a director, or an organist after worship. No audition is required; the only expectation is a willingness to be part of what the congregation calls the body of Christ "Gathered by the Cross."
Nurturing the Next Generation
Children and youth are at the heart of St. Peter's life. The church describes Sunday School as a partnership with parents in their vocation of Christian parenting. Three age-grouped classes move from toddler through the teen years, and the program shares the stories of Jesus and the wider Bible with the children week by week - the parables, the miracles, the great Old Testament narratives - so that children grow up knowing Jesus as a friend rather than a name on the wall.
The Young Families Group reaches out to families with small children, both inside the church and across the community. About twenty families participate, with five to ten usually attending any given gathering, and the group meets roughly every other month at someone's home or out in the city for an informal potluck or outing. Most of the families have children aged zero to thirteen; young couples without children are welcome too.
For older youth, St. Peter Youth - known as SPY - brings together juniors and seniors in grades six through twelve for Bible studies, retreats, youth gatherings, and service events throughout the school year and over the summer. Recent service projects have included helping with carpet installation and painting at the church, supporting the food pantry, and walking in the CROP Hunger Walk to fight hunger locally and globally. SPY members can also participate in the broader circuit of youth gatherings and the annual Prayer Partner program, in which adults commit to walk alongside a young person four times across the program year.
At the heart of the children's ministry stands Resurrection Lutheran Academy, a Christ-centered school owned and operated by the Michiana Lutheran Education Association under the doctrine and practices of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. RLA offers preschool through eighth grade, is accredited by the National Lutheran School Accreditation, and is currently in the middle of a capital campaign to expand its facilities for the next generation of families. Families interested in RLA can contact Principal Michelle Megyese through the school's office.
Adult Bible Studies and Small Groups
Sunday morning does not end at the sanctuary door. The Pastor's Study gathers adults at 9:00am in the Fellowship Hall under the leadership of Pastor Clark. Recent series have explored how to live as a confessional Lutheran within the wider Body of Christ - listening to other Christian traditions, examining specific Scripture passages together, and considering what direction the Bible offers for connection across difference.
Thursday mornings at 9:00am bring a women's Bible study to the Library Lounge in the narthex, led by Paula Ryan. The group works through a current book study together, talking about faith in the everyday language of friendship and shared life.
On the first and third Fridays of each month, the Friday Night Bible Study gathers in the Fellowship Hall with a meal at 6:30pm and a study from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. Studies move through books of the Bible - Ezekiel through the first of the year, then Daniel in the new year, with 1 Corinthians and Isaiah in recent years. Men and women are welcome, and newcomers can speak with John Schroeder or Mike Fonck to get connected.
These three groups complement the work of Stephen Ministry and the women's and men's service projects, and they are the backbone of formation at St. Peter for any adult who wants to dig into the Scriptures in the company of others.
Hands That Serve: M.A.C. Food Pantry, Braille Bibles, Quilts, and Cheeseballs
Outreach at St. Peter is mostly hands-on. The largest single commitment is to the Mishawaka Alliance of Care (M.A.C.) Food Pantry, which serves anyone in the City of Mishawaka who is in need of food. The pantry is housed and operated by Albright Church and opens every Tuesday evening from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and every Friday morning from 10:00am to noon. Volunteers from St. Peter are at the pantry on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, and every Tuesday the food collected at St. Peter is counted, weighed, and delivered to Albright for distribution. Donations of nonperishable food and money are welcomed year round; parishioners drop them in the collection box at the entryway, and an ongoing wish list generally asks for spaghetti, pasta, Jiffy mix, school snacks, and diced tomatoes.
Several service projects happen inside the church building. A Braille team assembles Braille Bibles in multiple languages, an effort that has produced copies of Galatians through Philemon and Exodus - among other books - in a single week at peak output. A Sewing Group partners with Lutheran World Relief to make Mission Quilts for those in need locally and around the world, with the team meeting on Tuesdays to cut squares, press fabric, sew fronts and backs, and finish the quilts. The Women of St. Peter tie the congregation together through a wide range of smaller projects - a Christmas Giving Tree, a Fiesta Chili Bowl, an Easter breakfast, College Boxes for college students before finals, Story Bags for children during worship, a reception for new confirmands, funeral dinners when needed, and meals for members who are ill or recovering from surgery. The women raise money for these projects with the congregation's famous "Lutheran Cheeseballs," which have been shipped and remembered as far away as Indianapolis and Florida.
The women also support a seminary student every year - staying with the same student through graduation - and work alongside the Lutheran Women's Missionary League. They sell Scrip for stores and restaurants, with the savings going into the General Fund.
Public school partnerships, suicide prevention and loss support, and Hannah's House for Moms round out the wider outreach. Members participate in the CROP Hunger Walk each fall with Church World Service, raising funds that go partly to local food pantries in St. Joseph County. Pastor Clark writes regularly about these efforts so the whole congregation can see where the prayers and offerings are going.
Stephen Ministry: One-on-One Care
Since 2015, St. Peter's trained Stephen Ministers have walked with members and neighbors through some of the hardest seasons of life. Stephen Ministry is a worldwide, biblically based, one-on-one lay ministry that pairs a hurting person with a trained Christian listener who is not a professional counselor or pastor. The Stephen Minister offers an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean or cry on, a heart to care, and a brother or sister with whom to pray - all in the strictest confidence.
Stephen Leaders at St. Peter - Mike Fonck, Vickie Hess, and Amy Smessaert - receive new requests and connect them with a Stephen Minister. One care receiver put it simply: My Stephen Minister made a huge difference in a difficult time.
What We Believe
St. Peter stands in the Lutheran tradition. The church is in fellowship with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and Resurrection Lutheran Academy operates under the doctrine and practices of the LCMS. Worship is liturgical and follows the historic pattern of Word and Sacrament. Baptism is celebrated by sprinkling or, for infants, by immersion, and the baptismal font in the sanctuary is kept filled with water during the program year as a regular reminder of baptismal life. Holy Communion is offered regularly to members, with the Lord's Supper administered during the Divine Service.
Faith formation at St. Peter is built around three rhythms: worship, Bible study, and servanthood. Members are encouraged to read the Scriptures in community - the Sunday Pastor's Study, the Thursday morning group, the Friday Night Bible Study, the daily devotional Portals of Prayer - and to live out what they read through the food pantry, the Braille Bible team, the quilt circle, and the Stephen Ministry. Theologically, the congregation leans into its Lutheran and LCMS heritage while remaining open to conversation with other Christian traditions; Pastor Clark's recent adult study series has worked through how to be a confessional Lutheran in friendship with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Reformed, Anabaptist, Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostal believers.
Leadership and the House on Dragoon Trail
St. Peter is led by Rev. Dr. Adam Clark as Senior Pastor and Rev. Bryan Borger as Associate Pastor. Deaconess Amy Smessaert serves the congregation in spiritual care and helps lead the Sunday Servant prayer each week. Renee Peggs keeps the office humming as Ministry Coordinator and publishes the weekly announcements and prayers that go out by email. The Mission Leadership Team and the Board of Elders share governance with the congregation at large; Chuck Ryan serves as Head Elder, and Brian Reedstrom leads the Mission Leadership Team.
The church office sits at 437 East Dragoon Trail in Mishawaka. Office hours run Tuesday from 11:00am to 3:00pm, Wednesday from 11:00am to 3:00pm, and Thursday from 10:30am to 3:00pm, with Mondays and Fridays held open for appointments. The pastors' day off is Monday. Anyone in the area - whether visiting once, moving to Mishawaka, or curious about the LCMS tradition - is welcome to come and see.