MISSION

Our History

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In 1942, the Spirit of God was at work even before our church was formed. The Depression was over, work abounding, however, few people had cars to take them out of the small community of Gray Manor.

The first services and Sunday School was held in a small U.S.O. building on Parkwood Road. On Good Friday 1943, even before the street was completed, services moved to the remodeled farm house at 212 Oakwood Road, our current location. On February 2, 1947, 40 persons signed the church charter thus forming First Lutheran Church of Gray Manor. These 40 persons had passed, however, our current congregation consists of some of their 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations. On January 29, 1950, ground was broken for the first unit of our church. About 90% of the work was donated by members and friends of the congregation. The Dedication was held on Sunday, April 29, 1951.

“In the beginning was the Word, The Word was with God, and the Word was God, he was with God in the Beginning” John 1:1,2. And so it was, is and will be forever.

Our Values

We are a church centered on the unique Gospel of Jesus Christ, animated by missions and evangelism, grounded in the 2,000 year tradition of Christian faith, and organized chiefly to serve our congregations.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Gray Manor is a church family committed to the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. In keeping with the Lutheran Confessions, we believe all doctrines should and must be judged by the teaching of Scripture. First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Gray Manor has embraced four core values of the NALC which shape our common life:

Christ-Centered

We confess the apostolic faith in Jesus Christ according to the Holy Scriptures. We affirm the authority of the Scriptures as the authoritative source and norm, “according to which all doctrines should and must be judged” (Formula of Concord). We accept the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran Confessions as true witnesses to the Word of God.

Mission-Driven

We believe that the mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel and to make disciples for Christ. We believe that making disciples — in our congregations, in our communities and nations, and around the world — must be a priority of the Church in the present age.​

Traditionally-Grounded

We affirm the ecumenical creeds and the faithful witness of the Church across time and space. We endorse the form and practices of the universal Church that are consistent with Scripture, particularly the office of the ministry and the tradition of worship under Word and Sacrament. We seek dialogue and fellowship with other Lutheran churches and with faithful Christians of other confessions.

Congregationally-Focused

We strive to be a church that is organized to facilitate the ministries of local congregations in a posture of servant-hood and a spirit of partnership, through the provision of resources, connections and information.

The Wood Cross Ministry

Men in mission Wood Cross ministry mission statement:

Our mission is to share the love of God and the joy that it brings.  We provide a symbol of our faith and a constant reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us and our salvation.  It also provides for us the opportunity for us to declare our own faith to others.  More importantly we can share the joy that it provides each day.

The Rest of the Story
Note: The normal order of development for a major project does not fit with the “wood cross ministry.”

The wood cross ministry grew from a simple gift from Pastor Wallace at the 2007 men’s retreat. He presented each man with a plain wooden cross and the instructions to “do something with it.” Little did he or any of the men realize that he just planted the seed for the wood cross ministry. No meetings, no plans, no goals but the seed was planted.

I was one of the first to finish my cross and after sharing it with the men I finished a few for some of them. The request for more came from family and friends. The request continued to grow, and we had workshops to keep up with the demand. Somewhere in the middle of all of this our men’s group declared it as our “program of work” and gave it the name of “the wood cross ministry”.

Our ministry continued to grow as family and friends would send crosses to their family and friends. We were amazed of its growth from the seed set by Pastor Wallace in 2007. With the return of thank you cards and other mail we discovered that we had crosses in all 50 states and 46 countries.

As we continued our ministry, we realized that it was paying for itself. The crosses are always given as a gift and never sold. However, the donations we receive have covered all of our costs.

At this point this ministry has reached out to 27,000 people around the world. Not by a meeting or the plans of a man but by the Grace of God. We believe that he used Pastor Wallace to plant the seed. He has used our men to manage its growth. We are privileged and we are blessed to be part of HIS plan. These crosses have circled the world 3 times, and we will continue His work as long as we are able.

Thanks be to God

Our Faith

THE TRIUNE GOD — FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT.

Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.

  • Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.
  • The proclamation of God’s message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
  • The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by the Holy Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them the Holy Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.
  • The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith and life, “according to which all doctrines should and must be judged.” (Formula of Concord, Epitome, Part I)

The Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the faith of the Church.

The Unaltered Augsburg Confession as a true witness to the Gospel, acknowledging as one with it in faith and doctrine all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.

The other confessional writings in the Book of Concord, namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles and the Treatise, the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further valid interpretations of the faith of the Church.

The Gospel, recorded in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the ecumenical creeds and Lutheran confessional writings, as the power of God to create and sustain the Church for God’s mission in the world.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Gray Manor honors and accepts The Common Confession (2005) as a summary of teachings otherwise affirmed in the Lutheran Confessions.

Our Weekly Bible Study

 Meets Thursday evenings at 6:30pm

Our Mission:  To study, reflect, and discuss the Scriptures in order to grow deeper in faith, encourage spiritual growth and apply the Word of God to one’s life.