Dear Friend,
If you're visiting this page, you've probably got some questions and you're looking for answers. We understand it can be hard to visit a church for the first time. You might ask yourself, "What's going to happen when I come in the front door?" "How will I know where to go and what to do when I get there?" "What will I do with my kids?" "What should I wear?" "What will the service be like?" All kinds of unknown factors can make church seem very intimidating.
With this section we hope to answer some of the questions you might have about our church before you visit. All of us at King of Kings truly hope to make your visit with us relaxed and enriching.
Above all, it is my greatest hope that when you visit King of Kings, you will hear about your Savior Jesus, and through his love you will find life eternal. Thank you for visiting our website and we look forward to meeting you as a guest of our church family very soon!
Yours in our Living Savior,
Pastor Jeremiah Gumm
Office: 407-628-5696
Email: jeremiah.gumm@visitkok.com
FAQS
WHEN DO YOU MEET FOR WORSHIP?
- Saturdays @ 6 pm
- Sundays @ 10 am (Also broadcast live @ Facebook.com/VisitKoK)
Family Bible Hour (September through May): 9:00 AM
Sunday School: For kids ages 3 years - 7th grade
ACTS Teen Class: For kids in grades 8-12
Adult Bible Study: All adults are welcome!
WHAT IS WORSHIP LIKE AT KING OF KINGS?
Every church has its own style of worship. We think you'll enjoy the services at King of Kings, but as in any church, you should expect to take a couple Sundays to become accustomed to our way of praising God and receiving God's gifts together.
Each week the service is entirely printed in the worship folder with references to our red hymnal for use during the service. We also put all text on screens at the front of the church. In the worship folder, you will also find a brief explanation of the worship theme of the particular Sunday. Occasionally there are also explanations of the different parts of the liturgy that we are using or unique aspects of the worship service. You are welcome to bring along your own Bible and follow along with the lessons if you choose.
Our worship services focus on readings from God's Word - the Bible. There we hear God speak to us. Music and singing are important parts of our worship as well. Loud or soft, in monotone or rich harmony, ancient or modern, all our praises are music to the Lord.
I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." - Psalm 122:1
Our worship services usually include the following parts in a variety of forms:
The Invocation - We begin worship in the name of our Savior God.
Admitting Sins and Receiving Forgiveness - We acknowledge that we have not been or done what God asks. Then we are assured of forgiveness in Jesus.
Bible Readings - We read selections from God’s Old Testament prophets, Jesus’ apostles, and from Jesus himself. Our pastor also gives a brief explanation of each reading.
Sermon - Our pastor offers instruction and encouragement in a Bible-based sermon for children and adults alike. Young or old, you can expect God’s guidance and grace through his Word for dealing with life's problems, as well as the promise of eternal life in heaven through our only Savior Jesus.
Response to the Word - We respond with confessing our faith and prayers for the things he has promised to us and for strength to do what he has asked.
Parting blessing - Before we return home for the week, we hear one last assurance of the Lord’s gracious care.
Throughout these different parts of our service, our God gives us gifts of his grace. In response, we praise him with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs from the entire history of God's Church.
During some services, our members partake of the Lord's Supper. King of Kings Lutheran Church (and all congregations of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) practice what is called "Closed Communion." For an explanation of this practice, please contact Pastor Gumm.
Our worship services use traditional forms, but modern language and application, and music from a variety of eras. This "blended" style of worship brings out the best of the ancient and modern. The ancient brings us the best from God's Church throughout the ages, while the modern brings God's promises and his will into our daily lives today. We hope you will enjoy both as we worship our gracious Lord together!
HOW SHOULD I DRESS?
You might wonder how you are expected to dress at a church you've never visited before. Since the Bible presents no dress code, except for simple decency and Christian humility, King of Kings doesn't make any rules either.
Like most people, our members try to make their worship time at church a special time. This is often reflected in the way they dress. Still dress is a personal matter of worship before God. One person may dress casually and rejoice that our gracious Lord accepts us as we are, while another may dress to reflect the awe and reverence we have for our Savior King.
On any Sunday at our church you may see running shoes and heels, jeans and suits, open collars and ties. When a person dresses out of love for his or her Lord, the choice of dress, be it casual or more formal, is acceptable to God and us.
WHAT ABOUT THE OFFERING?
"When will they take the offering?" "How will it be collected?" "How much am I expected to give?" "Do they want visitors to contribute too?" These are typical worries about church offerings, but God's Word teaches that our offerings to God should reflect our belief that all we have is his gift to us. It teaches us that with our offerings we worship and honor God.
Like most Christians, our members bring offerings to God through their church. Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one dictates what each person is to give. These offerings give them the opportunity to not only show love to Christ, but also to support the work of our congregation as we bring the Good News of Christ's love to more people.
We have an offering plate available near the inner entrance to our church so we may give our gifts to God. We use offering envelopes and encourage online giving to keep our gifts a private matter known only to the Lord. Now a child may bring the quarters and dimes his parents give him. Someone older may write a check. Both, however, remember Jesus and give their gifts out of love for him.
As our guest, we will not expect you to contribute an offering, nor do we want to pressure you into doing so. You may wish to learn more about our ministry before bringing your offerings to God through our church, but you are welcome to participate as your heart leads you to give.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT YOU'RE "LUTHERAN"?
King of Kings Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Our church body started in Milwaukee, WI in the 1850s.
The name "Lutheran" comes from the great 16th Century reformer, Martin Luther. At that time in history, the Church had lost sight of its Savior and the truth of his Word. To restore that truth, the Lord used Martin Luther to boldly challenge these errors and preach Jesus Christ as Savior. For this reason, we are proud to remember his work in bringing to light the truth of God’s Word by using his name to identify ourselves.
Our membership in the WELS unites us with like-minded Christians across our country and around the world, who share a common faith with us. This "synod" allows us to do jointly work we cannot do on our own. We pool our resources to do mission work at home and abroad, to train young people to serve in public ministry as pastors, teachers and staff ministers, and to put out publications such as hymnals, Bible studies, and other materials. Above all, we find comfort in knowing there are Christians throughout the world who share a common faith with us.
Our congregation and church body are solidly based on the Bible. We believe that Jesus is our only Savior and way to heaven. Through faith we are united to him and to each other.
If you want to know more about what we believe and practice, please be sure to contact Pastor Gumm to set up a visit!
A FINAL NOTE...
We pray that this Visitor's Guide has helped answer some of your questions and alleviate your fears. Our goals as a congregation are quite simple. We want to nurture our faith by the teaching of the Lord's pure Word and then to share that faith with people like you--all for the glory of God. Everything we do is meant to accomplish these goals. We pray that there is nothing that will stand in your way from learning more about your Savior.
Please do not hesitate to contact Pastor Gumm if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do for you! May our living Savior richly bless you and we look forward to seeing you sometime soon!
OUR STORY
At King of Kings, we call ourselves a family, because, through the grace of God, that is what we are.
We are first and foremost the family of God. God takes us, with all our baggage, our preconceptions, and our judgments. He washes us clean through Christ, and he adopts us as his children. That is why God’s family, his Church, is bigger than any one group or one church. It is global. It spans throughout history and time, and it connects us with spiritual roots so wide and so deep it will take us an eternity to soak it all in.
At King of Kings, we are also a church family. Like any family, we are comprised of real people with real hurts and real problems, but these do not define us. Instead, we trust in God’s extraordinary grace - his extraordinarily undeserved love shown in Jesus. This grace is transformative. It calls us to a profoundly new life, one that strives to love as Christ loved us:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
King of Kings has served the Greater Orlando area since 1967. Six other Lutheran churches in Central Florida have their roots here. For over 50 years, King of Kings has continued to grow and be a safe haven where people can find God’s Word taught clearly and skillfully and fellow Christians living out their faith.