ABOUT
Our Mission
At LWF, we strive to be a caring community of Jesus followers joining together to pursue relationship with God and to allow Him to change us to be like Him. We are in process of working out our faith and realizing how it changes the way we interact with our world. We are open to every person regardless of where you are in your faith journey with Jesus. We invite you to join with us in our pursuit of God. Our dress is casual so come as you are and experience God’s presence, grace and love.
JIM AND BARB JOSEPH
LEAD PASTOR
Jim Joseph graduated from Trinity Bible Institute (1976) with a degree in Bible / Ministerial and Central Bible College (1977) with a degree in Bible. He has been in full-time pastoral ministry since then. Currently he also serves as ElderCare Chaplain for the Two Harbors Christian Ministerial Association and is also involved in many community organizations and activities.
Barb Joseph graduated from Central Bible College (1975) with a degree in Christian Education and Missouri State University (1977) with a BS in Elementary Education. She serves LWF as the Associate Pastor.
The Joseph’s have been married and actively involved in ministry since 1978. They have three grown children and three wonderful grandchildren. Pastor Jim’s favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Stephen Lawhead. He enjoys photography in his free time. Pastor Barb enjoys cake decorating and card-making. They both love spending time with their grandchildren.
What to expect
Each Sunday you will find a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with exciting, contemporary worship music and a practical, relevant message. Children are well-cared for in a loving, quality nursery and fun-filled service dedicated to children of all ages.
If you are visiting for the first time, we will not embarrass you, have you stand up, or ask you to give money. We know that many people want to check out the church and “be anonymous” for awhile—and that’s fine with us! Come in, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, and see if this is the church for you.
You’ll find everything from casual clothes to business suits at our weekend service. Come in what is comfortable for you, because church is not about what you look like or what you wear.
We believe the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives.
We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy. The Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man and is the only one who can reconcile us to God. Each time we partake of communion we remember Jesus lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.
We believe sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives. In order to receive forgiveness we must repent of our sins, believe in Jesus Christ and submit to His will for our lives. God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and powerful lives in order to help others more effectively. In order to live the holy, fruitful, and power-filled lives God intends for us, we need to be baptized in water, set our mind on Him and His purpose, and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe God has individually equipped us and corporately gathered us as His living body so that we can successfully achieve His purpose for our lives, which is to worship God, strengthen the Church, and share the Gospel with the community in which we live.
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised and will rule and reign on this earth. History will conclude as the wicked are judged and the righteous enter a new heaven and a new earth.
We are affiliated with the Assemblies of God, and their 16 Fundamental Truths.
Global Impact represents our faith community’s commitment to impacting the world around us in order to draw people into relationship with Jesus. Our unique vision looks to partner with “missionaries” bringing that message to people living in an area known as the 10/40 Window. The 10/40 Window represents an area of the world with the highest concentration of people groups that have never heard about Jesus. However, we also partner with “missionaries” impacting areas all around the world.
Currently, we support over 60 missionary families around the world. But, we don’t just give money to missions or missionaries. Every missionary and missionary family we support becomes part of our church family. We commit to pray, encourage, and support them long term. While we have many new missionary families and enjoy adding new ones, several have been with us for over 30 years.
When asked about the greatest commandments Jesus replied, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like the first, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” One way we strive love our neighbor, globally, comes by participating in Operation Christmas Child. OCC is a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that provides Christmas gifts to millions of children around the world who may otherwise receive nothing. We also partner with Convoy of Hope to help in relief efforts world-wide. We have assisted in building churches, Bible schools, orphanages, and senior citizen homes. Our children and youth give to help provide equipment, books, and vehicles for our missionaries.
Our God revealed Himself as a missionary God, seeking Adam and Eve after they sinned and broke fellowship with Him. Missions is essential to God’s plan and purpose and Christianity is a part of that great plan. The Bible describes Jesus this way. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save those who are lost.”