Lutherans by the Lake: Celebrating Faith, Serving and Inspiring People
We are a bilingual, Lutheran congregation serving the Canadian and German community in Toronto. We are a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and are partnered with the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD).
On Sundays, we offer worship services alternating between an English devotion at 9:45 a.m. and a German service at 11:00 a.m., or a bilingual German-English service at 11:00 a.m. (please see our website schedule for further details). Every Sunday we also publish a radio devotion in German on the multicultural radio station AM 530. Once a month, usually on a Wednesday at 7:00 pm, we offer Dinner Church – a less formal gathering with a potluck dinner, which has become popular with members of our local community. On Tuesdays and Fridays we run a Bowls & Blessings program from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, an outdoor food ministry where we serve soup and bread in front of the church.
We offer weddings, confirmations, baptisms, bible studies, an annual Christmas market, a Christmas play, and more!
We believe that Worship, study, and education are important to develop our personal faith. Our strong church community aims to support everyone as we grow our faith. We also believe that fellowship and times for gathering, whether to learn or simply enjoy ourselves, are important. We are a medium sized congregation that offers many opportunities for people to celebrate, serve, and be inspired! We are proud to have many excellent relationships with organizations and churches in the area. Martin Luther Child Care operates in our church buildings – while it is now a separate organization, it began as a mission of the church in 1970.
More About Our Worship Services
On Sundays, we praise God with prayer and song in German and English. We sing or listen to both traditional hymns and contemporary songs. We listen to the Word of God presented in the scriptures and the sermon. We bring our gifts to God and receive God’s gift of Holy Communion. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated twice a month, unless otherwise posted. Around the world, Lutheran services center around the Word of God and are energized through music, expressing faith in the language of the people.
About Lutherans
Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, after whom our congregation is named, was a major leader of the Protestant Reformation in the 15th-century Reformation. He is one of the major figures of Christianity and had a big impact on the development of Western Society, namely the introduction of democracy.
Films:
“Luther” (in English; German version on German page) https://youtu.be/C8x-mKwfc9k
A 2003 film about the work of Martin Luther by contributors Sir Peter Ustinov, Mathieu Carrière, Uwe Ochsenknecht and Joseph Fiennes, among others. During the early 16th century, idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation. -2 hours.
“Martin Luther” (in English, black and white) https://youtu.be/yvYZHZtNwLw
A 1953 biographical film about the life of German priest Martin Luther from 1505 and 1530 A.D., and the birth of the Protestant Reformation movement by contributors Irving Pichel (director), Niall MacGinnis (actor), John Ruddock (actor), among others. -1 hour and 45 minutes.
For a summary from an historical perspective see Encyclopaedia Britannica “Martin Luther: German religious leader” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther
and the Simple Wikipedia links:
“Martin Luther” https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther A German priest, monk and theologian, seminal figure in Protestant Reformation
“Lutheranism” https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranism The branch of Protestantism based on the teachings of Martin Luther.
“Ninety-Five Theses” https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety-Five_Theses Disputation by Martin Luther on indulgences
“Protestant Reformation” https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation Schism within the Western Christian Church in the 16th century