About Us

We dedicate ourselves to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to prepare for outreach and service, and to respond to human needs.

Statement of Belief

Lutherans believe in the Triune God. God created and loves all of creation, the earth and the seas and all of the world’s inhabitants

We believe that God's Son, Jesus Christ, transforms lives through his death on the cross and his new life, and we trust that God's Spirit is active in the world.

We are part of God’s unfolding plan. When we gather for worship, we connect with believers everywhere. When we study the Bible or hear God’s word in worship, we are drawn more deeply into God’s own saving story.

The convictions shared by Christians from many different traditions are expressed in statements of belief called creeds.

These ecumenical creeds that Lutherans affirm and use in worship confess the faith of the church through the ages and around the world.

 The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America .

First Evangelical Lutheran Church is led by the Church Council, a body of seven elected confirmed members.  The council elects a President and Vice President and chooses a treasurer, secretary, and financial secretary.  The Council is charged with overseeing the ministry of the congregation.

The Church Staff includes the Pastor, Church Secretary, Choir Director, Music Director, and others as the congregation and Council may decide from time to time.

The congregation meets at least twice a year, once to elect Council members and a second time to approve the budget.  Other business is also conducted at these meetings.

First is connected in various ways to many other ministries.  As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America we are also part of the Southern Ohio Synod and a member of its Dayton Conference.  We support Graceworks Lutheran Services, the Lutheran School of the Miami Valley, Osterlen Home for Youth, Xenia’s FISH food pantry, the Caring Place feeding ministry, Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Hospitality Network, and the Red Cross Shelter.  We are members of the Xenia Area Association of Churches, and the Pastoral Counseling Center Covenant Society.  Our members participate in many  other church and community service organizations and projects.

Your prayers and participation are invited and encouraged in ministry as you sense God’s call and direction to apply your gifts and talents.

As Lutheran Christians we affirm that we are justified by grace through faith.  In other words, salvation is the gift of God’s love , through Jesus Christ, apart from any achievement or quality of our own.  Through Baptism, God joins us to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the source of that salvation, and calls us into ministry in Jesus’ name.  In Holy Communion, God strengthens us for that life of ministry, and through the Holy Spirit keeps us trusting in God’s gracious love, so that we may serve faithfully .

In response to God’s gracious love, “we offer with joy and thanksgiving what God has first given us:  ourselves, our time, and our possessions,” to bear witness to Jesus Christ in word and deed.  In this ministry, we recognize that our response is not only in our congregation, but also in our family, in our community, and in the whole world that God Loves.

As stewards of God’s gifts we dedicate ourselves through worship, prayer, service, and witness to support this ministry God has given us.