Worship at First follows a traditional pattern that dates from the early church. It involves the whole person in the "worship of the people" (the "liturgy").

There is singing and responsive readings, prayers and greetings, candles and colorful pastoral garb, sitting ,standing and kneeling, words about the Word and an open invitation to the Lord's Supper, offerings and closing exhortations to go forth and serve the world.

Don't worry if this may be new to you. We all use a printed Worship Booklet to guide us through the service – with references to hymn numbers in the red hymn book (Evangelical Lutheran Worship), and other worshipers will happily help the newcomer.

A large-print version of the Worship Booklet is also available. Just ask the usher.

People of every walk of life are part of our community and our attire reflects that. Come as you are. You will see people in jeans, dresses, suits, shorts, high heels and flip-flops. (We are on an island!)

Following the Sunday worship service, we greet our fellow worshipers. We often assemble in the Parish Hall for coffee, light treats, and fellowship led by congregation volunteers. Please join us!

Worship is for all ages, and all are welcome!  Children are fully welcomed into worship, including a special time to come forward for the “Children’s Message” followed by Faith Formation during the service. 

Faith Formation is about 30 minutes and is a time where the children go upstairs and  learn and develop their relationships with God. We have two age groups for Faith Formation, K-2nd grades, and 3rd-5th grades which provide age appropriate faith development classes. The 6th-8th grade students stay in the sanctuary during this time for worship so they can make connections with their confirmation curriculum. 

During the service, if your little one needs some time for exploration, there is a Children's Worship Area located in the back of the santuary with activities and items to inspire their relationship with God and the church. A parent must be present with the child(ren) in this area, but it provides a space for the adults to be fully included in the service. 

Spark Boxes are also available in the Narthex to be taken into the service and used for the children to keep their hands busy and their hearts open. Please kindly return these items to their proper home at the end of the service. 

A staffed nursery is available for the younger worshippers. It is located in the hallway across from the restrooms by the Parish Hall. 

How wonderful! We rejoice that you are asking this question!  And, we want to help you in becoming a member of First.

Here is where to begin:

1. Come and be part of us exploring what First is like and discerning if First is the faith community that you are being drawn to become part of.

2. Speak to the Pastor about your interest in membership.

3. Participate in a new member’s class—these classes help those new to the congregation to better understand First.  If you are new to the Christian faith or have been away for some time, Pastor will invite you to a longer process of preparation to help you grow in your faith.

4. Church membership is a commitment to the Christian faith and to this faith community.  Such commitment includes  a willingness to worship, give, and serve to the best of one’s ability.

Contact the Pastor at 409-762-8477 to begin the process.

We emphasize God’s grace working through us, and have 2 central sacraments: Holy Communion and Baptism.

We practice Holy Communion (The Eucharist) as our chief form of worship every Sunday morning.

Baptism is the foundational sacrament which brings us into the Church. We are joined to the death and resurrection of Christ and made children of God.

Watch this 3 minute informative and entertaining video on how Luther ignited the reformation of the church and established the principles of freedom and grace of God on which we are based today.

About the Filmakers

Max Mönch and Alexander Lahl are Berlin-based documentary filmmakers, and Philipp Seefeldt is a Berlin-based animation artist. This video they produced and description they wrote were posted in the NY Times on February 6, 2018:

“We had to make a decision: Who, exactly, is our Luther? And can we boil him down to three minutes of film? It might have to do with our personal backgrounds in this country that we chose to talk about the Luther who invented freedom. We were able to get at the core of Luther’s concept of spirituality, which was all arranged around his idea of freedom. In the 16th century, God was an angry and punishing God, someone people feared more than anything else — especially because they were too weak to follow his commandments.”

“And this is where Luther comes in: Studying the Bible, he found something that uncovered the truth of who and what God really is. Luther conceived the idea of grace and concluded: Everybody can be saved! All you need is your own spiritual access to the idea of God and a strong belief. And by translating the Bible so that it could be read by the public, that is what Luther did: He set us free. If people could understand God by themselves without a mediator, they would be free to make up their own minds. Spiritually free. So, inner belief was born, and with it a new way to defy external authorities. Luther demonstrated such defiance himself, challenging the pope and the emperor.”

First Lutheran is located in Galveston, Texas. The island has limited parking, but free street parking is available on the north, east, and west sides of the church building. Additional parking is available in a lot located on the south side of the building. This is the wheelchair accessible entrance. 

We are a historic church and have stairs in many areas of the church. There is an elevator and accessible ramps throughout the building. 

The main office is in the old Parish House building and can be entered during business hours (M-Th from 9-3) through the black gate off Winnie Street. Please ring the Ring Doorbell and someone will let you in. On Sundays, please enter through the large double doors by the sanctuary of Winnie Street or through the accessible entrance in the back of the building. Fanfare Lutheran Music Academy students and families may use the entrance by the gazebo. 

Sunday services start at 10:00am and usually run about an hour. We have Holy Communion at every service unless otherwise stated. 

We have Faith Formation for children K-5th grade during the service for about 30 minutes. There is a nursery with trained staff during the service as well.