Abiding Faith Lutheran Church Pinehurst

My family and I have visited Abiding Faith Lutheran Church a few times and I must say that this is a great place to hear the Word of God preached.
It’s true, as Fred J. points out, that in order to receive the sacraments, you must be a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). This is because at Abiding Faith, they take the sacraments seriously and believe that if you’re going to take communion, you should probably have a common understanding of what is taking place. Closed communion is the practice of the wider Wisconsin Synod, not some strange practice within this particular parish and I’d encourage you to keep everything in perspective. You don’t go to KFC demanding pizza and you shouldn’t attend a WELS church expecting to take communion without being a member (or at least discussing it with the Pastor ahead of time).
I’m not entirely sure what Fred J. was hoping to be able to do if he «gave money and agreed with everything they had to say.» Everyone is welcome to attend worship, is granted the opportunity for confession and absolution of their sins, hear the Word of God preached faithfully, and even have a cup of coffee afterward (or is it before, I don’t remember). All of this is free of charge, what more could you ask for? That being said, they will pass a plate to collect an offering from their members to support their ministry (to my knowledge, this is a pretty common practice within the church). As a guest, you are not obligated to give anything.
The Pastor and his family are all wonderful individuals and I’m not entirely sure how someone would get the impression that they are unfriendly (though everyone is entitled to a bad day, after all, Jesus came for us sinners right?). He does have a large family and yet, he is very generous with his time (even to visitors like me). The members of this congregation are a tightly knit community of believers (which, admittedly can be intimidating) but are extremely welcoming to new faces. My wife and I were greeted by members at every turn and I definitely felt at home in this church.
If you’re looking for a good church home and want to hear the Word faithfully preached every week, I strongly recommend Abiding Faith Lutheran Church.

Don’t know what Fred J. was referring to. My wife and I started attending this church in April 2013. The Word of God is preached faithfully here. Never felt pressure to tithe although we tithe regularly. My conviction is that a person’s tithe is to God. The Church is the Body of Christ here on earth. The organized church congregation as manifested in denominations, many times represented by a physical building, provides us a vehicle of giving back to The Lord that which is His already. Scripturally, God ask’s for 10%. He doesn’t ask for 90%, He asks for 10%. Since He already possesses it all, is it possible He is looking at your heart in this matter? The question of tithe is always sensitive and personal and is ultimately a matter between you and The Lord.
Pastor has a large family but not the number Fred cited, and really now, what’s Fred’s point? Seems like a judgmental comment to me that Fred makes as he goes on to talk about non judging. With the exception of ELCA, Lutheran LCMS (Missouri Synod) as well as WELS (Wisconsin Synod) are conservative bodies of the Lutheran denomination of the Christian Faith. We believe that the Bible is the true inspired Word of God. In communion, we believe that the presence of Christ is present through, with, and under the elements of the bread and wine. If Fred has been Lutheran all of his life then I would think that he would be familiar with the position of taking communion within these denominations of the Lutheran church. The pastor is available to answer questions on the sacrament of communion within the Lutheran (WELS) church, just ask. This church as with any church, is full of sinners, I being chief among them, We are all sinful from birth and in need of our Savior, Jesus Christ. If you desire a sinless church, I am afraid that you will have to wait until we are home and free from this world, resting in the arms of our Savior. What’s the point? We all struggle with the burden of sin which manifests itself many times by not being welcoming to strangers. It’s a struggle everyday in life and not just in church. Forgive us Fred if you were not made to feel welcomed.
Your brother in Christ,
MO

I have the Lutheran my entire life and I’m 50 years old I went to this church met the pastor and his 8 to 10 kids his wife in the congregation was very unfriendly it felt more like a cult church you couldn’t take communion if you want to member you couldn’t do anything unless you gave money and agreed with everything they had to say it was shameful that a church says they’re Christians and they treat you like Your know One I pray that God reaches them because Jesus was with sins Whores and prostitutes the sick the elderly everyone this church believes there above all and it’s not willing to help anyone but themselves if you were not a member of this church you were not welcome again hits eight Colts not a church