Sunday School is on Sunday mornings 10:30 am - 11:15 am. Please see schedule for days Sunday School is scheduled.
We will be using the Whirl curriculum, a Bible-based curriculum for pre-kindergarten through grade six. Kids learn key Bible themes and stories through entertaining and theology-targeted Bible stories, which are also relevant to their lives. Learning is extended from church to home to engage with families with take-home learner leaflets that offer weekly opportunities to learn about how kids can put faith into action. We strive for the kids to have fun growing in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ through music, video, Bible lessons, activities, and prayer. We hope your family can join us Sunday mornings and see what it is all about!
Parents are always more than welcome to lend a helping hand with any part of the Sunday School program.
Vacation Bible School is an opportunity each summer for kids ages 4 through grades thru 6th grade. EVERYONE is welcome and inviting friends is encouraged, too! It is an awesome way for friends to connect during the summer for songs, games, Bible stories, crafts, and snacks! We will have an ending program at the conclusion of VBS.
Dates for VBS in the summer of 2025 will be announced in May 2025. Please check back for those dates and to register your child(ren) here below or stop by the church office.
Vacation Bible School Registration
Youth for Christ: Campus Life meets every Thursday from 4:00-5:00 PM. Campus Life leaders build relationships with young people to introduce them to Christ and seek to cultivate great moments of connection and community for young people. Through a holistic approach Campus Life helps students as they wrestle with critical issues. Leaders help young people realize a Christ-centered life that provides balance mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. This is open to ALL youth (grades 6-12).
Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO):
The Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) is an organization of high-school age young people who are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The LYO is a place where the voices of young people are lifted up in the church. This ministry happens through young people discussing and advocating issues of importance to them concerning faith, youth ministry, the ELCA, local communities, and the world. LYO has been involved in various activities and service projects such as Friday Night Lights (movie & game night following home football games), ski trips to Montana & South Dakota, making lefsa for Thanksgiving, making subs for Superbowl Sunday, serving the community by helping with different odd jobs and more. LYO is open to ALL youth in grades 6-12.
Women of the ELCA (WELCA)
WELCA meets every 2nd Monday of the month at 2:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall of First Lutheran Church. There are no meetings during the summer months of June, July & August.
This meeting includes a Bible study taken from the Gathering magazine. We have extra magazines at the church if you do not have a subscription. Following the Bible study we will have a short business meeting followed by lunch & fellowship. EVERYONE is more than welcome to attend these meetings. We hope that you will be able to join us.
Do you feel that you don’t know enough to participate in a Bible Study? Neither do the rest of us!!! That’s why we meet TOGETHER, to study together and help each other gain understanding of the role God has for us in this world; to gain an assurance of His extravagant love for us in Christ; to learn that we do not have to be Good Enough for God, only believe and accept the gift of His Grace in Christ’s Cross.
WELCA is an opportunity for service. Each year the WELCA sponsors a Spring Luncheon, which is a fund raising event, with the money going to church projects and a variety of charities. In addition, a number of ministries in the wider church are supported through the local donations. Women will be called on from time to time to provide food or work to serve the fund raising events, funerals and potlucks. Together we can do so much more than anyone of us can individually.
United in Christ ~ Together We Serve
First Communion
All of God’s people are welcome to our Lord’s table — it’s our Lord’s table, after all, and all are invited.
The norm is for baptized Christians to receive the sacrament, as this is a Christian sacrament that nourishes and strengthens faith in Christ. And it is the norm for Christians to receive instruction prior to first receiving the sacrament and to continue to reflect on and learn about the sacrament throughout their Christian life. First-communion class is held in the Spring and the recognition of those completing their First Communion instruction is usually late-April.
There is no minimum age for receiving this sacrament, the general rule is that children express an interest in receiving the sacrament and that they are able to sit through and participate in the worship service before receiving Communion for the first time.
We will keep you informed as to when this year's First Communion instruction will take place.
Confirmation
Confirmation Purpose (working statement): To, make the 5 Baptismal promises their own, to participate in the church’s mission, and to prepare to be an active adult member of First Lutheran Church.
Confirmation is a 3-year program, starting in the 6th grade. Classes follow the school year calendar and will begin in mid-September. After completing the three years of instruction and the requested requirements, students will be confirmed in May.
Classes are every Wednesday evening 6:00-7:30 PM. Supper will be at 6:00 followed by class at 6:30. As always, parents/guardians are welcomed & encouraged to stay. This class is designed to be a “short course” in Christianity, looking at redemptive history, creeds, sacraments, and what it means to experience a life-changing and ever-growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
For more information or to register your child(ren), please contact Minister Matthew at mrolfson@flcwc.church or (701)444-3244.
Outreach Ministries
Food Pantry
The McKenzie County Food Pantry provides free food assistance for individuals and families in the McKenzie County area. All income eligible McKenzie County residents are welcome. The Food Pantry is located in the lower level of the First Lutheran Church at 212 2nd Street NW in Watford City (on the east side of the building).
They are open:
The first Tuesday of every month from 5pm-7pm
The third Tuesday of each month from 2pm-4pm
For more info go to https://www.facebook.com/mckenziecountyfoodpantry/
Salvation Army
Mark Honstein from the Veteran’s Service Office and Pastor Barb from the Glory of the Lord Church run Watford City’s district Salvation Army.
They offer help with shelter, transportation, and safety. They direct people in need to Watford’s various ministries.
For more information, please call Mark at (701)444-6853 or Barb at (701)444-9220.
Bakken Oil Rush Ministries
The Bakken Oil Rush Ministry is a foundational, caring outreach that helps people in McKenzie County with things they are in need of through the Bakken Thrift Store. They also welcome donations. For more information, please go to https://oilrushministry.com/
Lutheran World Relief
Mission: Affirming God’s love for all people, we work with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice, and human suffering. The way we work is the most efficient, effective path that we have found to affect positive and enduring change. By building on the resources that exist in a community, our projects create sustainable development.
Our goal is always to identify local solutions to poverty that can be replicated and scaled up to reach an ever increasing number of people.
Altar Guild
A volunteer group of the church whose ministry is to care for the altar, vestments, vessels, and altar linens. Altar Guild members prepare the sanctuary for services by preparing the sacraments for Holy Communion, hanging the proper linens and banners and replenish the eternal candle. Anyone is welcome to join the Altar Guild, if you are interested, please contact Anne Beard.
Quilters
Our quilters meet every Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. They sew together quilts to go to the Lutheran World Relief, our high school graduates and to our newly baptized children. Please call the church office if you are interested in being a part of this worthwhile ministry.
First Lutheran Choir
The FLC Choir occasionally provides special music for Sunday worship. They also put together an annual Christmas Cantata, which they perform in December. Right now, Choir practices prior to worship when they are providing the special music that day. If you love music and would like to join a group of people who just get together and enjoy fun fellowship and making a joyful noise, please contact Caroline Schwartz at (701)770-7600.
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous holds meetings every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm in the Conference Room at First Lutheran Church. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a nonprofit program for recovering and active drug users. It is a fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. Members attend weekly (anonymous) meetings to help one another maintain sobriety. The primary purpose of NA is to build strong support groups and help members remain completely abstinent from drugs. The program is open to anyone who is addicted to drugs.
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