Learn About St. John's
HOW TO FIND US
From the west follow Lincolnway/Highway 2 to Monroe St. Turn right on Monroe and travel south to Kingsbury Ave. The church is on the right.
From the east follow Lincolnway/Highway 2 to Monroe St. Turn left onto Monroe St. and travel south to Kingsbury Ave. The church is on the right.
From the north take Highway 35/Pine Lake Ave to Lincolnway/Highway 2. Turn left onto Lincolnway/Highway 2 and follow that to Monroe St. Turn right on Monroe and travel south to Kingsbury Ave. The church is on the right.
From the south take Highway 35/Indiana Ave to Kingsbury Ave. Turn right onto Kingsbury and follow to Monroe St. The church is on the right.
WHAT TO EXPECT
6:00 PM Saturday Evening Service
Meets in the church. The order of service is from the Lutheran Service Book and is printed in the bulletin The hymns are accompanied on the organ Communion services are on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays Dress is casual to semi-formal The service is about 1 hour in length.
8:00 AM Sunday Morning Worship
Meets in the church The service follows a liturgy that is printed in the bulletin, but is also projected on a screen Hymns and songs are accompanied on the organ and piano Communion services are on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays The service is about 1 hour in length.
Church Building Details A ramp to the church is located on the Kingsbury Ave side of the church. The main entrance is under the portico by the Monroe St. entrance There is an unattended nursery in the church basement There is a restroom located on the main level with additional restrooms in the church basement. There are steps up to the main worship area.
9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship
Meets in the school cafeteria The order of service is displayed on the screen and songs are accompanied by piano and guitar Communion services are on the 2nd, 4th & 5th Sundays Entrance is through the double doors closest to the parking lot Dress is casual Services are about 1 hour in length Bathrooms are located across the hall from the worship area There are no steps to the worship area but the hallway is long
Meet Our Pastors
Pastor Albers has been serving with the people of St. John’s as pastor since December, 2021. He previously served parishes in Valparaiso, Indiana, and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Prior to coming to St. John’s Pastor Albers worked to establish Ascension Lutheran Christian School to serve the children, families, and city of Gary, Indiana.
A gifted preacher and musician, Pastor Albers is working to build a vibrant and joyful worship life at St. John’s. He received his seminary education at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, as did his father and uncles before him and son after him. He did his undergraduate work at Valparaiso University.
Pastor John is married to Debra and have been blessed with the gift of four (4) adult children and one (1) grandchild. Debra serves as the Director of Student Engagement at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Illinois. Sarah is a Special Education teacher at Valparaiso High School. Paul is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. David (Emma) is a renovation contractor in Naperville, Illinois, where he and his spouse enjoy being parents for their one granddaughter, Petra. Hannah serves with the National Lutheran Communities and Services in Washington, DC.
In 2015 Rev. Albers also received a Master in Nonprofit Management degree through the School of Public Service at DePaul University in Chicago.
Rev. John M. Albers
Rev. Dr. Kendall Schaeffer
Reverend Schaeffer has served St John’s since 2017. Before becoming a pastor, he was a Director of Christian Education. While a DCE he served on the Youth Boards in the Northern Illinois District and Iowa District West.
Pastor Schaeffer earned the Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne. He has served churches in Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. He currently is serving as Circuit Visitor.
In November 2016, he earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Biblical Counseling from Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Seminary in Newburg, IN.
Meet Our Pastors
Rev. John M. Albers
Pastor Albers has been serving with the people of St. John’s as pastor since December, 2021. He previously served parishes in Valparaiso, Indiana, and Lake Charles, Louisiana. Prior to coming to St. John’s Pastor Albers worked to establish Ascension Lutheran Christian School to serve the children, families, and city of Gary, Indiana.
A gifted preacher and musician, Pastor Albers is working to build a vibrant and joyful worship life at St. John’s. He received his seminary education at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, as did his father and uncles before him and son after him. He did his undergraduate work at Valparaiso University.
Pastor John is married to Debra and have been blessed with the gift of four (4) adult children and one (1) grandchild. Debra serves as the Director of Student Engagement at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Illinois. Sarah is a Special Education teacher at Valparaiso High School. Paul is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. David (Emma) is a renovation contractor in Naperville, Illinois, where he and his spouse enjoy being parents for their one granddaughter, Petra. Hannah serves with the National Lutheran Communities and Services in Washington, DC.
In 2015 Rev. Albers also received a Master in Nonprofit Management degree through the School of Public Service at DePaul University in Chicago.
Rev. Dr. Kendall Schaeffer
Reverend Schaeffer has served St John’s since 2017. Before becoming a pastor, he was a Director of Christian Education. While a DCE he served on the Youth Boards in the Northern Illinois District and Iowa District West.
Pastor Schaeffer earned the Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne. He has served churches in Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. He currently is serving as Circuit Visitor.
In November 2016, he earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Biblical Counseling from Trinity College of the Bible and Trinity Seminary in Newburg, IN.
View our latest Worship Service
Who We Are
We are part of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Indiana District and believe, teach and confess the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord.
More information can be found here.
St John’s was founded in 1857. The original church and school were located on A Street in La Porte. In 1954 the church moved to its current location on the corner of Monroe and Kinsbury in La Porte.