About St. Paul's

St. Paul's Lutheran Chapel

Campus Ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at the University of Iowa

Teachings at St. Paul's

The mission of St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel is to proclaim Christ's love, be strengthened in faith, and be encouraged to live as Christians, so that God's people may be equipped to do His will.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's campus ministry to the University of Iowa. Our pastor, Director of International Student Ministry, congregation and students are active in sharing God's love for people in Jesus Christ with University of Iowa students, staff, and faculty members. We offer a variety of volunteer and leadership opportunities as well as social events; there are many ways to get involved.

With the universal Christian Church, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit
the holy Christian Church
the communion of saints
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Luther's Seal Being "Lutheran," our congregations believe and confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also believe and confess the three Ecumenical Creeds, namely the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian. We believe and confess that the documents contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 are in agreement with the one scriptural faith.

Worship

At St. Paul's, we use the traditional liturgy, cycling through the five orders of the Divine Service found in the Lutheran Service Book. It is called Divine Service because of the emphasis on the persons and work of the Triune God in the service. Services begin at 10:30 AM every Sunday and include the Lord's Supper. There's no particular dress code; wear whatever is comfortable. Sunday morning worship

About 10:15 AM or so, the ushers will greet people at the interior entrance to the Chapel. You can get a bulletin (worship service folder) from one of them. If there are no ushers present when you arrive, look for a stack of bulletins on the pew just inside the Chapel entrance.

Prior to the Divine Service most people gather in the student center until about 10:25 A.M. It’s a great time and place to meet people and get your questions answered before the service. Pastor Mons is usually at the interior entrance to the Chapel at about 10:20 AM. You can feel free to talk to him then or catch him beforehand if you see him. He’s pretty easy to spot: he’ll be the one in the clerical collar.

The atmosphere in worship is a little formal but always friendly! Please don’t worry about “making a mistake.” If you get lost just ask the people around you for help. They’ll be more than happy to lend a hand.

Communion

We ordinarily offer the Lord’s Supper only to those who are communicant members of a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod or of congregations which are part of a church body which is in altar or pulpit fellowship with the LCMS. The Scriptures teach that Holy Communion is to be a confession of a common faith (1 Cor. 10:17, Acts 2:42) and that those who are unprepared may even do themselves spiritual harm (1 Cor. 11:23-32). We do not hereby presume to question another’s faith in Christ, but hold this historic position out of love for God’s Word and in care for souls. Inviting all Christians to Communion would imply a oneness which does not yet exist but for which we must all pray. Even as we try to respect the practices of other Christian denominations so we ask others to respect our practice. Those who would like to discuss this practice at more length may make an appointment with our pastor to do so.

Each Sunday we have many visitors who are unable to commune with us. Many of them remain in the pew. Some, however, come forward to receive a blessing. If you wish to receive a blessing, please feel free to come forward. Please stand with your hands behind your back to indicate that you would like a blessing.

back to the top

Staff

Rev. W. Max Mons

Rev. W. Max Mons, S.T.M. was born in Middletown, New York on February 6, 1966. He holds a Bachelor of General Studies Degree concentrating in American History and Music History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1988).

Following college graduation, Pastor Mons worked for a campus Christian group at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He then went to work for the Neogen Corporation as a sales representative. He entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 1992 and holds two degrees from that institution: a Master of Divinity (1996) and a Master of Sacred Theology (2005).

His first call was to St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Luzerne, Iowa. He served there until July of 2001 when he accepted the call to serve as Campus Pastor at St. Paul's Chapel

In his spare time Pastor Mons enjoys playing trombone and handball. Pastor Mons and his wife, Christine, have four children.

Deaconess Angela Carriker

Deaconess Angela Carriker is the third of four children born to Gene and Deaconess Angie Carriker Doña Carriker. She and her siblings – Amanda, Anthony, and Andrew – were all born in Washington State and later lived in New Mexico and Kansas. Her family was active in their church community and her parents stressed the importance of serving others, arranging opportunities for the children to volunteer at local organizations. Deaconess Angie’s educational background is diverse. She attended Colby Community College in Kansas, earning an Associates Degree in Music and Drama. She then transferred to Bethel College, Kansas, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and enjoyed participating in choir, band, theatre, and ballroom dance.

Having completed her BSW at Bethel she found she had a strong desire to use her gifts and talents to serve the Lord in His Church. After praying about her options, she decided to enroll in the deaconess program at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Deaconess Angie completed her Deaconess degree and her Master of Arts in Theology in May 2009. While at seminary, Intern Angie sang in choir and was a member of the Student Senate, serving as the school’s first Deaconess Representative.

back to the top

History of the Chapel

St. Paul's Chapel St. Paul's Lutheran was established as an independent congregation in 1924. On December 7, 1924 Rev. Julius Friederich was installed as Institutional Chaplain, Missionary for the Iowa City area, and Student Service Pastor. He did the work of three men and history indicates that he did it well.

Also in 1924 the congregation purchased the current property at 404 E. Jefferson Street. After a few years, a combination Chapel, lounge and pastor's residence was erected for the cost of $35,000. This facility was dedicated on January 9, 1927. From there a small congregation grew and students began to call St. Paul’s Chapel their "home away from home."