Campus Ministry Events
Regular (recurring) events
Worship at Trinity
Students are invited to join Trinity as she celebrates the Divine Service at 8:15 and 11:00 a.m. each Sunday. During Advent and Lent, Trinity also worships at 12:00 and 7:00 p.m., with a soup lunch at 1:00 p.m. and a soup supper at 6:00 p.m. (except on Ash Wednesday). Check the Trinity Calendar for information on the other festivals of the Church Year.
Bible Study at Trinity
An Adult Bible Study and refreshments are offered between the services (9:45 a.m.). For students with children, your children are welcome to join our Sunday School program (also at 9:45 a.m.).
Rides to Trinity
Rides to the 8:15am or 11am service can be arranged - please call the church office (650-853-1295) or send Vicar Preus an email.
"Table Talk" Bible Study at Stanford (Sunday Evenings)
The Vicar is holding a Bible Study on the Stanford campus. At 7:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings in the Seminar Room of the Stanford CIRCLE (3rd floor of the newly remodeled Old Union). It is easy to jump into the class if you have yet to attend. Come and bring a friend!
Current Bible Study
- "Lutheranism as a Confession" The truth of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners comforts us now and until our Savior's return. We are Christians. So why Lutheranism? We as Christians find the biblical truth faithfully presented in Lutheranism. It is our confession because Christ is our confession! Join us as we read and discuss "On Being a Christian: A Personal Confession" by Henry Hamann.
Previous studies have included:
- "The Book of Psalms" "What do the Psalms have to do with me? I don't live in Babylon! No one is trying to take my life!" Through the lens of the Lord's Prayer we are learning to pray the Psalms and make them our own.
- "On Being a Theologian of the Cross." How do we become theologians--ones who think and speak about God. Luther says "The cross alone is our theology." What does this mean? How does the Cross define how both the world and the Word shape our lives.
- "There's nothing minor about the Minor Prophets" The Minor Prophets, or the Book of the Twelve, were examined in the fullness of their Christocentric nature and how those preachers of the final days of Israel and Judah preach to us today.
Coffee / Lunch at Stanford
Join the Vicar at Stanford for a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and an informal discussion of the week's Scripture readings or whatever is on your mind. Contact the Vicar for schedule.
Retreats
Our group enjoys sharing weekends of fellowship and study, typically once in the Fall and once in the Spring:
Upcoming Retreats for the year:
Winter Retreat
- Students from area colleges will attend an annual ski retreat after the turn of the new year. If you are interesed in attending then let Vicar Preus know! He'll let you know the particulars when the information is available.
Spring Retreat
- Rumor has it that we are going to Yosemite National Park again this year! As we marvel at God's creation we will also surround ourselves with the uncreated and eternal truth of Jesus Christ. Time TBD.
Last Year:
Speaker series
Trinity Lutheran Church and her Stanford Campus Ministry regularly invite engaging speakers to speak on Biblical studies, Lutheran theology, and Christian vocation.
The following are some examples of presentations we have sponsored in the recent past:
Rev. Dr. James Bachman
Concordia University, Irvine
April 17-19, 2009
Rev. Dr. John Nordling
Concordia Theological Seminary
April 11-13, 2008
Rev. Dr. Nathan Jastram
Concordia University Wisconsin
May 18-20, 2007
Rev. Dr. Korey Maas
Concordia University Irvine
April 28-29, 2006
Rev. Dr. Steven Mueller
Concordia University Irvine
January 27-29, 2006
The Gospel for Those Broken by the Church
Rev. Rod Rosenbladt
Concordia University Irvine
April 29-30, 2005
Craig Parton
February 20-22, 2004
Greetings in Christ's Name! Welcome to the web site for the Stanford Campus Ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, California.
Status is often important in the life of a college student. We want to achieve a status of prominence rather than fall into obscurity. We desire dignity as we carry on in our daily lives. Life would appear meaningless if we were to live simply desiring a status and a dignity without ever receiving them.
But life is not meaningless. The promise God offers through His Son tells us this. What a comfort it is to know that there is no greater status you can obtain before God than being justified through faith in the merits of His Son. The promise of forgiveness is true. We who have gone astray to our own ways freely receive forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ's active work and suffering, and receive the status of those reconciled to God. God is not some unknown higher being to us. No, He has given us Christians even more than a status. He has given us our dignity. We are sons of God, adopted through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. We are righteous saints in God's eyes, washed clean in Christ's blood, and no one can take that dignity from us.
As Trinity's vicar for the 2009-2010 year, it is my pleasure to serve the students of Stanford University (and other colleges in the area). Please have a look at the web page and give me a call, drop me an e-mail, or look me up on campus! I look forward to getting to know you personally, to share in your experiences on campus, and most especially to partake with you in the blessings God gives us in his Son.
Peace in Christ,
Vicar Stephen Preus
