Our mission is best expressed in the hymn, The Church of Christ, In Every Age by Fred Pratt Green
The church of Christ in every age, beset by change but Spirit-led,
must claim and test its heritage and keep on rising from the dead.
Across the world, across the street, the victims of injustice cry
for shelter and for bread to eat, and never live until they die.
Then let the servant church arise, a caring church that longs to be
a partner in Christ's sacrifice, and clothed in Christ's humanity.
For he alone, whose blood was shed, can cure the fever in our blood,
and teach us how to share our bread and feed the starving multitude.
We have no mission but to serve in full obedience to our Lord:
to care for all, without reserve, and spread his liberating word.
As Christians, who happen to be Lutheran, we believe in a gracious God
who loves all of creation.
We believe that God is more than we can know or imagine -
beyond our language - beyond our metaphors.
Still we trust that we will meet this God every day in the ancient story,
in the bread and wine, in the sea and sky, and in one another.
God's love for us is unconditional and by God's grace we are saved.
So we get to live our lives in freedom, practicing what it means to be hopeful,
practicing what it means to love our neighbor,
practicing what it means to live a holy life.
And we believe that God gathers us - as messy as we are - and calls us into community,
asking us to be the church for the sake of this broken world.
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is our past, our present, and our future.
Pastor Matt Simpkins grew up at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Franklin, TN
and served on the staff at Lutheridge while in college at the University of Tennessee
where he earned a B.A. in Speech Communication and Organizational Development in 1998.
After working in recruiting and sales for a few years for Aerotek in Nashville,
Pastor Matt answered the call to ordained ministry and graduated in 2006
with a Masters of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina.
During his four years at Faith Lutheran Church, Pastor Matt was instrumental in starting a 2nd campus
and bringing a new format and energy to their non-traditional service.
He has served for several years on the AFFIRM staff providing worship leadership.
AFFIRM is the Southeastern Synod’s summer camp for 6-12th graders.
Pastor Matt also serves as Campus Minister at Lutheran Campus Ministry in Atlanta,
which serves students at Agnes Scott College, Emory University, Georgia State
University, and Georgia Tech. Pastor Matt’s wife, Melody, is an Associate
in Ministry (AIM) serves at Redeemer as their Minister of Spiritual Formation.
For more information about campus ministry, check out www.gracepeople.org.
Melody and Matt have two sons and live in Decatur.
Matt also plays with the music group STARBOARDERS, thinks Jack Bauer is the man,
doesn't know how to knit, and used to go to the rodeo with Waylon Jennings.
Check out his music at www.STARBOARDERS.com.
Worship is a completely different experience at HOTR.
It is Word and Sacrament in the language of the people of Midtown.
It's an alternative worship experience in the heart of midtown.
Come as you are, open to worship and to be in a counter-culture space and time.
Bring your brokenness, your doubt, your need for direction, for forgiveness and for grace.
As Christ's body in the world, we support our worship with service. We invite
you to serve every day of the week in food for homeless and other ministries.
Come to hear Good News. This is God's time.
Every Sunday, House of the Rock worship starts at 11:00am!
How often do you have Communion?
Every week! We invite all who seek to meet the Risen Christ in the bread and wine
to receive Holy Communion as part of weekly worship. We welcome
children, youth, and adults of all ages at the table to receive communion.
If you are unable to come forward for communion, please let us know and we will bring it to you.
Gluten free wafers are available.
We’ve put together Activity bags and Beginner’s Bibles to help kids stay engaged
during worship while keeping their hands busy. And just like for the adults,
there are snacks, community, and lots of good music!
What if my kids get restless during the service?
That’s okay! We hope the quiet bags and Beginner’s Bibles we provide will help keep their interest,
but we know everyone has bad days. If they get too restless,
encourage them to get up and walk around - maybe get a snack or a drink of water.
We also have access to the nursery going on our campus. You can drop off the little ones there if you'd rather. However, know that children are WELCOME in worship!
What's available for my teenager?
We encourage teenagers to participate at HOTR in all the ways we encourage adult participation.
Teenagers are welcome to participate in service opportunities, weekly Bible study, small groups,
and anything else we have going on at HOTR.
Specific youth group activities are available here.
We offer time during many of our worship services for prayer in community –
where we break up into small groups of 2-4 people and pray with and for one another.
If you would like individual prayer, Pastor Matt is available after every service for personal prayer
and any member of the HOTR staff would be more than happy to pray with you before or after worship.
If you need prayer during the week, feel free to contact Pastor Matt at any time.
What about tithes and offerings?
We believe offering our gifts and talents to God is an integral part of worship at HOTR.
Many of us know, firsthand, how God fulfills God's promise to bless us
when we are faithful with our time, talents, and finances.
We encourage anyone who considers HOTR their church home to follow the practice of giving
10% of your income back to God. If you're visiting, we want you to be blessed
by the worship gathering and to give as God inspires you.
You can give to HOTR in the Sunday offering or by making a one-time donation or
setting up automatic online payments (simply put “HOTR” in the “Other” category).
What if I want to be baptized?
Wonderful! We celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism for any infant, child, teenager or adult
who has not previously been baptized. Baptism is how God claims us as children of God, clothes us
with the righteousness of Christ, and seals us with the Holy Spirit
so we can go out and share Christ with others.
To schedule a baptism, contact Pastor Matt or
another member of the HOTR staff.
View Larger Map
We rock out in the basement at Redeemer Lutheran between 3rd and 4th St,
three blocks east of the I-75/I-85 expressway through the center of Atlanta.
We are one block north of the Fox Theatre on the opposite side of Peachtree Street.
If you take the MARTA rail system, get off at North Avenue, exit at the north end,
turn right on 3rd St, go one block to Peachtree Street, and you'll see the building on the left.
It's a 3 minute walk!
Free parking is available in the 4th street parking lot. Come up the ramp and take a left around the building on the left. We are located int eh FIRESIDE room that opens to the back lower parking lot. NOTE: We are not located in the large building of Redeemer, but rather under the Mission House.
Any other helpful tips for my first visit?
Worship at HOTR is casual. We encourage you to come as you are and dress comfortably.