Plan a Visit

There are many ways to get plugged in at Sojourn East. If you’re new here, a great place to begin is by attending one or more of the cycle of events aimed at newcomers. Meet & Greets are informal events held quarterly, after the 11 o’clock service, where you can meet our pastors and staff and learn more about the church. New Member Classes are held over 2 consecutive weeks and cover the ABCs of becoming a member at Sojourn East. You learn about our beliefs, our ministries and meet some of our key staff and ministry leaders. GroupLink is another great way to get plugged in. It’s an introduction to community life at Sojourn East, where you meet other people looking for connection and learn how community groups work. After the two weeks session, you’ll have the opportunity to jump into a community group. 

In addition to these events, you should check out our What’s Happening page on a regular basis because it’s where you’ll learn about every event happening at Sojourn East. Finally, if you’d like to talk to someone on staff, fill out a connect card and our Connections Director will follow-up with you and help you get plugged in.

The easiest way to serve at Sojourn East is to fill out a Connect Card. You can do this in one of two ways. First, you can follow this link and fill out the form online, answering the questions on how you’d like to serve. Second, you can fill out one of the connect cards found in the pockets behind the chairs in the church auditorium and either drop it off at the Welcome Table or drop it in one of the giving boxes (just outside the auditorium or in the Atrium). Either way, someone will follow-up with you quickly.

At Sojourn East, we seek to share of the love of Jesus with people in our neighborhood, in the city at-large, and in countries all over the world. Here in Louisville, we do many things. In Windy Hills, our Mobilization team, led by Hilary Noltemeyer, has worked hard to build good relationships with those living near the church. We schedule neighborhood work days twice a year, where we send teams of church volunteers into the neighborhood to do anything from clean gutters, pull weeds and perform other tasks that some residents are unable to perform. We are currently working on ways to minister to the Spanish speaking community living in close proximity to Sojourn East. To date, we’ve done this through our seasonal markets that provide fresh produce and other foods that are sought after. In addition to this, we have our annual Affordable Christmas, which is a huge outreach effort that provides Christmas gifts and assistance to families in economic distress. One final example is a relationship we’ve built with the Chestnut Street YMCA, located in the inner-city of Louisville, where we supply volunteers to help with tutoring, as well as assistance in the form of school supplies and food.

Sojourn East is committed to the common good of Louisville, Kentucky and we are always looking for appropriate opportunities to step in and help.

Sojourn East is committed to helping people within our church, as well as others who reach out to us for assistance. We do this mainly through the work of a team of volunteer lay counselors. To learn more about what this looks like, follow the link to our Soul Care page. 

In addition to spiritual care, Sojourn East has a Benevolence Fund set aside to help those who are going through financial hardship. To learn more about this, follow this link. 

There are many ways to make friends at Sojourn East. First, you can show up to events, which can be found at our What’s Happening page. Next, there are community groups, which is a great way to enter into deep community with a smaller group of people. Another great way to make friends is to get involved with Men's/Women's ministry events. Whether it’s Bible Studies or more socially oriented events, it’s good to show up regularly and then, over time, start to build relationships with those whom you resonate. As you ease into life at Sojourn East, serving in one of our ministries is a great way to make friends, as you get to know the people on your team. One final way to make friends is simply show up on Sundays. Over time, you’ll talk to the same people and find points of common interest.

At Sojourn East, we put an emphasis on children, making sure that they are safe, having fun, and learning about the Bible. Sojourn Kids is the first stop, from toddlers to third graders. For fourth and fifth graders, we have Sojourn 45, which prepares them for the Middle School experience. 

Our Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers are encouraged to attend services with their parents, but we do have S2, our youth group for them. Middle School meets on Wednesday nights and High School meets on Sunday nights here at the church.

To become a member of Sojourn East, you must attend our two week New Member Class, which takes you through everything related to our church, from what we believe to how we’re governed to our many different ministries. At this meeting, you’ll also have a chance to share a little of your story. After that class, you’ll meet with one of our pastors. This is a chance to ask questions and for us to hear more of your story. Finally, at our next member meeting, you’ll be introduced as a new member of Sojourn East.

Yes. Sojourn East is a church plant of Sojourn Community Church, which was founded in 2000 in the Highlands (and over time, became Sojourn Midtown). Over time, Sojourn planted other churches around Kentuckiana: Sojourn J-Town, Sojourn New Albany, Sojourn East, Sojourn Carlisle, and Sojourn North. We are each independent, stand-alone churches, but we are committed to partnering together, sharing many deep friendships and a common goal of seeing our neighborhoods engage in a deep and redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sojourn East is an informal church, with no dress code. To answer the question, the most common pattern of attire here is dress casual. In the summertime, it’s not uncommon to see folks in shorts and Chacos on a Sunday morning. People here are friendly and love to catch up in the Atrium before and after services, which tend to run around 80 minutes.