Services begin with a musical prelude and announcements followed by a moment of silence as we light the candles.
The order of worship follows a United Church of Christ service, which you can follow in the bulletin. You’ll be called to worship with a poem, psalm or prayer. The congregation participates in hymns and sometimes in responsive readings and prayers. The choir sings music chosen for the pastor’s theme. Each Sunday’s worship is centered around readings from the Bible, usually from the lectionary. (The lectionary is a calendar of Scripture readings shared by Christian churches around the world.) The pastor preaches a sermon based on these readings, or on a theme chosen for a special day such as World AIDS Day.
Every service includes a children’s story. During the school year, the children go downstairs to Sunday School. The exceptions are Christmas and Easter, when the children stay through the service, with special surprises to help them stay involved. During the summer, there is no formal childcare, Parents/guardians are invited to watch over the children.
We say the Lord’s Prayer together. We collect an offering during each service, which is used for the work of the church in the community and beyond. Offerings are completely at your discretion. We pass the peace of God to the people around us by saying “The peace of God be with you,” or simply, “Peace.”
We close with a hymn and the pastor’s benediction. Everyone is invited downstairs for coffee and socializing after the service.
Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month. It is open to all those who wish to know the presence of Christ and share in the community of God’s people. We serve regular and gluten free bread and non-alcoholic grape juice for the ceremony.
Baptisms…