| When you join us for a Sunday service, here's what you will experience: There are three buildings on the church property. The building at the rear of the property houses church offices and the children's activity room. The central building is our Fellowship Hall (also called Social Hall). The building closest to the street is our worship center. You'll enter this building at the side opposite the parking lot, through the narthex. Upon entering the narthex, there should be someone to greet you and hand you a copy of the church bulletin. If you're a first-time visitor, please sign our guest book. We also ask everyone in the congregation to wear name tags, so that we can address each other by name. Once you have your bulletin and name tag, proceed into the sanctuary. The first two rows on the left-hand side are typically reserved for choir members. Other than that, feel free to sit wherever you like. Typical Order of Worship GATHERING OF THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH MUSICAL PRELUDE This is the 10-15 minutes before service begins, when our accompanist plays classical piano music and we can center ourselves for worship. RINGING OF THE SINGING BOWL Our service begins with the chiming of a bell. We have a historic bell in the church tower, but it is no longer used. Instead, the pastor or a deacon will begin the service by ringing our portable "singing bowl." PROCESSIONAL HYMN Our acolyte, pastor, deacon and choir will process into the sanctuary while the congregation stands and sings a hymn. These hymns are typically found in the hymnals which are located in each pew. WORDS OF WELCOME The pastor or deacon will make a few brief remarks. INTROIT The choir will perform a musical selection to set the tone for worship. CALL TO WORSHIP OPENING PRAYER These are responsive or unison readings, found in your bulletin. The deacon will lead the congregation in these readings. The congregation stands during the readings. LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE PASSING THE PEACE The pastor will light a candle for peace, and then worshippers will greet each other with the greeting "peace be with you" and the response "and also with you." We exchange handshakes or hugs as well as the greetings. CHORAL ANTHEM The choir will perform another musical selection. CHILDREN'S SERMON As we sing "Jesus Loves the Little Children," children in the congregation come forward to enjoy a special message. Following the children's sermon, the children typically leave for The Ark children's program conducted by our Christian Education Ministry. OPENING TO THE WORD The congregation sings a short verse in preparation for hearing the scripture reading. SCRIPTURE READINGS A member of the congregation comes forward and reads selected passages from the Bible. Worshippers can follow along in Bibles which are located underneath the pews. SERMON The pastor provides a message based on the scripture readings. Click here for samples. HYMN OF RESPONSE The congregation joins in singing a hymn, again typically from the pew hymnals. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD'S PRAYER CHORAL RESPONSE The pastor leads a common prayer, then invites worshippers to share specific joys or concerns. Following each item shared, the congregation responds by saying "into your hands, O God." At the end of this sharing time, the congregation will recite the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) in unison. We use the version of the prayer with "trespass." After the Lord's Prayer, a short verse is sung in unison. RESPONDING TO GOD'S CALL The deacon will offer a brief reflection on the spiritual practice of donating money and time to sustain the church, then ushers will pass among the congregation and collect an offering while our accompanist plays piano. Church members typically make an annual financial pledge to the church. Visitors are welcome to contribute any amount. At the conclusion of the offering, the congregation stands to sing the doxology and hear a short prayer from the deacon. COMMUNION Communion (the remembrance of Christ's Last Supper) is taken once a month, typically on the first Sunday in the month. We celebrate an open communion, in which all adults and children are welcome to partake. You do not need to be a member of the church, or of any religious institution, to receive communion. Both wine and unfermented grape juice are offered, and you can choose from either wheat bread or rice cake. We typically receive communion by intinction ("rip and dip"), in which a piece of a common loaf of bread (or rice cake) is broken off and dipped into a common cup of wine or juice. The congregation repeats a short verse of song while each person is served. CLOSING HYMN A final selection from the pew hymnals, sung while standing. SENDING FORTH BENEDICTION Typically, various announcements will be made about upcoming events. Then the congregation will gather into a large circle and hold hands to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Finally, a short verse will be sung and the pastor will offer a final blessing. This service is almost always followed by a Fellowship Time (Coffee Hour) in the Social Hall, at which coffee, juice and snacks are served. This provides time for you to become more acquainted with other worshippers before leaving. Coffeehouse Sundays Several times a year (usually on the fifth Sunday in a month), we abandon the formality of the sanctuary and our typical worship service for an informal service in the Fellowship Hall. These services center around coffee and snacks, and feature an opportunity for anyone who wishes to share a thought about the day's message. |