What our Sunday Worship is Like
A Message from the Pastor

I know from personal experience that one of the most awkward, even scary, things a person can do is to walk into a church they've never been to before. You don't know the drill. You don't know all the stuff that "everybody just knows," and doesn't need to be told. You feel like everyone in the place is staring at you. You worry that you're going to sit somewhere you shouldn't. It can feel odd, I know, and I congratulate anyone who does it for their bravery.

Maybe you're thinking about joining us for worship some time, and you've never been to a Presbyterian church before - or maybe any church, for that matter. That's okay. To help make your visit a little less intimidating, here's a run-down of what you can expect. 

First, Some Basic Information

a.) Parking is available immediately adjacent to the church.

b.) The facility is accessible to people with disabilities.

c.) Child care is provided during the service in the Youth Wing. If you come into the building through the side entrance, it's just to your left (the restrooms are there, also); and the sanctuary is to the right. We think that it's important that even small children get some exposure to the worship service, so we ask that toddlers come along with the parents for the first portion of the service; then they'll be excused to come over to the youth wing at the appropriate time. If you have an infant that needs childcare, contact one of the ushers just inside the doors to the sanctuary and they will make sure you're taken care of.

Here's a plan of our facilities, showing you the parking area, entries, and where you can find various things within the building:

Our Worship Style

One thing that a lot of people want to know is "What's your worship style? Are you traditional, contemporary, or what?" Overall, our service is pretty traditional. But on any given Sunday, the service may also include some informal or contemporary elements, occasional multimedia presentations, sermon illustrations, or video clips.

What Should You Wear?

Some people feel that it's a sign of respect for God to dress more formally for church. Others feel that God is present at all times, regardless of dress. In truth, both views have merit. On any given Sunday in our church, you'll see a mixture. Most attendees wear "business casual" attire. Some wear suits. Some wear jeans. On Sundays after the big game, you might see a college sweatshirt or two. Our building is air conditioned, but in the summers, kids often wear shorts (adults could do the same, if they felt like it). The idea is to dress comfortably and modestly, and with an eye toward respecting others who might have different views about churchwear.

Now, On to the Nitty-Gritty...

Our worship service follows a sequence that is pretty much the same each Sunday - in fact, it's pretty typical for almost any Presbyterian church. We call this sequence the "Order of Worship." Some denominations call this their "Liturgy;" it's really just another name for the same thing. The Order of Worship is printed in a bulletin that you can follow just like a concert program. When you first walk in, there's generally going to be an usher standing by the entry, who will greet you and hand you a bulletin. If the usher isn't right there, the bulletins are typically sitting on the back pew right inside the side entry to the sanctuary, or on the small table near the front entry. You can see a sample of a bulletin a little further down on this page.

Every Sunday worship follows four basic "movements," if you will. These are 

The Gathering -  We come together to worship God communally as a church family.
The Word - We hear God's word to us through the scriptures and the sermon.
The Eucharist - We give thanks for God's goodness and rededicate ourselves to God's service; and 
The Sending - We prepare to go back out into the world and our day-to-day lives.

Simple enough, really. Here's what goes on during each of those parts of the service.

The Gathering

During this portion of the morning, I'll welcome everyone and make whatever general announcements need to be made. Immediately after that, as a congregation we'll recite the "Call to Worship." This is printed in the bulletin, and it's usually a small snippet of scripture that praises God and calls people to come together to worship.

Right after that, we'll sing a hymn. The actual hymn number is printed in the bulletin, and it's also on a signboard on the wall just to the right of the pulpit. This hymn is specifically one that praises God, and we generally stand for it. The organist will usually play through one verse of the hymn, so everyone has a feel for how it goes, before we actually begin singing. Just as the organist is coming to the end of that once-through, I'll gesture for everyone who is able to stand to sing the hymn. Honestly, most of the regular attenders are so used to just standing up at the appointed time that my gesture is almost unnecessary, but I do it anyway. So there.

As soon as we've sung this hymn, we remain standing (the little asterisk next to the items in the bulletin indicate things we do while standing) and as a congregation, we publicly confess our sins by reciting a Prayer of Confession. This is one of those things that you'll find in a Presbyterian service that doesn't happen every week in many other denominations. Some others do it, but it's definitely a very Presbyterian thing to do. The Prayer is different each week, and if you're really on your toes, you'll notice that there are usually aspects of that prayer that tie in to the scriptures we'll read in just a bit, and the sermon that follows.

After we've recited the Prayer of Confession, there's always a brief moment for us to confess our sins, in our own way, silently. After that moment of silence, there's a very short "Assurance of Pardon," printed in the bulletin, that we recite together.

At the end of the Assurance of Pardon, I'll usually say something very similar to "Friends, I assure you that in Christ Jesus, we are forgiven!" (in fact, most often I say exactly those words.) And on that cue, the organist will begin playing a very short, and very ancient, traditional song of the Christian faith that we'll all sing together, called the "Gloria Patri." This is a Latin term that just means "Glory be to the Father," and by the strangest of coincidences, those are the first words of the song. We sing this song as a response of thanks for our having been forgiven by God for our shortcomings and failings. In other words, it's a happy song! It shouldn't be sung like we just heard that our favorite pet had died.

This might be the first part of the service where you feel like you have to know some secret code to be part of the worship - but relax. In the past, most Christians knew the words to the Gloria Patri by heart. Many still do, and I'm pretty sure all of our regular attenders do. But if you don't, don't panic - the words are always projected on the screen directly over the pulpit, so you can join in the song just as if you've been singing it for years.

Just for the record, the words to the Gloria Patri are:

Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was int he beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be.
World without end,
Amen, Amen!

See, I told you, it's really very simple. Even if you've never heard it before, you'll sing it like a pro by the second or third time.

Right after this comes a little bit of controlled mayhem - otherwise known as the "Passing of the Peace." After we've sung the Gloria Patri, I'll say something like, "We are forgiven in Christ. And just as Christ has forgiven us, let us forgive one another, through the passing of Christ's peace - may the peace of Christ be with you!" (some congregations would respond, "And also with you!" but for whatever reason, our congregation doesn't - it's just their thing). In any case, once I've said that, everyone in the congregation will move around in the sanctuary greeting each other. The customary greeting is to say "Peace be with you," "Christ's peace," or something similar. To be honest, most of the congregation just wishes everyone a simple "Good morning!" as they mill around the sanctuary, and that's just fine, too.

As a visitor, this is when you'll get lots of warm welcomes and some small talk from our regulars. Don't worry, none of them bite, at least as far as I know. Just join with the crowd. Also, I know that many people have concerns, particularly during cold and flu season, about spreading germs by shaking hands with all those strangers. If that's a concern, don't worry, no one will look at you strangely if you want to use a little antibacterial hand sanitizer after the passing of the peace. A number of our longtime members do this, and I usually try to do the same just before administering the Lord's Supper, too. But we feel the idea of greeting one another in the communion and fellowship of Christ is important enough to keep the practice, cold and flu season notwithstanding.

After a few minutes of this, the pianist will begin playing. This is her musical way of saying, "Get back to your seats, so the service can continue!" Here again, she'll play once through the song, and then we'll all begin singing - in this case, it's the chorus of a song called "Surely, the Presence of the Lord is in This Place," which we'll sing through twice. Again, the lyrics will be projected on the screen over the pulpit. People are generally back at their seats at least halfway through the first sung verse. I start giving dirty looks if people aren't back out of the aisles halfway through the second verse. You've been warned...

This is the end of the Gathering portion of the service. Next comes

The Word

This part of the service begins with the "Prayer for Illumination" - just a short prayer that simply asks that God would clear our minds of whatever distractions we might be carrying with us, and that God would open our hearts and minds to hear God's message for us that particular day.

At this point, we'll usually have a musical selection performed by our choir.

Right after that comes a brief Youth Message - which, about half the time, is a very simplified version of the main sermon's message. People have asked why, if I can make the point simple enough for a child to get it, and to do it in five minutes, why I have to even have the longer, "grownup" sermon. I'm not sure I have a good answer for that, but most days, the kids are a real treat to be with, and their interaction during the message is usually really enjoyable. After the youth sermon, the youngest kids are excused to child care in the youth wing.

After that, there is a reading of selected scriptures for the day. Usually there are two - one from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament. In order to help let the readings sink in, it's projected on the screen while it's being read. We do this because many different people read from different Bible translations, and hearing it read one way, while your Bible may word things a little differently, can be distracting. This way we're all on the same page - literally - and we can allow ourselves to concentrate on the readings themselves.

After the readings comes the morning sermon, based on one of the morning scripture readings. The sermon will always be inspiring, thought-provoking, humorous, tearful, witty, intellectually rigorous, theologically sound, just the right length, not-too-conservative, not-too-liberal, culturally relevant, and will seem to have been written just for you, all at the same time. I promise, it will. Or maybe it won't. 

I'm being a little silly, of course, but my point is that it's impossible for every single sermon to speak to every person in attendance on every single Sunday. What God wants a sermon to accomplish, and for whom, is not going to be the same every week. Maybe my sermon will speak to 90 percent of those in attendance that day. Maybe it will speak to just one person. That's up to God. Because of that, if you're looking for a church home, and if you come to visit us, I recommend that you try us out for at least a month - maybe even longer - to get a more realistic picture of what worship with us is like. Anyway, on with the description of our service.

After the sermon, I typically do something that you won't see in very many churches. Some people in the congregation have called it "Open Mike Time." It's really just a moment to ask the congregation if they have any questions about the sermon. Maybe I said something that they didn't hear correctly, and they'd like a clarification. Maybe something I said made them think of something that they want to share with the rest of the congregation. Maybe they didn't like something I said, and want to tell me about it. That's okay, too. It isn't a time for long, detailed discussion, but it's meant to provide for immediate two-way feedback about the message that morning, which could lead to more detailed discussion and follow-up in the future. The point is that worship is not just a pastor preaching a sermon to a roomful of people sitting on their hands. Within some reasonable limits, worship is meant to be expressive and interactive; a two-way street not only between us and God, but between pastor and congregation. Sometimes, no one has anything to share during this time. Other times, someone does. It's okay either way, but the opportunity to share is there.

Following this, we'll have a time of collective prayer, during which people can identify specific concerns or joys that we can lift up in prayer together as a church family - as a community of faith.

In our particular congregation, people will raise their hands and announce prayer requests. If you feel like joining in, please do - but always respect the privacy of the person prayers are being asked for. For example, it would be great to ask for prayers for Mrs. Murgatroid, who's scheduled for outpatient surgery that week. On the other hand, Mrs. Murgatroid might not want you to share with the whole world that the procedure she's actually having is to remove hemorroids big enough to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. As with most things, a little common sense goes a long way.

This time of prayer also includes a brief time of silent prayer, for our innermost, private prayers. And it generally concludes with the reciting of the Lord's Prayer.

Different Christian traditions recite the Lord's Prayer slightly differently. Just so you know, we recite it this way:

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory, forever.

Amen.

That's the way we say it. If you say it differently, that's okay. No one is going to yell at you. I promise.

Incidentally, here's what the inside of a typical bulletin looks like:

That concludes the second portion of the service. Next comes

The Eucharist

"Eucharist" is a Greek word that literally means "thanksgiving." This is the word that some denominations use to refer to Communion. As it's used here, though, the term is a little broader. In this context, the term means not only Communion, but also the part of the service during which we take up our Offering. The Offering is part of the Eucharist - the "thanksgiving" - because at its core, it's a form of our giving thanks for God's blessings, and our desire to offer back a portion of those blessings to serve God and others, as God wants us to do.

We'll take the Offering, and immediately afterward, we'll stand and sing another one of those ancient old Christian songs - the "Doxology" (the title comes from a Greek word that means giving praise to God). Again, most people sing it from memory, but the lyrics will be projected on the screen. The actual words are: 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise God, all creatures here below!
Praise God above, ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

And I'll say a prayer at this point, offering these collected gifts to God and praying that God would use them to further God's will here on earth.

Our congregation typically has Communion on the first Sunday of each month. If we're having Communion - which we Presbyterians generally call "The Lord's Supper" - it will occur at this point in the service. To begin, we'll all reaffirm our faith communally by saying together the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the essential tenets of our faith. Many people know this one by heart, too, but if you don't, again, don't stress out - the words will be projected on the screen. For the record, here they are:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell. The third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

If you don't know this creed by heart, don't feel bad. Many long-time attenders still peek at the screen, just to make sure they get it all in the right order. To be perfectly honest, even as many times as I've recited it, I'll occasionally stumble on the exact order of a word or two. So no one will look at you funny if you don't know it by heart. What's important is the belief embedded within the words.

Some Christian traditions have limitations on who is allowed to participate in Communion within their churches. Our policy is that the Lord's Supper is a Christian sacrament open to all baptized Christian believers. You do not have to be a member of our congregation, or even our denomination, to join in with us. I'll say it again - all baptized believers are welcome to participate. Baptized children are also welcome to join in, as long as they have a basic understanding of what the sacrament means (even if that's no more complex than, "this is special food the God gives us and that we should be thankful for"); in accordance with the parents' discretion.

We typically distribute non-fermented grape juice as part of the Lord's Supper. In the future, we may also offer wine, but if we do, we'll always also have non-fermented juice, and will clearly point out the difference between the two.

After the offering, and, if it's scheduled that Sunday, the Lord's Supper, we move to the final portion of the service.

The Sending

During the Sending, we'll stand and sing another hymn - usually something relevant to the sermon's message. After that, I'll offer a benediction, and the service will close.

I promise you, writing all that out makes the morning sound a lot more complicated than it really is. And trying to describe it in detail makes it sound a lot less personal and flowing than it is in real life. But this description should help you get over any initial nervousness that you might have if you're thinking of visiting. So come visit, enjoy worshiping God here with us - and relax!

Pastor Dwain