First Time Here?

Welcome!

Many people who visit a church for the first time do so with some hesitation, but we regard you as our guest and will do our very best to make you feel comfortable and welcomed.

Our worship service follows a printed “Order of Worship” or “Worship Bulletin” that will have all the elements of the service listed. Everything the congregation is going to say, sing or do is indicated, so you don’t have to have anything memorized. Just follow along!

You will be invited to fill out a “Visitors Welcome” card found in the pew. Please fill that out and place it in the offering plate later in the service so we have a record of your visit and can reach out to offer you a more personal welcome.

Church for Children

Kids: beloved members of our community!

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You will see in the front corner of our Sanctuary a sign that reads “Pray Space.” This corner box pew is set aside for our youngest worshippers to begin worship together (if they choose) and engage with a caring adult in hands-on activities related to our worship. Parents are encouraged to sit close to the Pray Space. We welcome kids moving back and forth between Pray Space and parents. We don’t mind noise and movement!

On most Sundays we have a special “Word for All Ages,” usually led by our Director of Faith Formation or Pastor, but sometimes by others. Younger worshippers are invited to come sit in the front pew and participate in a message tailored for all ages. Most Sundays (except First Sunday of the Month-see “Communion for Kids” below) after the “Word for All Ages,” our children leave the sanctuary with our Faith Formation leaders and enjoy faith-related activities, service projects, discussions, games, and crafts intended to enrich their sense of being an integral part of our faith community. You’re welcome to tag along to see where your kids will be.

NURSERY CARE
In our nursery we offer childcare for infants through pre-K provided by an experienced, paid adult. Our caring staff will make sure your younger child has a great morning. But you are also welcome to have your baby (or older children) with you in the worship service.

The Service

How We Worship

Our worship services are held at 9:30 every Sunday morning—both onsite and online—and usually last about an hour. You will notice that we enjoy being together and joining together in all the parts of our worship.

We enjoy both traditional and contemporary music drawn from a wide range of sources, expressed both in our congregational singing, choir and guest musicians. We have “The New Century Hymnal” in the pews and use printed inserts from other sources.

We invite “Prayers of the People” by writing a prayer concern on a green card found in the hymnal rack. These get put in the offering plate and shared out loud by the Deacon assisting with the service. We only use first name and last initial for health related prayer requests to guard members’ and friends’ privacy. We also welcome prayers of celebration, thankfulness and joy! Our Pastor will fold these “Prayers of the People” into their Pastoral Prayer.

Each Sunday we pass an offering plate through the congregation to gather our prayer requests and financial offerings. As members and friends, we express our gratitude to God through our giving and we ask God to use our gifts to and through our church to bless the world.

We share the Sacrament of Holy Communion on the first Sunday of each month (also referred to as “Eucharist” or “The Lord’s Supper”). We practice what is called “an open table,” everyone present is invited to take Communion: members, guests, believers, searchers. We believe Christ welcomes all of God’s children (of any age, ability or background) to his table, so, in his name, we do too!

KIDS AND COMMUNION:
On First/Communion Sundays we invite Kindergarten and older children to spend the worship service in the Pray Space and celebrate Communion with the community. The sermon is shorter those days and the service is designed to be inclusive of all ages.

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Good Coffee & Warm Hospitality

Come for worship, stay for the snacks!

We hope you will join us after the worship service for coffee/tea and refreshments in our Fellowship Hall, the large social fellowship space that to us often feels like the heart of our church. Your kids will meet you there after worship.

We serve Fair Trade coffee roasted locally by a women-owned small business. Our coffee is good!

Our Pastor will greet you at the door to Fellowship Hall and you have an informal opportunity to talk with our members or just look around at the displays and activities in the Hall. There is always good food and you will sense the liveliness of our fellowship—how happy we are to see each other, and how happy we are to meet you!

What To Wear?

Come as you are!

Some of us wear our “Sunday best” to church, but others dress casually. We believe God cares about us, not our clothes. So we encourage you to dress in whatever way seems best to you. You’ll see some of us in jeans and sneakers; some in coats and ties.

Our Pastor wears a robe and stole, representing their role as worship leader, as do our choir members on most Sundays.

We consider our style “vintage/modern,” meaning we welcome a mix of new and old, casual and classical. We believe all ages are both worshippers and learners. We invite (sometimes hands-on) participation from all worshippers.

On-Line Worship

One congregation together in two settings: on-site and on-line!

Every Sunday we offer both on-site and on-line worship access. For remote worshippers, access to worship is through our YouTube channel (see link below). Whether you live at a distance, are temporarily away or are home sick, we welcome your on-line presence in our worship community that is so much bigger than our sanctuary walls!

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