During worship, references to God in traditional prayers and hymns may sometimes be gender-specific, for a variety of cultural and historical reasons. As we pray and sing together, we invite worshipers to substitute terms that reflect their own understanding of the full inclusiveness of the spirit of God.
Worshipers are also invited to sing hymns and speak parts of the service, such as the Lord’s Prayer, in their native tongue. The worship experience should resonate with the deepest parts of our soul, and that may mean using our first language.
What is a typical service like?
Our 10:00 Sunday morning service provides a time for the whole family of God to gather in a spirit of worship. Our worship service usually follows a consistent flow:
- We are first invited to center ourselves in the presence of God through a call to worship. Then we move into a time of praise. The music is a mixture of contemporary songs and traditional hymns. This part of our service can also include special music, a time of silent reflection, confession and personal prayer.
- Our children are invited to come forward for a special message presented specifically for them. After the children’s message, children preschool through 5th grade may participate in Kids’ Own Worship (KOW,) which includes Bible stories, activities, songs and prayer located in the KOW room of the Lighthouse area. Middle and high school youth attend worship with their families. Nursery and young child care is offered in our nursery room.
- We then move into a time of sharing information and updates about church programs and ministries. A reflective song ushers us into an attitude of listening, as we prepare to hear God’s word to us through a sermon by our pastor.
- Following the message, we respond to what we heard, first by offering our financial gifts, and then responding through prayer to the needs and requests of the church family. On the first Sunday of each month, our response also includes the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
- Finally, we commit ourselves to God through song, and are dismissed to be God’s people in the world. Our formal worship over, we often spend time in fellowship and sharing before departing for home.
We celebrate Communion the first Sunday of every month. Our Presbyterian denomination asserts that access to the Lord’s Table is not a right conferred upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love. Even one who doubts or those whose trust is wavering may come to the Table in order to be assured of God’s love and grace in Christ.
Where can I see a service or message before or after I visit?
We record our live worship service through the Zoom app and upload the entire service to our Facebook Page shortly after the worship service is over.
Additionally, we upload the Sunday sermon/message to Vimeo. You can find the most recent and past recordings on our Vimeo Channel. We encourage you to subscribe to our channel to receive notifications of recent updates.
You can see our most recent message here: