What is worship like?

We call our worship service “blended.”  We draw on the strength of traditional hymnody and the warmth and energy of contemporary song.  The balance of this rich blending varies from week to week, striving to include all who worship with us. After a meditative time with the piano, we start worship with songs of praise.  We move into traditional liturgy of our confession and God’s assurance of forgiveness in Jesus Christ.   Then we greet each other, hear announcements, and invite the children to come forward for what we call “the time for children.” It is their time to know they are important to us and that we can speak on their level also.

We have scripture readings, a time of prayers and a morning message or sermon which is based on a reading from the Bible.  We believe God speaks to us many ways, through friends, books, films, life experiences, but in a unique way through the Bible.  The sermon is a time to connect our lives with the words of scripture.

We understand worship as that which “reflects the biblical witness to God in Jesus Christ.” Authentic worship is both expressive and rational; it builds up and persuades as well as informs and describes; it creates ardor as well as order, and it is an expression of the whole community of faith as well as the devotion of individuals.

Worship is an expression of our search for and our response to God.  It incorporates Word and Sacrament.   It is Trinitarian, acknowledging Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   It is understood both within our church’s deep tradition, and the context of our local faith community.  worship allows people to respond to the Word, Sacraments, music and liturgy with all their being, including their emotions; it allows room for God’s Spirit to improvise.  It is at times, ecumenical and multi-cultural.  People of all ages are present. Worship is evangelical because it is good news. It is mission oriented because by it we are sent.

A Song in my Heart

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