Worship

Worship lies at the core of our congregational life.  In our worship time we meet God together.  We meet our family and our friends together.  We listen to God’s Word, we speak God’s Word, and we go out and proclaim God’s word in our life and in our community in our day-to-day dealings with others in person, on the phone, on the internet.  Wherever we are God is there.  We are renewed with our worship of God.  Our mission statement of the Worship and Music Committee says:   

   We believe that worship is central to the life of the church, supporting and giving reason to all its functions and activities. 
   We also believe that worship strengthens commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to public declarations of faith.

We are a diverse congregation, and that diversity is lived out in two distinct worship services on Sunday mornings as well as special services throughout the year.  Worship planning is undertaken by a dynamic interaction between our talented staff and also includes talented and committed lay persons.  We also come together as a united body at special times throughout the year for a single service reflecting our diversity.

We call our early, informal Sunday service at 8:30 FirstLight, to capture not only the fact that it is an early service, but that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and that Jesus Christ is the First-born of all creation.  FirstLight uses a fairly standard format for worship in keeping with our Reformed tradition, but it develops those hallmarks of Reformed worship in unique and experiential ways.  The music is an eclectic mixture of contemporary songs, hymns performed in new ways, music from the global church and music in the contemplative traditions of Taizé and Iona.  We use projection rather than a printed worship guide.  We worship in the round in our fellowship hall, which adds a sense of informality and spontaneity to our worship, without sacrificing a deep sense of reverence.  We are apt to use visual arts to expand upon and tangibly explore the meaning of scripture.  We seek to use a variety of voices in worship leadership.  We encourage families to worship together at this service and strive to make the worship meaningful and adaptive for children yet also full of depth for adults.

Worship at 11 a.m. is likewise solidly in the reformed tradition and seeks to embody the formality of traditional worship with a keen sense of warmth and hospitality.  Worship follows closely the richness conveyed in the seasons and special days of the church year and utilizes liturgy from a wide variety of sources.  We worship in a beautiful mid-century modern sanctuary.  As part of an ongoing renewal of our worship life, several of the furnishings in the chancel area are newly designed reflecting our understanding of worship.  Music is led by an adult choir most often, and the primary instrument is our pipe organ.  Our other music groups (children, youth and instrumental ensembles) also regularly participate in leading the music for worship. Acolytes light a new Christ candle at the beginning of worship.  Children worship with their families until the "Faith Sharing with Children" portion of the service at which time they continue in an age-appropriate worship, learning and play time.

 All children are welcomed in the 11 o’clock morning worship through the “Time With the Children,” after which the younger ones are dismissed to the extended worship time in the children’s area.  In pretty weather they also enjoy the playground.  The nursery is open for babies and toddlers through age 3 from 8:30 until after the 11 o’clock service. 

We celebrate communion 12-13 times yearly on many special days in the church year and monthly during ordinary seasons of the year.  An important extension of our celebration of communion is distribution to our homebound members and members and friends of our congregation residing at Highland Farms retirement community. 

Our congregation includes many talented visual artists in a variety of media.  We seek to include regularly a variety of arts in both of our worship spaces.  We use banners, but also create special installations at particular times of the year.  We utilize drama including large-scale ensembles and monologues.  We understand that God's grace is mediated to us in a variety of means, traditional and innovative.  We seek the Spirit's inspiration in leading us to help persons gathered for worship experience faith and live out faith through the arts.

An acolyte lights the Christ Candle each Sunday.  There are now three 4^th and 5^th graders trained to do this. 

At the beginning of the 11 o’clock service the Trinity Bell is rung to call us to worship. 

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