Worshiping Together
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Page 1 of 2 Our Worship Together
"God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in Worship: A Time for Celebration The word “worship” has its original roots in the words “worth” and “value.” When Christians meet for worship, we are affirming and celebrating what we consider worth-while and valuable above all else—a saving relationship with God and his son Jesus Christ who teach us that a life grounded here and now in love and justice is the pathway to eternal life. At St. Paul United Church of Christ, we worship together on Sunday mornings and on many other days and occasions through-out the year. From the Sunday after Labor Day until the third Sunday in June, our Sunday morning services are at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Our summer Sunday services start at 9:30 a.m. For two weeks between Christmas and our congregation’s mid-January annual meeting, we also have a single Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. During the Lenten season our congregation has Wednesday evening services in the sanctuary at 7 p.m. Other special worship services are announced through our church’s monthly newsletter, The Tidings. We invite you to join with us for worship, celebrating what we all called to value most—a life in Jesus Christ.
Christian worship is at the center of our church's life and ministry. Sometimes formal, other times informal, worship at St. Paul United Church of Christ blends fine sacred music, prayer, and biblically-grounded preaching into services of the Word that call our congregation to be God's people. Although our pastor presides at all worships services, members of our congregation participate each week in worship as readers, speakers, musicians, vocalists, communion servers, and ushers. In addition, a Worship Planning Team, composed of volunteers from the membership, meets monthly with the pastor to plan worship services. Congregational input is always welcomed. Please speak with the pastor or a member of the Worship Planning Team if you have worship suggestions or recommendations to share.
Sunday morning services, September through June, are at 9 and 10:30 a.m. During summer months there is one service at 9:30 a.m. Also, starting the Sunday after Christmas and continuing through the third week in January, there is a single service of worship at 10 a.m. Special services are held at special times on Thanksgiving Eve (7:30 p.m.), Christmas Eve (Candlelight Services, 7 and 11 p.m.), Ash Wednesday (7:30 p.m.), Maundy Thursday (Table Communion, 7:30 p.m.), Good Friday (12 noon), and Easter morning (Sunrise and Mid-Morning Services, 7 and 10 a.m.) During the Lenten season there are brief mid-week services prior to educational programs. Other worship highlights for our congregation are Rally Sunday, which returns us to a two service schedule, on the Sunday after Labor Day; World-Wide Communion Sunday, observed on the first Sunday of October; Reformation Sunday, honoring the memory of Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers, held on the last Sunday of October; Totenfest or Memorial Sunday, remembering all church members who have died over the past year, held on the first Sunday of November, following All Saints' Day; the Cradle Roll Service on Three Kings' Day, recognizing all infants who have been born in our congregation during the past twelve months, held on the first Sunday of January; the First Lenten Sunday, in late February or early March; Pentecost, which usually coincides with the last Sunday of May or the first Sunday of June; and Baccalaureate/Promotion Sunday, honoring recent graduates, observed the second Sunday in June. On Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends, the American flag and the Christian flag are carried in procession to the front of the church to mark the significance of both national holidays.
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