I’m New

Our main worship gathering is at 10:30 on Sunday mornings. People wear a variety of clothing styles: a few dress up (ok, one person), most come rather casual. Find directions and a map here.

If you have not been here before or have not been in some time then you may find this helpful, a brief description of our fellowship:

We’re kind of small.  Lately we’ve been between 50 and 70 people on any given Sunday.

We are a mixed and messy bunch – you’ll see all kinds of people: younger & older, some don’t speak English well, some have gone to this church for a long time, others have only just begun, some smoke, some identify as alcoholics, some are loud; we relish the idea of unity within diversity and we believe in a love and grace that binds us all.

If you have kids, they often begin the service with us and then leave together with Pastor Sheri partway through (just before prayer). We have a wonderful area for children in a basement under the Sanctuary and Sheri is phenomenal. For babies and toddlers there is a nursery in the hallway toward the offices.

We are flawed. We mess up in life and we are not slick and polished on Sunday mornings. Not because we’re lazy or sloppy, but because we don’t take this time to be a performance. It is a worship gathering. And we are real (messy) people trying to worship God together by singing, listening, praying, giving, and participating.

We try to focus on complex ideas behind these words in all we do: “We strive to be a  Listening, Loving, Living people.”

Our typical order of worship (there are variations, of course, but this is a good outline of what to expect) :

  • Music. We begin with a song.
  • Welcome. We give some announcements, then take time to greet one another – this often takes quite some time. We’re a friendly bunch.
  • Music. Pastor Jaime leads us in some more songs – some new, some old. It’s not fancy music – but it is usually beautiful.
  • Prayer. Our prayer time includes an open alter, time in silence, pastoral prayer, and reciting the Lord’s Prayer in unison. The alter is a place at the front of the sanctuary where people sometimes come to pray. Pastoral prayer is a time when the pastor prays out loud on behalf of the congregation.
  • Scripture Reading. Each week Pastor Glenna reads from the Psalms.
  • Offering & more singing. We receive an offering. The money is used for a great variety of causes, from electricity and staff salaries, to global missionary work and relief efforts. It is an opportunity for people to worship through generosity – but it is not “required” and we want no one to feel any obligation to give, especially a visitor.
  • Preaching. Pastor Matt tends to be more of a teacher than a preacher. We usually base the teaching on a passage from the Bible rather than on a topic (but not always). We often work our way through a book of the Bible over several weeks.
  • Communion. We celebrate the Eucharist nearly every week. The center of the Christian faith is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, the King. In Communion we remember Jesus and encounter Christ in a physical and mysterious way.
  • Benediction. Every week we end with a benediction – good words of blessing (from Numbers 6:24-26) are spoken over everyone as we are dismissed.