Worship
If you look at it one way, worship is all that we are and all that we do. We
desire to be fully present to ourselves and fully present to God, both inside
and outside the church. In that way, our outreach, study, community life,
mission, and individual lives are all connected to worship: showing up, opening
our hands and hearts to the grace of God that flows around us all the time, and being changed by it.
We remember this truth on Sundays at 9 and 11 am when we gather to create a different space to watch and wait for God, to speak truth about ourselves and the life of the world, to listen to the Scriptures, to pray, to offer our lives, to be transformed, to hope for a better world.
Our Sunday service holds all of these elements together in a unique way. We
are the inheritors of several different modern and ancient traditions and seek
to infuse worship with the best from all of these traditions and practices.
Services and sermons are artistic and meaningful, challenging and provocative,
spirit-filled and honest. We try to create worship that reaches the hearts and
minds of people in fresh, life-giving ways.
Our goal in worship and community is not to make people more "religious," but to help people become more fully human.
United Methodist 101
Though our congregation is made of folks who agree and disagree on a variety
of church teachings, this guide helps explain our United Methodist
denomination’s theological beliefs, social stands and reasons to try us out:
http://unitedmethodist.org/mquest4.html.
Eucharist/Holy Communion
We celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist at least once a month on the first
Sunday of the month, and often more frequently. All people are invited to
experience the mystery of Christ’s presence in this meal of reconciliaton, celebration and new
life.
Baptism
Baptism, the sacrament of initiation into the Church, is a living sign of
God’s grace and love. Because it is God’s choice and not ours, baptism is open
to people of every age. The waters of the font welcome and cleanse us, name us
and claim us as God’s own, and set us on the path of our faith journey. Please
contact the Pastor to discuss Baptismal preparation.
Children
Children of every age are welcome in worship at all times. Rocking chairs and
a play area are available in the sanctuary to enable families to learn to
worship together. During the Time For Young Christians in worship, children are
invited to come forward to the altar or the font for a special message or
lesson. On the second and fourth Sundays of every month, children of all ages may choose to attend our new Children's Sunday School.
Music
Led by the Celebration Choir and our Director of Music, Andrew Collins, our
congregational singing is uplifting, inspirational, and alive! We employ a blend
of musical traditions in our worship life. We might start worship with
contemporary Gospel praise, pray with a meditative chant from the monastic
tradition, clap our hands or dance to a spiritual or bluegrass/jazz medley, and
lift our voices in a traditional hymn—all in the same service. We regularly sing
the prayers around the table at Eucharist and around the font at Baptism. Music
gives life to our language, and is a vital part of the Holy Covenant worship
experience. We’re very proud of our choir.
If you’re a singer, why not sing with us? The choir meets at 10:00 on Sundays
before the 11:00 service. All voices and skill levels are welcome. Come on by!
Community Life
Worship continues with a community life celebration every Sunday, as we
gather for coffee, snacks and conversation in the church’s art gallery. Here you
can talk with folks you met during worship, make plans to grab Sunday lunch at a
local restaurant, sign up for upcoming church activities and chat with the pastor.
Community Life also hosts other gatherings and activities throughout the year.
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