In worship, we meet in the presence of our living God. God takes the initiative, giving us life and breath, and calling us into relationship and a life of faith through Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Prayer is at the heart of worship. It is a gift from God, who desires dialogue and relationship with us.

It is a posture of faith and a way of living in the world.

In worship, our prayers praise God, confess to God, cry out to God, bring petitions to God, and give thanks to God. Our worship is woven with prayer.

Music

The singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is a vital and ancient form of prayer.

When we sing, our whole body is engaged in worship, and our voices are joined together as one.

Our choirs and musicians lead and support us in our singing and in a wide variety of musical expression as we give glory to God.

Scripture

The Scriptures bear witness to the Word of God, revealed most fully in Jesus Christ, the Word who ‘became flesh and lived among us’ (John 1:14).

Where the Word is read and proclaimed, we believe that Jesus Christ, the living Word, is present among us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our reading, hearing, preaching, and affirming the Word of God is central to our worship.

Preaching

Our preaching seeks to connect the Word of God with our daily lives and with the life of the world.

Rooted in the Scripture passage(s) read in worship, the sermon proclaims the good news of God’s grace, love, and justice, and what it means for who we are and how we are called to live as followers of Jesus Christ.

Intercession

In response to the Word, we pray for the world God so loves — joining Christ’s own ministry of intercession and the sighs of the Spirit, too deep for words.

We often call these the “prayers of the people” as together as the whole church we lift to God the needs of the world, and our desire to see all of creation healed and made whole.

Offering

All that we are and all that we have is a gift from God.

In response to God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we gratefully and joyfully offer whole selves to God – our lives, our spiritual gifts, and our material goods.

The gifts we offer support the ministries of the church, making God’s love known in tangible ways as we serve others.

Sacraments

We celebrate two Sacraments – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion).

Sacraments are gracious acts of God, by which Jesus offers his life to us in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is a visible sign of God’s claim on us as a beloved child of God and connects us to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and to the body of Christ, the church. The baptism of children witnesses to the truth that God’s love claims us before we are able to respond in faith. The baptism of those who are able to make their own profession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior witnesses to the truth that God’s gift of grace calls forth a response of faith and a commitment to follow Jesus.

In the Lord’s Supper, we encounter the real spiritual presence of Christ, who nourishes us with the bread broken for us and the cup poured out for us, and sends us out from the table to serve him in the world. All who seek after Christ are welcome to participate in the Lord’s Supper.