ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP:
 
Invocation
Every service begins "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." These are the same words spoken at your baptism. They are a reminder that we enter God's presence to worship him because we were made his children through baptism.
 
Confession and Absolution
In every service we humbly confess our sins to God and then gladly hear his proclamation that each and every one of them has been forgiven for Jesus’ sake. It's included in every service because we can never hear those amazing, comforting words too often.
 
Song of Praise
In response to the forgiveness given so freely to us, we join our voices in a song of praise to God.
 
Prayer of the Day
We pray the appointed prayer for that Sunday of the church year. The prayer fits with the theme for the day.
 
Bible Readings
Each Sunday we hear lessons from God's Word. These may be selections from God's Old Testament prophets, Jesus' apostles, and from Jesus himself in the Gospels. The use of a lectionary (a series of assigned readings) assures that the congregation will review the saving events of our Lord's life, death, and resurrection each year.
 
Children's Message
Jesus told us, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Matthew 19:14)." Children are sinners. Children need a Savior.
 
Sermon
The pastor preaches a message based on one of the lessons or the gospel for the day. The sermon teaches how God's Word applies to our Christian life today.
 
Confession of Faith
We proclaim what we believe- what the Christian Church has always believed. To do that we use the words of the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds- both of which have been used in the Christian Church for almost two millennia.
 
The Offering
Our offerings are given as a response to God's love. By giving a portion of our income as an offering, we show our thanks to God for his rich mercy to us. Through these free-will offerings we are able to carry out our great commission: to share the good news of Jesus with others in our community and throughout the world.
 
Prayer of the Church
We join to pray to God about specific joys and troubles in our church and in the Church around the world. This is followed by the Lord's Prayer.
 
Lord's Supper
We, united with our brothers and sisters in the faith, approach God's altar to receive the true body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. For more information on what we believe regarding communion, please visit our communion practice page.
 
Blessing
We hear one last assurance of God's care as the Lord's name is placed on us. Just as we begin our service in God's name, so we receive his name at the conclusion. With the name of God comes all the gifts that he desires to give: blessings, protection, grace, and peace.