Baptisms

Please call the church office at 477-9693 to schedule an appointment with the pastor.

A Call For New Worship Choices

On April 9, 2008 our Worship Commission made a presentation to the Administrative Council about their exploration into the possibility of adding a second worship service on Sunday mornings beginning in the fall. Why consider adding a new worship service? Choices. Our congregation is a community made up of different age groups, coming from different family backgrounds, with many different lifestyles and family settings. But there is one constant; our connection with God through our worship, fellowship, and service within the church, our spiritual community.

There is room at our table for everyone. But some may be vegetarian, or hate broccoli, or wince at even the thought of fish. Can we offer them more than one choice of meal to fulfill their hunger? Are there also different tastes and preferences in styles of worship for receiving our spiritual nourishment?

Some may feel more connected with God in a traditional service where the pastor preaches from the pulpit, favorite hymns are sung, scriptures are read and a sermon inspires meditative thought. Others may desire a more celebratory and visual service with contemporary music, multimedia, and reenactments or roll play delivering the message of God's love and hope for us.

Why not just blend both styles together into one by expanding what we currently are doing? We are concerned that intermixing different music and liturgical styles could become a distraction. Rather than something good for everyone it might become something problematic for everyone, diminishing the service's effectiveness in connecting each of us to God. Researcher and author Charles Arn wrote on the subject: "Change through addition will be more successful than change through substitution."

Choices. We want to know how you, our spiritual community feels. At the Administrative Council meeting on 4/9/08, the leaders of our church's committees and commissions were asked to explore the possibilities and challenges of adding a new service to Sunday worship with their members and supporters.

A survey is being prepared to canvas the entire church membership and will be followed by informational meetings if the need and enthusiasm for additional choices is ratified from your responses.

Please feel free to address questions or concerns to members of the Worship Commission working on this proposal:
Lois Heyer (477-6236, holoegnys@aol.com),
Chris Oglesby (732-4018, chrisoglesby@nycap.rr.com),
Jean Sheviak (477-6110, jean.sheviak@verizon.net,
and Kathy VanBuren (477-6292, jvanbur1@nycap.rr.com).

Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our maker.Psalm 95: 2 & 6