Worship

Mission Statement

By the Grace of God, the mission of the Middlefield Federated Church is to make Christ and His Gospel known through the personal lives and shared work of our youth and adult members.
We promote youth activities within our church and with other denominations and faiths.
We encourage all parishioners to grow in faith and faithfulness by our way of individual and programmatic efforts.
We learn to balance the secular demands of hurried and conflicting times, with Christian love, joy, faith,and understanding.
We accept diversity of beliefs and encourage love among people.
We will be a meaningful presence in the community and the world.

General Worship Information

The central event in the life of this community of faith is worship. Nothing is more important, more challenging, or more liberating than the worship of God. Worship is central to our lives because it ushers us into a deeper relationship with God. The truth we encounter and proclaim in worship frees us to experience the fullness of human life, and imparts in us a sense of mystery, awe, and majesty.

The seasons of the Christian calendar, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and the season after Pentecost, are heralded by the various colors on the clergy's vestments and on our seasonal banners. Advent, a time of hope and anticipation, is signified by the color blue. Lent is a time of penitence and preparation, marked by the color purple. White and gold are joyous and festive colors used during Christmas and Easter seasons, and on festive days. The weeks after the Epiphany and Pentecost are times in which spiritual growth and maturity are emphasized, symbolized by the color green. Red, the color of fire, passion, and blood, symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and is used on the Day of Pentecost.

Worship Service

10:00AM

Our 10:00 service is relatively traditional in its style. It contains many familiar and well-loved aspects of worship such as singing from the hymnal, unison and responsive prayers, and listening to the choir. Through the school year, Church School coincides with the 10:00 service. Our children join us in the sanctuary for the first portion of the service and then, following a children's message, leave with their teachers for their classrooms.

During the months of July and August, our service moves to 9:30AM

Baptism

As part of our response to God's Word, we participate in the most ancient rituals of our faith that most clearly identify us as Christians. The Baptismal Covenant is God's word to us, proclaiming our adoption by grace, and our word to God, promising our response of faith and love. By the sacrament of Holy Baptism, we initiate new members into the faith, and welcome them into Christ's whole Church as well as our specific community. Usually baptisms are held during our Sunday morning worship. Contact Pastor Dale for more information on this sacrament.

Communion

We partake of the sacrament of Communion on the first Sunday of every month. Communion is anticipated with joy and thanksgiving because it is understood as a gift from God in which we receive God's love and forgiveness. It is an act of worship where Christians celebrate Christ's life, death, and resurrection. Through receiving the bread of life and the cup of the new covenant, we experience the presence of the living Christ and seek to have a deeper communion with God and one another.

In our church, Communion is open to anyone who wishes to live in union with Christ. For our monthly Communion service, we alternate between Methodist and United Church of Christ procedures. For Methodist style Communion, the congregation, directed by the ushers, come up to the front to the church and kneel at the rail, where served. People unable to kneel may sit in the front pews to be served. For the United Church of Christ style, the congregation remains seated and are served the elements while sitting in their pews, partaking as one body.

Confirmation

Confirmation is an important time in the lives of our young people. It is an opportunity for them to follow through on the vows made at their baptism and to make a personal profession of faith. Confirmation is an important decision. To help our young people with this decision we enlist mentors who will journey with our youth together through the confirmation process. Our program is based largely on “Making Disciples” written by Rev. William Willimon and published by Logos Publications. During this four-month process, our mentor and confirmand teams work one on one through 13 sessions approaching all aspects of the Christian faith and service to the church and community. Together they attend worship, participate in service projects, read and discuss the Bible, as well as participate in many other ministry opportunities that fit their interests. In the end, it is a program designed to make disciples not only out of our young people, but out of those who mentor them, as well.