..... follows a "four-fold pattern" or flow. First The Church Gathers for Worship. It is during this time that we greet one another, share announcements, and then enter into God’s presence through hymns/songs of praise and other opening acts of worship such as prayers, litanies, acts of praise, etc. We then move to the time when The Church Hears the Word of God as it is proclaimed in a multitude of ways including special music by the choir or a soloist, reading of Scripture, moments with our children and the Sermon From time to time we also use the form of drama and other media. Next comes the time when The Church Responds to the Word of God. It is during this time that we Affirm our Faith, perhaps sing a hymn of commitment, share our morning prayers, bring forth our gifts and tithes, and celebrate the sacraments of Holy Communion and/or Baptism. While some churches celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of the month we follow that pattern only during the Summer – July, August & September. The rest of the year we celebrate on the first Sunday of each new church season as well as the "Holy Days" of the church year. We have what is known as "an open table" meaning that you need not be a member of Otterbein or the United Methodist Church to share in the sacrament. The service closes when The Church Goes Forth to Serve. This usually involves a closing hymn of sending forth and the Benediction. Throughout the service the congregation participates through unison prayers, responses, litanies, and of course, hymns.
While the two services are very similar they are different in that each service has different singing choirs leading the service as well as hand bell, children and youth choirs from time to time. While the clergy and choirs wear robes for the services you will find that the congregation dresses in a wide range of styles from the "traditional" coat/tie and dress/heels to sports shirts/slacks/jeans and culottes/tops/jeans—even shorts and sandals in the summer. Frankly neither we nor God care how you dress.
Our pastors follow the Lectionary, an ecumenical set of scripture readings specially chosen for each season of the Church year and each Sunday of that Season. In that sense we are what is commonly known as a Liturgical Church, observing the ancient calendar of the church with its seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time as well as the special Holy Days of celebration and worship. This is true of both our Traditional and Informal worship though it is much more prominent in the traditional services.
