Worship at Our Church – What You Can Expect
8:45 a.m. Adult Bible Class
Study of Scripture on the adult level has a long history in our church family. We gather each Sunday at 8:45 a.m. (currently in the church proper) for this class, which generally involves 30-40 participants. You need not pre-register to attend. Just come at that time, find a place to sit, and join us! Nobody will “put you on the spot” or ask you to respond to questions. Study notes are distributed so you can take them home and reflect on topics being discussed.
10:00 a.m. Morning Service
This is the chief worship gathering of our people each Sunday. It is drawn from the Lutheran Service Book (LSB), our hymnal since 2006. Services are rooted in the historic worship of the Christian church, and alternate between Holy Communion services on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month; and preaching services on other Sundays. They follow a structured “liturgy” including prayers and praising spoken or sung by the whole congregation, readings from the Bible fitting the day or season, numerous hymns (songs), and preaching (sermon) by our pastors. The preaching is usually based on one of the Bible readings for that day (often called the “sermon text”). The pastor unpacks its meaning and seeks to show how this truth from God fits the life of listeners today. Above all, our preaching seeks to proclaim Christ the Saviour and the gracious things He has done … and still does! In addition to musical leadership from our very able organist, Eric Swiatoschik, the Church Choir under the direction of Suzanne Eberhard sings on most Sundays from September through to late May.
When You Arrive on a Sunday…
An usher often greets you on your way into the church and provides a “bulletin” published for that week. (If ushers don’t offer you a bulletin, just ask!) The bulletin includes announcements about activities and concerns in our church family. The cover page of the bulletin has a little outline of the service for the day. It will tell you on what page of the Lutheran Service Book the day’s service begins. It lists the hymns the congregation will sing in the course of the service, as well as the day’s appointed Bible readings, and details of the pastor’s preaching theme and sermon text. The bulletin also makes clear whether it is a Holy Communion service, or a preaching service without a Communion celebration. As you follow the order of worship for that day in the Lutheran Service Book, that hymnal indicates the parts where worshipers speak or sing certain parts aloud. It explains when you sit, and for what parts of the liturgy you stand. If it’s a little confusing in the beginning, don’t worry! You won’t be offending anyone if you miss out on some detail … we’re just glad you’re here!
Our Practices Regarding the Holy Communion
The “Word” portion of our service – centered around Bible readings and preaching – is open to anyone wishing to join us. Even if people are not confessing Christians, are not sure about what they believe, or are just curious to see how we do things, the door is open and everyone is welcome to come and listen respectfully to the Gospel of Christ we’re here to share.
The “Sacrament” portion of the service – focusing on the liturgy and distribution of Holy Communion – is given to those instructed in the Christian faith, and who have confessed publicly the teachings of our church publicly (usually in the Rite of Confirmation or an adult Baptism). As a result, we invite those who are from our church family (or who are visiting from one of our sister churches) to receive the Lord’s body and blood at the altar.
For the early Christians, participation in the Holy Communion was an expression of their oneness in faith and teaching. We still affirm this practice. Thus, we ask visitors from outside our fellowship to refrain from communing until they have consulted with one of our pastors. Baptized Christians from outside the fellowship of our churches are welcome to approach the altar, kneel beside the communicants, and cross their arms over the chest as a signal that they wish to receive a baptismal blessing. If people have no church home in the area and wish to be instructed in the faith of our church, the pastors will be happy to arrange this with you.
Little Cards in the Pew Racks
Inserted in pew racks in front of you are small cards that serve two purposes. On one side (where it reads “Dear Visitors”) you’re encouraged to fill it out, and also to indicate whether you might be interested in having one of our pastors contact you, or if you are considering becoming a member of our church family and have questions. You can place this card in one of the offering plates; these are on a stand at the front of the church or on a table in the narthex (vestibule) entryway.
On the other side, there’s a “Registration for Holy Communion,” intended for use by our members, or for visitors who have spoken with a pastor before coming forward for communion. If you’re using the card to register for attendance at communion, you can hand it to an usher at the point where you go forward for the actual distribution of Holy Communion.
About Making Offerings (In Case You Wondered)…
We want our visitors to know that you should feel no obligation to make financial offerings to our work. While we’re quite happy to have guests contribute to the Lord’s work here, we consider the ongoing support of our ministry to be a primary responsibility of members. And, truth is, now many of our members are using electronic means to transfer financial gifts to our church, so there’s no need to feel pressured or nervous if you aren’t submitting an offering.
We Share the Air
We encourage those in attendance at services to refrain from using colognes, perfumes or skin-care products that carry a strong scent. There are people who are sensitive to such things, and we try to avoid making them feel uncomfortable.
Washroom Facilities
If you need a washroom while you’re here, proceed out the door to your right (as you sit in the main part of the church). Continue down the hallway, and there’s a small corridor on your right leading to women’s and men’s washrooms. Don’t feel awkward about going out of the main church that way if you need to; people have been in the habit of doing it for years!
Guestbook
If you exit the church by the main door (facing Victoria Avenue), in the vestibule there’s a little nook off to your right where our guestbook is found. We’re very happy if you provide a remembrance of your visit by signing that guest-register, though you’re under no obligation to do it. We’ve just found it encouraging over the years to see some of the names of people who came to see us, and where they’re from. It’s up to you!