Each Sunday morning at 10:30am about 150 children and adults gather together for an hour and a quarter. During this time we sing, we pray, we listen, and we do all that we can to love God and each other.
Our congregation currently follows the liturgical calendar. Most Sundays the scripture readings follow the Revised Common Lectionary. The Hebrew Scriptures (or "Old Testament" readings) are taken from the Jewish Publication Society's translation of The Tanakh, the gospels from the translation known as The Scholar's Version, offered by the Jesus Seminar, while the epistles are often read from the New Revised Standard Version of The Bible. To help those who have difficulty understanding the words as they are being spoken, we print the day's readings in our bulletin.
The children participate with the adults for about 25 minutes and then head to Sunday School (although they are also welcome to remain with the rest of the congregation in the sanctuary). We work to make sure that our music and prayers are accessible to all of our members. As part of their time with the rest of the congregation, our minister shares in a "Learning Together" time with the children. This time often includes stories, music and prayer focused specifically on the needs of this part of the congregation.
In past years, the children have participated in worship leadership, not only as greeters and ushers, but also by leading the Advent and Christmas Pagaents. This year, an Intergenerational Worship Team is being formed. The hope is that the children will participate with the adults for the entire service approximately every six weeks.
Our minister uses storytelling and drama to help us explore how Christ's presence lives in our lives. Over the past few years, Richard has worked to balance the congregation's need for times of exuberant celebration and times of quiet contemplation in each of our worship services. Each Sunday, before the Prayers of Thanksgiving, Confession and Hope, the congregation is asked to name people or situations for whom they would like the congregation to pray.
Our Director of Music works with the choir to share with us inspirational music in a variety of styles. Andreas is an accomplished pianist and organist and uses his gifts and those of the choir to support the congregation's worship. While our hymn book of choice is Voices United, we also regularly reach back into our heritage for some of the older gospel hymns, as well as exploring newer musics (with the help of LicenSing.)
St. Marys United Church celebrates communion six times during the year: the first Sunday of Advent (end of Nov.), Christmas Eve (end of Dec.), Palm Sunday (end of Winter), Profession of Faith Sunday (mid-spring), mid-Summer and World-Wide Communion Sunday (beginning of Oct.) Our style of partaking alternates between the more traditional United Churcy practie of individual cups and bread with an earlier common cup style known as intinction. (For those with gluten allergies we have rice cakes or crackers alongside of the wheat-based breads.)
Following worship, many people in the congregation head into the "Fellowship Hall" to spend some time together over coffee, juice and cookies.
For more information, or to know what's happening this Sunday, please contact the church office at (519)284-3016.
Family Time... Together Time
Once a month, usually on the third Sunday, all of the children and parents in the congregation are invited to take part in our Family Time... Together Time.
We gather together in the Fellowship Hall at 5:30p.m., bringing with us food to share with those who have gathered. (It's a true potluck... no co-ordination involved!) After we're done eating, while the adults are doing the dishes, the children prepare a 20 minute worship time. When the parents are done, the children lead us in worship together.
For more information, please contact our minister, Richard Bott, at (519)284-3016.
Worship Alive
Concerned that our worship services were not speaking to the young adult members of our community, "Worship Alive" is in the process of being formed. Made up of number of teens from the congregation, with the support of the minister, this group is preparing worship in their mode.
Dates and times of Alive will be posted as soon as they are known.
For more information, or to volunteer your help, please contact Richard Bott at (519)284-3016.
Other Worship Services
Throughout the year, different styles of worship are offered at different times. Worship in the style of the Taize community, morning and evening prayer, and Nine Lessons and Carols are just a few of the different styles of worship offered.
Notices of these services will be posted on our front page and on the calendar.
posted on Sunday, July 11, 2004.