Worship

Sunday Morning Worship:
Worship starts at 10:00 am and usually lasts about an hour. Our worship has music, liturgy, Scripture readings, preaching, and on occasion the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion.

Prayer is an important part of every worship service, and we raise specific joys and concerns that we're aware of or are raised by those attending. We end each worship service with a "shalom circle", to celebrate major events in the lives of those present and to sing a parting blessing.

Scripture Reading is an integral part of all our worship services. We believe that the Bible is authoritative and can be trusted to guide us in faith and in practice. In Sunday morning worship, there is typically a reading from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament epistles, and a Gospel reading. These Scripture readings are usually chosen from the Lectionary, which is a three year cycle of readings which are used by many Christian denominations. Use of the lectionary helps us to explore the full range of the Bible. Click here for Common Lectionary readings.

After worship, you're invited to stay for a snack or desert, coffee or a cold drink.

Communion or the Lord's Supper, is observed on the first Sunday of each month, as well as on special days of the liturgical calendar.

We are invited to the Communion table by Christ, not by Bethel Church. Therefore, Communion is open to any confirmed and/or baptized member of a Christian Church, according to the tradition of their own church.

Baptism is ordinarily done during worship. At baptism, members of the congregation make certain promises to encourage and support new Christians. Go to the Membership page to learn more about baptism.

When saying the Lord's Prayer, does Bethel Church use "debts," "trespasses," or "sins?" This is a matter of local church tradition. At Bethel, we use "debts": Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

A variety of Creeds and Statements of Faith are used in our worship. Some date back to the earliest days of the Christian Church, while others are modern. In the UCC tradition, these are not intended as tests of orthodoxy, but are used as expressions of faith which help in our understanding of what it means to be disciples of Christ individually and as a church. They are printed when we use them in worship. The most commonly used are:

• United Church of Christ Statement of Faith (UCC Home Page)
• Apostles Creed

The Liturgical Calendar is followed by many United Churches of Christ, including Bethel UCC. The seasons of the calendar mark major events in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The major seasons are:

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