At SCC, we celebrate the rich diversity of our community.
We come from many nations and Christian traditions, and this is reflected even in the way we dress. For some, worship means wearing their “Sunday best” as we seek to offer our best to God. For others, the invitation to “come as you are” feels more natural, and they prefer a more casual style. Whatever your choice, you’ll be warmly welcomed when you arrive.
Before the service
Many members arrive eager to talk to friends they have not seen all week. Others use the time before the service to prepare quietly for worship. During the last few minutes before the service itself begins, our organist usually plays.
There are no assigned seats.
We do not receive a collection during the service. Donations may be placed in the offertory box on the wall by the main door, although most people make electronic transfers to our bank account.
Accessibility and Inclusion:
We want everyone to feel comfortable in worship. Hearing assistance devices are available at the back of the church. Please ask one of the ushers if you would like one or need assistance with it. And anyone who finds standing difficult during the service is encouraged to remain seated at any time.
Children in Worship:
If you have children, you might want to sit near the front so that they can see better. However, if they are young and may become fussy during the service, you may prefer to sit near the back, where it is easier to take them to the nursery.
The Order of Service
Gathering and Confession:
Our service begins with a greeting and notices, then comes an invitation to worship and a hymn of praise. Having been reminded who God is, we sit or kneel (depending on one’s tradition) for a time of confession, when we recognize that we all fall short of God’s standards and are sinful or “broken” in some way. This is a reality check of our need for healing and wholeness. It ends with the Good News: the God who created and called us loves us and is ever ready to forgive and heal us through Jesus Christ our risen Lord.
Hearing God’s Word:
The next section of our worship is our time of listening to God’s We then listen to God’s Word for our lives. Scripture is read and then explained. The sermons are both theological and practical: theological because they place the Bible passages in their broader and proper context, and practical because they challenge us to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our daily lives.
Responding in Faith:
We move on to glorify God in faith, obedience, and love as we affirm our faith by reciting either a traditional creed or a more modern alternative. We then pray for the world, the universal church, those in need, and ourselves.
Communion:
Part of our response to God’s call comes in the sacrament of Communion, which we celebrate twice a month (usually on the first and third Sundays). Visitors who are entitled to communicate in their own home churches are welcome to participate. There is no age limit, but parents are expected to explain to their children what we are doing in an appropriate way to help them grow in faith.
Blessing and Sharing the Good News:
Finally, we are sent out to serve. The closing hymn and the blessing lead us to serve God and his people. Having experienced afresh God’s love and grace through our worship, we are empowered to go out and share this Good News by what we do and say. God is not confined to the building – he goes with us!
Baptism
Baptism is celebrated during our regular Sunday morning worship. It is a public commitment and profession of faith on the part of the one being baptized, if he or she is older, and on the part of the parents of younger children or babies.
Walking together in faith
The order of service described here is what we generally follow, though naturally there are exceptions and variations. We hope SCC is a place where the living God comes to meet you. As we worship, study, share, and serve together as the Body of Christ, we allow God to transform us into the new creation in Christ that he calls us to become.