Worship Information

The Sundays in Ordinary Time…

…are “the Sundays we count” after Pentecost until Advent begins and the Sundays after Epiphany until Lent begins. The term “ordinary,” originally came from “ordinal,” as in ordinal numbers (“first,” “second,” “third,” …). Another way of viewing this is that “God works not only in the drama of Pentecost, but even in the ordinary circumstances of our lives.” Ordinary Time covers the period between the cycles of the Church (Liturgical) Year that focus on Christ’s saving work. This season has no central theme as does Advent/Christmas or Lent/Easter. Yet in every season, the foundation of worship is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, when we recall Christ’s triumph over sin and death. The Liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green, symbolizing growth in Christ and our life of faith, except for festival days when we use white.

Baptismal Font/Paschal Candle

Our former baptismal font was rededicated for use as the holder for our paschal candle and the unity wedding candle. The paschal candle is a large candle used during Easter to indicate the presence of the risen Christ with the people of God. It is also used at baptisms and funerals to indicate dying and rising with Christ and the celebration of Christ’s victory over death. The unity candle used at some weddings symbolizes the two lives being united in marriage.

The new baptismal bowl allows the water of baptism to be visible by all. The four “arms” of the font stand rise as if arms lifted in praise for the gift of baptism by which we are cleansed from sin and marked as Christ’s own forever. The design of the font allows the water of baptism to be visible during baptisms and other times of worship.

Children in Worship

Following “Time with the Children”, children age 4 to 5th grade are invited to continue their worship downstairs all Sunday mornings except the first Sunday when Communion is celebrated. They will remain with their families on that Sunday. The “Children in Worship” program is designed to teach young children to worship God in a special place. There they will be with God, talk to God, listen to God and hear the stories of God. The children have an opportunity to respond to God’s word through art and manipulation of story materials.