What's Sunday Like?

Can you tell me the Sunday adult worship basics?

Worship starts at 10am, in person and on our Youtube livestream. Sunday worship usually lasts for about an hour.  You can tune into the YouTube livestream with this webpage address/link: www.youtube.com/unioncong1

Can you tell me about your offerings for children and youth during Sunday worship?

Parents are invited to worship with their children no matter how young or sold they may be (or how much noise they may make).  Some of our families feel comfortable taking their younger children to the nursery where childcare is provided. We offer Learning Center during Sunday worship for children from Kindergarten through 5th grade.

• Students kindergarten and up begin worship with their parents and go to class locations after the Chancel Steps talk during Sunday worship. Children return to the Assembly Room after worship.

All are welcome to communion. We mean everyone. Also: we only celebrate communion on the first Sunday of every month and on a few special occasions.

We celebrate communion on the first Sunday of the month, and a few other special occasions throughout the year. We practice an "open table," meaning that anyone (yes, really anyone!) who desires is welcome to participate, regardless of age, or whether you are a member or a visitor, whether you have been baptized or not, or haven't been to church for decades.  

I'm new. How do I know when to sit or stand during the service?

We know this can be a little confusing. Items in the bulletin marked with an asterisk ask those who are able to rise in body or spirit for that part of the service, during the singing of a hymn, for example. 

A few words about the Lord's Prayer and names for God:

When Jesus said, "Our Father," he was really saying "Abba" or "Daddy." It was an expression of intimacy and further revealed that Jesus felt like he belonged to God. You may offer your prayer during the Lord's Prayer section of our Sunday worship service by beginning it "Our Father" or another term that is more comfortable to you that expresses a desire for knowing God in prayer and praise. For example, you may choose to say "mother," "God," "Creator," "Spirit," or something else.

Music

Singing is a gift which may inspire us in ways that spoken word cannot. There are few opportunities in life to gather with others and sing from the same page on a regular basis and this practice can tap into a greater sense of communal belonging. No matter if we are professionally trained Broadway actors, or we sound like we just swallowed an insect, everybody is invited to join in. It's a symbol of God's invitation for all of us to participate and celebrate together.

Prayer

Prayer means many things to different people. It is an action of invoking God's presence by communicating with God. We center ourselves, offering thanksgiving, petition, or just simply declutter. We may be spontaneous in our prayers, or our prayers can take the form of hymns and creeds that are thousands of years old. There isn't a right way to do it. Many of us, in our prayers, still search for both meaning of God's will and to confirm a knowing of how it intersects with our lives and the world we live in.

Scripture

The Bible is a sacred text that has been handed down to us after being composed and edited across many centuries. It contains fascinating narratives that help us to explore our faith. We take these teachings seriously, but the Bible is not a science textbook. The Bible is the starting point for our reflection, meditation, and study. It is also a source of inspiration and guidance. We take care to use inclusive language in our scripture readings, and are open to new interpretations. We think that God is still speaking.

Sermon 

Jesus, as a devout Jewish teacher, would have offered sermons based on the traditions of his time, and Christians have followed this tradition. A sermon is intended to offer a reflection on a biblical text and then apply that reflection to contemporary times. We expect a preacher to try to engage people's minds and hearts, and leave them with a sense of challenge for the week ahead of a teaching that helps people use their spirituality in their daily lives. We use the word "sermon" rather than "homily" (a lecture that explores scripture) because we expect our preachers to use the Bible as a starting point for exploring Christian practice, but also use a variety of other materials in their teachings. To view sermons from 2022-2023, click this link which will direct you to the sermon playlist on our YouTube channel.