Answers To Some Common Questions About Our Worship Hour
It can be hard to go to a church for the first time. There are so many questions that can arise. For example,
What will the service be like?
Will I have to do anything during the service?
What do I do with my children?
What should I wear?
Unknown factors like these can make church intimidating. We hope we can answer some of the questions you might have about our church before you visit us for our Worship Hour. We’d like to make your visit with us relaxed and enriching. Please let us know if there are questions not answered. We want to add whatever will be helpful to you. Our deepest wish is that when you visit Grace Lutheran, you will hear about your Savior Jesus, and come to know the grace and love of God more and more.
Service Times
We have two different worship services each week. One is held on Saturday night. The Saturday night service starts as 6:30 pm and is a more contemporary service. The Sunday service is a more traditional. Both services follow the same liturgy and have the same readings and sermon. Our Sunday Worship Hour begins at 9:30 am. At 8:30 we begin Adult Bible Study And Sunday School. Sunday School is open to children age three through high school age; although beginning at that exact age can vary if an individual child is ready to begin sooner. Adults meet in the Fellowship Hall where there is room for young children to roam without disturbing the ongoing class After the 9:30 service, we have a time for Fellowship. We have coffee, snacks, and juice available. Please take this time to make new friends or find old ones.
The Order Of Service
The services usually include the following parts in a variety of forms:
The Invocation – We call on the name of our Savior God as we praise Him.
Admitting sins and finding forgiveness – We acknowledge that we have not been or done what God asks. Then we are assured of forgiveness in Jesus.
Bible Readings – Selections from God’s Old Testament prophets, Jesus’ apostles, and from Jesus Himself in the Gospels. The pastor also gives a brief explanation of each reading.
Sermon – Our pastor offers instruction and encouragement in a Bible based sermon. Expect God’s guidance and grace for dealing with problems as well and the promise of eternal life in heaven through Jesus. Included in your worship folder will be an outline of the sermon.
Response to the Word – We respond with offerings and prayers for the things He has promised to us and for strength to do what He has asked.
Parting blessing – We hear one last assurance of God’s care.
Mixed throughout these different parts of our service are hymns and short songs to praise God. Our services use traditional forms and modern language and application. The traditional brings us the best from God’s Church throughout the ages and the contemporary brings God’s promises and His will into our daily lives. We hope you enjoy both.
Offerings
When will they take the offering?
How will it be collected?
Do they want visitors to contribute too?
How much am I expected to give?
These are typical worries about church offerings. The Bible teaches that our offerings to God should reflect our belief that all we have is His gift to us. It teaches us that with our offerings we worship and honor God. Like most Christians, our members bring offerings to God through their church. Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one dictates what each person is to give. We pass an offering plate during the service so that our worship may include bringing gifts to God. (Offering envelopes are available and keep our gifts a private matter known only to God who sees what we do in private.) A child may bring the quarters and dimes his parents give him. Someone older may write a check. Both are remembering Jesus and giving their gift out of love for Him. You may wish at first to learn more about our ministry before bringing your offerings to God through our church. But you are welcome to participate as your heart leads you to give.
Dress
Sometimes people wonder how they are expected to dress at a church they’ve never visited before.
Since the Bible presents no dress code, aside from simple decency and Christian humility, Grace Lutheran Church doesn’t make any rules either.
Like most people, our members try to make their worship time at church a special time. This is often reflected in the way they dress.
But dress is a personal matter of worship before God. One may dress casually and rejoice that we have a God who accepts us as we are. Another may dress to reflect the awe and reverence we have for our Savior King.
On any Sunday at our church you may see running shoes and high heels, jeans and suits, or open collars and ties. When a person dresses out of love for God, the choice of dress – casual or more formal – is acceptable to God . . . and us.
Seating
As our guest, you may sit wherever you feel most comfortable. To assist families with young children we have designated the back two rows for guests with small children. This is so they can easily take them out to the cry-room or nursery.
Sunday Worship
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” – Psalm 122:1
The high point of each week for the people of Grace is when we gather together to lift high the Lord Jesus in worship. Traditional, classical, and contemporary styles of worship are blended together into each service.
The Lutheran Church has retained the elements of historic Christian worship. A typical service includes hymns, readings from the Bible, a children’s message, a sermon, songs of praise, prayers, an offering, and on the first and third Sundays, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
Every church has its own style of worship. We think you’ll enjoy the services at Grace Lutheran Church as our way of praising God together.
Each week the service is printed in the worship folder. All the readings, and prayers are printed there for you. You are welcome to bring along your own Bible and follow along if you choose.
The services focus on readings from the Bible. There we hear God talk to us. Music and singing are an important part of our services too. Loud or soft, in monotone or rich harmony, all our praises are music to God. You might even remember a favorite hymn or song to ask our pastor to use in an upcoming service.
Visitors find our services inspirational, meaningful to their daily lives, and easy to follow. We think you will too.
The Worst That Can Happen…
Attending church somewhere for the first time can be intimidating. Here are some common worries:
“I would just die if they made me stand up and say something.” We assure you, we won’t embarrass you in this or any other way. We want you to feel comfortable and at home with us. Church should be an enjoyable and uplifting experience. We promise to do all we can so you can learn about your Savior.
“I know my child is going to be too noisy.” Grace Lutheran is made up of many families with small children so small children are welcomed. However if you would like a place to take your child if she/he becomes noisy, we have a cry room which is located next to our worship area. The service may still be seen through a window and heard through the speaker in the cry room.
“I know I will feel out of place.” We hope that this information will ease your mind, but if you have a question, please ask someone for help. Don’t hesitate to say, “I am new. What is this about?” Our congregation is still very young. Our members are also new.
“I am afraid I will say or do something wrong.” All of us have felt this way when in a new situation. But we hope you see the people of Grace Lutheran to be ordinary people like yourself. We want to accept you as you are and help you become what Christ wants you to be. We do not want to throw cold water on that by a critical spirit.
“I just want to watch at first and I know that they will try to involve me or sign me up.” It is unpleasant to be pressured or to be part of a “membership drive” as though we were heads of cattle, isn’t it? We believe that church membership should be a voluntary thing, and that the most important thing is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation. It takes time for this to be cultivated. People need time to evaluate and decide if they wish further involvement. We believe we should respect that need.
“I don’t know that much about the Bible.” Church and Bible Study are opportunities to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and faith in Jesus. You won’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer. And remember, sometimes the wisest words we say are, “I don’t know.”