Worship

Your First Visit

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR FIRST VISIT

Service time – 1 hour

Welcome!

When you arrive for a worship service at Fallowfield or Merivale you will be greeted at the entrance to the church by an usher who will offer you a handshake and a bulletin. Find a seat that you like. (These are small churches, there are no bad seats!) The organist will usually play a prelude as people are arriving.

If you have children with you the Sunday School Teachers will introduce themselves if they have arrived before you. Children participate in the first part of the service, but are welcome to stay for the full service if they prefer. Babies making noises is always a joyful sound to us.

The bulletin/program includes a list of weekly announcements and the order of service. The minister will open with a welcome to the congregation and announcements before beginning the service. Worship includes progressive messages, presented in a traditional format combining prayer, music and reflection.

The Lord’s Prayer is the only element of the service we recite from memory. Prayers are read from the bulletin or led by the minister. All hymns are found in the red Voices United hymn books in each pew. For each hymn, the organist will begin with a short intro while we find our page. The congregation then stands to sing, unless instructed otherwise. Scripture is read by the minister or a congregation member, and the minister offers a reflection.

If Communion is served, everyone, of all ages and faith backgrounds, is welcome to participate. Individual portions of bread and grape juice will be brought to your pew.

Towards the end of the service an offering will be collected. If you would like to make a donation, we are registered charities and you can include your name and address on an envelope to receive a charitable donations receipt (sent annually).

The service will conclude with a blessing and song, followed by music from the organist as we either take our time chatting with friends or rush off to other activities.

Coffee hour or lunch is sometimes offered after the service. All are welcome and we would love to get to know you better.

We look forward to seeing you Sunday!

ACCESSIBILITY

We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our two heritage designated buildings. Fallowfield’s church sanctuary is raised four steps from ground level at the front door. At Merivale a stair track is available to take those with limited mobility up the flight of stairs into the church.

The pulpit is equipped with a microphone to improve sound transmission.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.