When do we worship?
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Worship Begins at 10am
Children at any age are encouraged to join in with our worship service. We have a "Toddler Pew" for kids who might need a little extra space to move, a "Word for all Ages" when kids can come up for a special message just for them, and a kids' bulletin for those moments when there's a little too much adult-stuff going on. Why do we encourage children in worship? Well, we value the whole Church being together. And even if children don't quite get everything (who of us does?!), they are soaking in what it means to be a part of a worshipping community. You could also check out this short article for more. Most weeks, we have a "blended service" where we sing songs of different times and genres during the service (see more below). On the 3rd Sunday of the month, we usually have a full band for a "Celebrate!" service, which consists of mostly contemporary worship music. |
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What is worship?
For some of us, going into a church (especially with a more “traditional” worship style) can be a cause for culture shock! There aren’t many other places in our culture where a bunch of people sing together, read aloud together, and participate in ancient rituals. It’s natural to feel a bit uncomfortable when we experience something new! We hope you’ll stick with us, because we believe that everything we do here helps us to worship. For us, worship happens when we are planted in God’s Story (the Bible). As we experience God’s love and truth, we blossom into grateful praise, and our lives begin to be changed by that God. Hopefully, the picture to the left helps. Each activity (prayers, songs, sermons, etc.) we do contributes to that process. Most of those activities are laid out in the program (or bulletin), so when you worship with us, try following along, and if you get lost, just ask someone around you.
At PPUCC, we are striving to reflect diversity in our worship styles. On the 3rd Sunday of the month, the band "Touched by Faith" leads us in a more "contemporary" worship style (you might find them playing a hymn now or then too). Other Sundays, we practice a loosely liturgical style that involves ancient, classical, and modern forms of music within a fairly consistent structure. Again, whatever we do, the goal is to help us go deeper into God's love and grow as Jesus' disciples.
For more on the different elements of our worship service, we did a sermon series on it ("That Thing We Do")! Or check out this brochure with some basics.
At PPUCC, we are striving to reflect diversity in our worship styles. On the 3rd Sunday of the month, the band "Touched by Faith" leads us in a more "contemporary" worship style (you might find them playing a hymn now or then too). Other Sundays, we practice a loosely liturgical style that involves ancient, classical, and modern forms of music within a fairly consistent structure. Again, whatever we do, the goal is to help us go deeper into God's love and grow as Jesus' disciples.
For more on the different elements of our worship service, we did a sermon series on it ("That Thing We Do")! Or check out this brochure with some basics.
WHOLE-LIFE WORSHIP
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Our goal is to become “whole-life worshippers,” where every part of our lives is given to learning, experiencing, and sharing God’s love with others.
All the worship activities we practice accomplish their purpose when everyone—from the pastor to the musicians to all those gathered to worship—are engaging in the worship process. So here are some tips to help you to engage in the worship service in a way that helps you to integrate worship into the rest of your life: |
1. Spend time with God throughout the week: make time to plant yourself in the Scriptures, develop your relationship with God through prayer, and praise God through song.
2. Give yourself time to transition into worship: try not to rush in at the last moment, but have time to set your mind and heart on God and worshipping with God’s people.
3. Ask God to speak to you, meet you, change you: expect to encounter God and hear from him; ask “What does God want me/this community to hear this morning?"
4. Come ready to work: pay attention to what you pray, sing, hear in the sermon; take responsibility for engaging with God and his Word; avoid an ‘entertainment’ mentality.
5. Write something down that impacted you: take something away from the service; a line from a song, a point in the sermon, or a moment in prayer might be God’s way of meeting you here and working to transform your life.
6. Let the worship service guide your “whole-life worship”: discuss the sermon with other people; take the bulletin home and think about the reflection questions; spend time praying the prayers during the week in a personal way. We also provide a weekly "3G Plan" to guide you in your time with God and others throughout the week.
2. Give yourself time to transition into worship: try not to rush in at the last moment, but have time to set your mind and heart on God and worshipping with God’s people.
3. Ask God to speak to you, meet you, change you: expect to encounter God and hear from him; ask “What does God want me/this community to hear this morning?"
4. Come ready to work: pay attention to what you pray, sing, hear in the sermon; take responsibility for engaging with God and his Word; avoid an ‘entertainment’ mentality.
5. Write something down that impacted you: take something away from the service; a line from a song, a point in the sermon, or a moment in prayer might be God’s way of meeting you here and working to transform your life.
6. Let the worship service guide your “whole-life worship”: discuss the sermon with other people; take the bulletin home and think about the reflection questions; spend time praying the prayers during the week in a personal way. We also provide a weekly "3G Plan" to guide you in your time with God and others throughout the week.
Music in Worship
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We praise, lament, confess, and pray through a variety of musical styles. You can check out our Spotify Playlist that includes many of the hymns, chants, and contemporary worship songs that we sing during worship. Take a moment to listen for your personal time with God and to learn them so that you can sing them with your whole heart when we gather together.
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