WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ATTEND SUNDAY WORSHIP
SUNDAY SERVICE START AT 10 AM (CURRENTLY ON ZOOM)
You can join by clicking the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/74850005919 or by phone: 1-646-558-8656 + ID when prompted (748 5000 5919) *The FCC "waiting room" page will display until 9:45am
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We begin with an opening greeting and announcements, call to worship, corporate prayers, three hymns, an anthem by our choir, a sermon, prayers of the people, an offering, and a benediction. On the first Sunday of the month we celebrate communion. Most of us don’t dress up very much for worship, so come in whatever is comfortable for you. Children are welcome in the service and they sometimes make scribbling noises and ask questions in the beginning of the service. That’s fine with us. About halfway through the service they come forward for a children’s story and then they leave for Sunday school. After worship, most people head for the fellowship hall to enjoy coffee and snacks.
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Sacraments
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The United Church of Christ has two sacraments: Holy Communion and Baptism. We celebrate communion on the first Sunday of every month, to remember the last meal that Jesus ate with his disciples, and to look forward to the heavenly banquet in the world to come when all will be peace. This is the table of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and he invites everyone to partake, regardless of age or membership in the church. We serve both regular and gluten-free bread, and our cup is filled with grape juice. In the United Church of Christ, we baptize infants and young children to claim God’s promises for them until they are old enough to claim them for themselves. We also baptize adults. In 2019, we baptized people ranging in age from five months to 88 years old. We believe that baptism recognizes the entrance of the person into the worshiping community, so baptisms are generally performed during the worship service. |
Ecumenical Services
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Our church partners with Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church to offer several ecumenical services for the community throughout the year. We have the Blessing of the Animals (typically in October), a community Thanksgiving service on the Sunday afternoon before Thanksgiving, a Longest Night service on December 22, a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on February 25, and a Pentecost choir festival on May 31. The location for these services rotates among the three churches. |