Worship & What to Expect

WORSHIP & WHAT TO EXPECT:

WORSHIP With Us SUNDAYS AT 10:30AM

Worship is central to our lives and all that we do at St. George's United Church. We welcome and encourage you to join us as we praise the God who created us, gives us new life in Christ, and is with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our worship combines elements of traditional worship, open-minded theology, and a broad variety of musical styles, from classical hymns to folk music to African-American spirituals and contemporary world music. Preaching is relevant and brings the Christian story alive for the present day. Prayer is offered from the heart and on behalf of a world in need. And we are blessed and sent to join in God's mission of healing the world. Worship at St. George's engages the head, the heart, and the hands, shaping our lives for serving the world that God loves. Our worship seeks to bring us in to an encounter with God’s mystery and grace.

What to Expect

We understand that you may be a little nervous on your first visit. Visiting somewhere new can be intimidating--let alone a new church! If you come alone, you may wonder who will sit beside you and whether anyone will speak to you. If you are coming with children, you may want to know where is a good place to sit, and if there's child care. If you have been away from church for a while or have never set foot inside a worship space before, please know that we are working hard at making you feel at home.

ARRIVING

If you're coming to St. George's for the first time, there is parking on the street on the 6th street and Fitzgerald Avenue sides of the church. There is also some limited parking in the back, which can be accessed by the alleyway at the west end of the church property on Fitzgerald. The wheelchair/stroller access doors are both in the back of the church and can be accessed through the parking lot or by the entrance on 6th street.

Our main entrance is on Fitzgerald Avenue. Come in the bright red front doors. There you'll be met by volunteers who are there to greet you and answer any questions you might have. Please let one of our volunteers know that you're new so they can help you feel most comfortable.

At the entrance to the sanctuary (where worship happens), you will be greeted by an usher who will offer you a handshake and a smile, along with with an “Order of Service” bulletin. The bulletin outlines the order of the worship service (what happens and when it happens), and includes the news of our life together, outlining the other opportunities that are taking place in our community.

You are welcome to sit wherever you would like in the sanctuary--there are no reserved seats! Before the service begins, our musician usually begins by playing some contemplative music to help prepare us for worship.

THE SERVICE

At 10:30 am worship usually begins with a greeting, welcome, and announcements. All our hymns, prayers and other responses are all on PowerPoint, but if you would like to follow along with the music, we have hymn books available in the pews.

For the next hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half or so the service unfolds, including a special time for children in the service called The Early Word which usually begins with an engaging reflection on the scripture or theme for the day. At this point elementary-aged children are invited to follow our Children's Church leaders for Children's Church. 

Following, the rest of us invited to wrestle with a passage from the Bible, and a reflection on the coming together of faith and life called the sermon. Following the sermon, collection plates are passed around and community participants contribute financially to the life and work of the church in the community. Some of the offering goes to fund the ministries of St. George's United Church (including our food pantry and Sonshine Lunch Club ministries), and some of it goes to support mission projects across Canada and around the world. Newcomers are not expected to contribute, but feel free to give if you are able. Regardless, no one will be looking over your shoulder at what you put in!

Holy Communion (the Lord’s Supper) is generally celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. This makes the service a bit longer.

AFTER THE SERVICE

After the service the ministers usually greet people on their way out of the sanctuary. If you are able to stay, please join us for for coffee and tea in the Fellowship Hall, which is through the door just off the side of the sanctuary. It's a chance to get to know one another better.

We look forward to meeting you and having you join in exploring together our common meaning and purpose as people of faith in this time and place.