What to expect.
Welcome and thank-you for considering coming to join us on a Sunday morning.
We do not have a dress code. Some people are dressed up, and some people are in a t-shirt and shorts. We don’t usually wear hats when we are in the sanctuary out of respect for God.
We are located at 149 Frederick St. E in Arthur, Ontario. If you are driving we do have a parking lot, or we are in walking distance to the downtown area of Arthur.
The door that is commonly used is the door by the parking lot and this door leads to the main foyer where you can hang a coat, go up the stairs to the sanctuary or downstairs to the church hall, or you can take the lift which goes to the three main floors of our building.
The Sanctuary is where we gather for the worship service. As you enter the large room which we call the sanctuary, you will find a number of places to sit, you can sit where you want, however I would recommend not sitting up on the stage unless you have been invited to be part of the service leadership.
In the worship service there is music, prayer and speaking. The music varies from traditional hymns that are hundreds of years old to some songs that are only a few years old. Sometimes we use an organ, a piano, a keyboard, or a praise team, sometimes we even have recorded music that we use as part of the worship services.
Prayer is important to us. We come before God in the name of Jesus, opening ourselves up to God, acknowledging who He is, what He has done but also our need to have Him in our lives. Usually it is just the person up front who says the prayer while everyone else is silent, however when the person leading the Sunday school time, the congregation sometimes repeats the prayer a line at a time.
The minister/worship leader(s) help to guide us through our time together he/she/they are the ones that are up front leading us in the Responsive Call to worship, hymns/songs, prayers, reading of the Scriptures and the message (usually between 20-30mins long)
So what does the service look like?
As we gather their is music playing and people are talking together. At about 11am one of the Elders carries The Bible in followed by the minister. The congregation stands at this point and once the minister is up at the front you are invited to sit down.
An Elder or the minister welcomes everyone and highlights the announcements. We then to what is called the Responsive call to worship. This is usually taken from the Bible and someone will lead us and we will follow every other verse.
We sing anywhere from 2-6 songs/hymns on a Sunday morning, spread out through the service. Part of our service also includes a time where children can go up to the front of the sanctuary to meet with the minister or another person who will talk with them, tell them a story, and or pray with them. Following this time the Children will go with the Sunday school teachers downstairs. For parents of infants we do have a nursery that has a speaker in it so that you can hear the service if you feel more comfortable with them outside of the service.
The Sunday school children (Elementary school age and down go into the church hall for a time of music, crafts and a lesson from the Bible. Right now we run what is referred to as a one room school set up where the Sunday school kids work together and learn together.
We read scripture and the minister or an Elder, or guest speaker will give a talk based on the Scripture to help us understand the scripture but also to help us understand how the scripture applies to our lives and the world around us.
Following the sermon/message there is another prayer and an offering is collected. This is our gift to God, giving thanks, but also trusting in Him to continue to provide our needs. The offering is used at the congregational level to continue the ministry here in Arthur, to the wider Presbyterian Church in Canada, and to other groups around the world that are helping to share the good news that we have been given from Jesus.
Following the benediction which is a short message sending us out into the world said by the minister, people are invited to go downstairs for coffee and conversation.