First Time Visitor?

Welcome to our new website.  This page we hope will be especially helpful for you - a first time visitor - in being more comfortable when visiting for worship.

 

No matter who you are, or where you are on your faith journey, you are welcome here.

What You Can Expect

We hope that you will encounter the presence of God, hear a relevant message, and find a spritiually meaningful worship experience.

 

We strive to meet a variety of needs on a Sunday morning, here are some of the things that you might find helpful for you:

+ Children's Activity Bulletins (with activities designed to match the scriptures being read that day)

+ Crayons and Colored Pencils

+ Regular and Large Print Bulletins

+ Children are welcome throughout the entire worship service, for your convenience we also offer a nursery for 0-6 year olds

+ Diaper changing facilities in the nursery

+ Closed circuit TV in the nursery (so you can see and hear the worship service while in the nursery)

+ The regular Sunday Sermon is generally preceeded by a Junior Sermon (geared for youth and children)

+ On the first and second Sunday of the month, we offer a Junior Worship service (where elementary school youth are dismissed from worship after the Junior Sermon, and have a Biblical lesson geared for their age group)

+ Handicap accessible bathrooms and water fountains are located on both the first and second floors

+ During the school year, our gifted choir sings on most Sundays

+ Generally on the first Sunday of the month, the bell choir offers their musical gifts during worship

+ From time to time, we have special music programs during worship, as well as special afternoon music programs

+ We strive to make the worship service as easy to follow as possible, by having everything typed out in the bulletin in an easy to read format

+ Central heating and air conditioning

+ We have refreshments after all or nearly all of our worship services (including gourmet, shade-grown, equal-exchange, fair-trade coffee)

 

* Each Sunday morning we have greeters and ushers ready to assist you, who understand that there can be some confusion, anxiety, and a lot of questions when coming to a new place of worship.

 

Attire

You will find members dressed in a wide range of modest attire.  Some gentlemen come in two-piece suits, and others come in jeans or chinos and polo shirts.  Some ladies come in dresses and others come in slacks.  Some youth dress up and others are in t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers.

Over the summer, nearly everyone dresses more casually. 

For High Holy Days, such as Christmas, Palm Sunday, and Easter most persons are dressed more formally. 

Some days, we are intentionally dressed very casually such as Rally Day (beginning of the school year), Holy Humor Sunday (the Sunday after Easter), and of course the annual worship service at Knoebels Amusement Park (third Sunday in August).

 

Offering

During the worship service, an offering is taken (by passing a plate).  Visitors should not feel compelled to make an offering.  A free will offering is gladly received.  Offerings are in thanks to God and are used to support the ministries and mission of the church.

If I do wish to make an offering, what is the normal giving amount that visitors offer at a UCC worship service?  The average visiting adult often gives between $5-$20.  Sometimes parents like to give their children between 25¢ to $1, so that they can put something in the plate, too.

 

Holy Communion

Communion is served during worship about one Sunday a month.  All baptized Christians who profess a faith in Christ are welcome to participate in this sacrament, including visitors.  You do not need to be a member of the United Church of Christ to commune here.

We offer bread and a choice of red wine or white grape juice.  If we are aware of food allergies far enough in advance, we can generally accomodate persons with additional alternatives (and we are happy to make those accomodations).

Youth are given instruction on the meaning and purpose of communion as a part of the confirmation class program.  Those youth who are younger than confirmation age, who would like to participate in this sacrament and are members of St. Paul's UCC, are encouraged to participate in communion classes prior to communing (in order that this sacrament has meaning and reverence for them).  Visiting baptized youth are welcome to partake of communion, if they do so in their home church (without needing to be confirmed and without needing to participate in our communion class).