“The language of the spirit is not the language of words.  The language of the spirit plumbs the unfathomable depths of mystery.  Readying ourselves for worship requires us to bring ourselves into a place that opens us to that which we cannot know with our minds, the language of the heart and soul.”

Rev. Dr. Jonathan Wright-Gray

Every Sunday at 10am, we gather to hear God’s word and to celebrate God’s presence.  As a multidenominational congregation, First Church has a long history of accepting people with differing beliefs and religious traditions.  Our free church tradition is not based on any common statement of belief, beyond the simple words that we say at the beginning of worship, “In the love of truth and the spirit of Jesus, we unite for the worship of God and the service of humankind.” Feel free to contact us about participating in any of the following worship opportunities.

Candlelighters

At the start of every church service, we ask children, under the guidance of the head usher, to light the candles on the altar. The candles symbolize the light of God.  Each Sunday, we ask one or two children to light the candles.

Contemporary Music Group

This is a group of singers and instrumentalists who provide contemporary music selections during occasional church services. Differing music styles provide another avenue for people to both worship and participate in our worship services.

Lay Readers

On most Sundays, lay people assist in the church service by reading selected Bible passages, whether from the Old Testament, the Gospels, or the Epistles.  Frequently a lay reader will lead a responsive reading from the psalms.  This becomes a way for us to become more acquainted with the Bible, both as the reader as well as the listener.

Senior Choir

Accompanied by our Music Director, Ronna Davis, the Senior Choir leads us during our church services in the singing of hymns.  Usually the choir sings an anthem to provide another opportunity for the congregation to hear of God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s salvation. Our music program is an integral aspect of our church service, and the Senior Choir is the cornerstone of this program.

Services

There is a weekly church service at 10am each Sunday.  During the Seasons of Advent and Lent there are additional services and opportunities to engage in worship. Each service is a well-planned event, with a central theme, supporting hymns, a carefully-crafted sermon, and moments of prayer and reflection.

Each Easter morning, the choir and congregation are invited to participate in a glorious celebration of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus“!

Ushers

It takes a small team of ushers every week to support church services.  Led by a head usher, the ushers assist by preparing the sanctuary for the church service, handing out church programs, seating people when requested, counting the number of adults and children that have attended, assisting in the collection of the offerings, and picking up programs left in the pews after the church service.

A Head Usher is assigned each month. For non-communion church services, the head usher works with about three to four people a week. For communion church services, the Diaconate conducts the ushering duties.

Welcome Team

Every week, we have one or more people (sometimes a family) welcoming people to our church services immediately inside the church’s main entrance. For returning church members, saying hello to someone you know is a great way to start day. For people new to our church, they get a very positive and welcoming greeting. We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome!

Additionally, each newcomer is offered a name tag.  Both members and visitors are encouraged to wear their name tags during worship and at coffee hour.   It helps avoid any embarassment in forgetting someone’s name, or a name that you THINK you should know because you’ve seen them around a while but just haven’t been introduced!