COME IN ANYTIME. ALL ARE WELCOME. Faith is an open church-all people are invited to worship at Faith and are welcome. The church is defined by the people who gather here. If you come, you will make the church yours. If you walk in after the service has started, just come forward and take a seat. CHILDREN, TOO At Faith children and adults worship together. Sometimes this makes things a little noisy, but not too noisy for people to sing and pray. PICK UP A BULLETIN The whole service (except for hymns) is printed in the bulletin. If you come in late, ask someone to show you where we are in the service.		Why things happen the way they do in worship.

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY The worship service has three parts. People gather together. People hear readings from the Bible. Then the preacher helps all reflect on the readings and their application to our lives. After the sermon, we pray together. People share the Lord's supper, also called Holy Communion, the Mass, or the Eucharist. We start by sharing the peace of God with each other. Here are the parts in more detail. GATHERING We gather together to be with each other and to share our hopes and concerns. We usually start by confessing to each other our sins (in general) and hearing the minister announce that God forgives us. We sing a hymn. Then we call on God to be with us and to bring peace to us and the world. We sing a song, called a gloria, praising God. We pray a short prayer.
	THE SERVICE OF THE WORD We hear three readings. The first is usually from the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), the second is usually a letter from an Apostle, and the third is the Gospel, a reading from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. After the gospel, the preacher (usually the pastor of Faith) preaches. After the sermon, we sing a hymn and recite a creed, or statement of common belief. We use one of two creeds that are commonly used now and have been used by Christians for many centuries. We pray for each other and for others. The pastor gathers concerns and celebrations from the people and incorporates those special prayers in one common prayer. Feel free to speak up at this time or, if you feel more comfortable, prayer silently. You may also fill out a prayer card.
		MEAL The meal starts with the sharing of the peace. Each person greets everyone else with the words “peace of the Lord,” or “God's peace” or similar words. After announcements are made (upcoming events and items of interest) an offering is collected. The offering supports the church and is a physical sign of gratitude for blessings we have received. Then the pastor recites a prayer called the Great Thanksgiving. In it, we thank God for God's interest in humanity and this world and for Jesus Christ. We hear the words Jesus said at his last supper. We pray the Lord's prayer. We all gather at the altar rail to share bread (either real bread or little wafers) and wine (or grape juice for those who cannot drink wine). Some drink wine from the common cup; others are more comfortable with individual cups. All are welcome to share in this meal (children, too, if their parents approve). After the meal, the pastor asks for blessing for all who gather. We sing one last song. The service ends with words of peace and action: Go in peace and serve the Lord! And all shout out: Thanks be to God!