Welcome
We invite you to attend the Sunday morning service at 10:00 AM. (9:00 AM, July 6 - August 31)
Upon entering the meeting house, you will see everyone gathering. The children are present at the beginning of the service.
There is a musical prelude to the service which begins about 9:50. The person at the lectern, a member of the diaconate, greets us all at 10:00 and provides some timely brief announcements. You may hear an invitation to fill out a card so we can get to know you better.
As we follow the bulletin, a short introit is sung. Then there is a formal call to worship where we respond to the speaker. A hymn is then sung.
There are usually three hymns during the service. They are typically traditional and familiar, but occasionally we are challenged with something new. Then there is a written invocation and prayer in which we appeal to God and recite the Lord’s Prayer. The sung response to the opening prayer is the Gloria Patri, which is our declaration of glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
At this point, there could be a variety of special events such as a baptism, recognition, announcement, and/or a children’s story. If a children’s story is being told, the young are encouraged to go up front and sit around Reverend Renee Garrett as she tells an often animated tale that appeals to everyone. The children are then excused to their Sunday school classes. The choir performs an anthem. The choir anthems are usually the culmination of many rehearsals. The music presented is typically classical and the arrangements take advantage of the power of the pipe organ and the harmony of the choir.
Dr. James Haddix will then present the Scripture lesson for the day. There are four areas of the Bible that are presented. The order may vary a little. There is a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm which we will participate either responsively or in unison. (The psalm may be written in the bulletin or there will be a reference to the back of the Hymnal.) There will be a reading from the new Testament and finally a reading from one of the four Gospels. The scripture lesson is closed by the Pastor’s prayer. We will have a moment of silence as we pray our own prayers. The minister will then close the prayer along with a choir response.
The deacon announces the offering will be taken. Four ushers will walk forward, take the offering plates and walk amongst us. A musical piece is presented during the offering time. The musical piece may be an anthem, organ solo, a special vocal piece, or a combination with other musical instruments. The offering time is ended by the presentation of the offering with all singing the Doxology. The second hymn is sung.
The worship service is building and leading up to the sermon. The sermon is meant to teach us all, in more depth, the meaning about the scripture readings. We are presented with examples of everyday life as we know in these current times and how they relate to the examples in the Bible. The length of the sermon does vary and is twenty to thirty minutes.
At the culmination of the sermon, we sing the final hymn.
The pastor provides us with a Benediction. These are the final words that will refer back to the sermon, an additional thought for the day and week, an encouragement, and a blessing.
As the choir sings a response, the ministers walk to the front door of the church.
The service is not quite over. A postlude is played on the organ and this is a time we may contemplate the Biblical lessons and words of encouragement.
We ask that you say hello to the ministers in the front entry and shake hands with them. They are quite friendly and would look forward to talking with you personally.
Following the service there are refreshments provided in the Vestry in the lower level. You are invited to this time of personal fellowship.
Thank you for reading this brief review of how we worship God, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
There is a lot of activity at All Souls and we invite you to explore the many ways we celebrate the blessings of Christ in our lives.