Services in-person & online at 8:30 and 11:00am at Florida's Oldest United Methodist Church

Worship

Jesus Christ said, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:8). The worship of God is the center of everything we do at First Church. Every Sunday morning, we gather together as a family of faith to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God’s Word, to offer prayers, and to celebrate the sacraments of the Church. Worship is what we are created to do. But worship is not about us. Worship is about God. When God is at the center of our worship, we hear the call of discipleship. Discipleship grows out of love and requires sacrifice and service. In our worship of God through the liturgy of the church we learn how to live as followers of Christ; we are introduced to areas of Christian service—Christian Education, Missions and Outreach, Evangelism, and Stewardship. These areas of Christian service are all part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, but they all begin in worship. It all begins with Christian worship.

CHRISTIAN LITURGY
Liturgy is the set of ceremonies, words, etc. used during our public worship. Every service at First Church has meaningful Christian liturgy rooted in the traditions of our faith. To encourage participation and an understanding of the liturgy, printed bulletins are available for each service.

HOLY COMMUNION
As United Methodists we practice open Communion. We invite “all who love God, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another” to partake. There are no conditions for church membership or completion of a class required. At First Church we celebrate Communion weekly at all four Sunday worship services.

BAPTISM
Through Baptism, God commissions us to use our gifts to strengthen the church and to transform the world. In Baptism, God initiates a covenant with us, announced with the words, “The Holy Spirit works within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.” All are invited to be baptized and join our family of faith.

PARTICIPATION IN WORSHIP
All are invited to be active participants in worship at First Church. You are encouraged to help lead in worship by serving as a lay reader, communion server, communion steward, usher, greeter, or by joining the choir or worship committee.

MUSIC & WORSHIP ARTS
Methodists are known for their love of singing and music. At First Church, we have an active music ministry including choirs of all ages, praise bands, and instrument groups that provide beautiful music at each of our services.

REVISED COMMON LECTIONARY
The Revised Common Lectionary is a three year cycle of weekly lections (liturgical readings). The Lectionary is built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as well as additional readings for major feast days. During most of the year, the elections are: a reading from the Hebrew Bible, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles, and a Gospel reading. You can find the current and next week’s lections in the bulletin each Sunday. The lectionary for the year can be found on our website.

Call to Action

Commit to attending worship services weekly. In addition, volunteer in worship by serving on the Worship Committee; singing in the choir; or serving as an usher, greeter, lay reader, communion server, or communion steward.

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