Worship

We meet for Worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church. Sign up for our weekly email list here to find out the theme and the readings for the week.

At Epworth, we want our Sunday worship to reflect our mission to:

Do Good. Nourish Faith. Welcome All. BE Church.

So our worship services look a little different week to week – you can see our breakdown of each week’s worship below.

First Sunday of the month: Traditional Worship

On the first Sunday of the month, we enjoy singing both new and old songs from our Methodist tradition and those we’ve learned from others.  We typically will use selections from the United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, and Worship & Song.  When you join us, you’ll find that we use some spoken liturgy as well.  The choir will typically sing and we will celebrate Communion.

Epworth members enjoy conversation Sunday

Second Sunday of the month: Conversation Sunday

In place of the Sermon, we break into small groups to discuss some aspect of the Scripture, relating it to our lived experiences and our current reality. These conversations have included discussing how to care for creation, how faith informs our understanding of social movements, what it means to welcome the stranger or what it means when prayers are not answered the way we expect.

 

Third Sunday of the month: Traditional Worship

On the third Sunday of the month, we enjoy singing both new and old songs from our Methodist tradition and those we’ve learned from others.  We typically will use selections from the United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, and Worship & Song.  When you join us, you’ll find that we use some spoken liturgy as well.  The choir will typically sing and we will celebrate Communion.

Fourth Sunday of the month: Service Sunday

On the fourth Sunday, we host a short service before we go out in the community or do a project at the church that is in service to others. Sometimes this project takes place at the church (such as a letter writing campaigns, sorting and packing relief kits for United Methodist Committee on Relief or examining the church’s carbon footprint). Occasionally the church goes out into the community for service projects, which may include repair chores for friends and neighbors, visiting the sick and homebound, picking up trash along the streets, walking for peace or participating in community events.

Fifth Sunday of the month: Alternative Locations or Worship Style (Jan, Apr, July, Oct)

During months with a fifth Sunday, we may look outside of the sanctuary and outside of the church building for someplace else to worship (such as a park, labyrinth, event). We may also try a different style of worship, such as a meditative service, a TAIZÉ or a hymn sing.

Special Sundays

Occasionally the church will host special Sunday services, including United Methodist Women service, the Blessing of the Animals or Pageant Sundays.