Frequently Asked Questions
Is there anything special I need to know about your worship service?
Not really. Everything you need to know is printed in the bulletins ushers pass out as you enter the church. The bulletin has references to pages in the hymnal (the red book in front of you) for the parts of the service. Pastor Rossman will announce this clearly.
Our liturgy is fairly traditional, but we try not to be stuffy about it. The minutes before the worship starts are reserved for quiet meditation in the sanctuary. Pastor Rossman will start the service with a hale and hearty “Good Morning!”, the volume of which is a function of how much coffee he had earlier.
What about communion?
Our Saviour practices “open communion”, which means that all baptized Christians are welcome to join us at the Lord’s Table. We understand that practice varies from church to church and that this can be a source of confusion for visitors, so we’ll give you the details.
After Pastor speaks the Words of Institution, the ushers will begin to direct rows on both sides of the aisle to go forward. The children in the nursery will come in at this time and go forward for a special blessing. Then the ushers will go to the front of the sanctuary, and work their way to the back.
When your row is invited, go forward. Children are invited to come forward with their parents for a blessing. At the front of the aisle will be an acolyte holding a tray of small glasses. If you wish to receive the wine in a glass, please take an empty one and proceed to the rail. The filled glasses in the center of the tray contain grape juice, if that is your preference. You may also partake of the wine by common cup or intinction (dipping the wafer).
Kneel at the rail. Pastor will distribute the host (wafer). If you wish to take the wine by intinction, simply hold the wafer up.
After receiving communion, please return to your row by proceeding down the side of the sanctuary.
It’s harder to write it than it is to do it. If you have questions, please feel free to ask Pastor Rossman before the service, or ask the ushers or any member. It’s Christ’s table; we merely set and serve, so you really can’t make any mistakes.
Are you going to pressure me to be a member, hit me up for money, or embarrass me in any way?
In a word, no.
If you’re a visitor, we hope you’ll make yourself known to us. We try hard to welcome visitors, and Council members are under standing orders to introduce themselves to anyone they don’t recognize, but there’s a chance we might miss you. Please take a moment to sign the guest book in the narthex, and join us for food, caffeine, and other socializing after the service.
We’ll call you the next day to arrange a short visit by two of our Council members, but this is not mandatory. We have learned that this is a comfortable way for visitors to get to know Our Saviour a little better. Usually we like to visit you at your home, as this is convenient for most people, but we can meet at the Church or any other “neutral site”, if that is your wish. This gives you a chance to ask questions that you may not have had the chance to ask on Sunday.
As for being embarrassed — no way. Period.
We think our “community of faith” has a lot to offer. We also understand that the decision is up to you. Our goal is simply to make sure that you have all the information you need from us to make an informed decision.
But you still want money, right?
We collect an offering during the service. It is strictly your decision whether you wish to make an offering or not. There is no “cover charge” for the worship service.
We believe that we’re all responsible for the prudent administration of the gifts God has given us. We also know that we’re not the only organization doing God’s work. Each of our members makes an individual decision as to the level of support they can afford. We encourage people to give until it feels good, not until it hurts.
We’re in the process of building an energetic, vigorous community of faith. Our goal is to have so much going on at Our Saviour that when each of us has to make that decision as to where to put that incremental dollar to work, the choice will be a no-brainer.
