The Early Church at 8:00 AM

 

Yes, that's really early. But it's SO worth it! We gather in our beautiful new Family Life Center, and celebrate the goodness of God in a contemporary, upbeat style. 

 

Over the past fifty years many talented Christians have written many beautiful, deep and meaningful songs meant to be sung by congregations, and played with modern instruments - that's right, guitars, and drums and what not. This very energetic style isn't for everyone, but we try to be as welcoming and open as possible. The songs, the prayers, and the readings are all displayed onscreen, so there's no hymnal or folder to navigate. 

 

That said, our worship is NOT 'casual', nor is it 'informal,' although the clothes we wear often are. The idea of 'casual' implies no forethought, and little commitment. That's not what we're about. ANYONE who DARES come to church so early is showing some serious commitment, and we honor that. So our musicians practice, and our volunteers arrive early and stay late to make sure our worship is done reverently and skillfully. God wants the best for us, and God expects the best FROM us, and worship is where it all starts. 

In a similar vein, we are NOT 'informal,' because we are very conscious of 'form' in worship. We are Lutherans, and we carry in our bones the tradition of over two thousand years of Christian worship. 

All the principle parts of Western Liturgy are present in our worship: The Introit, Kyrie and Gloria are present in our gathering music. The reading of generous portions of scripture takes place every Sunday as it has for generations. Our celebration of Holy Communion follows the forms handed down from soon after the Apostles' own era. As a modern sage has said, "Only when we are deeply rooted in tradition can we innovate with integrity." 

And that is exactly what we are doing in the Early Church. Come and see!

 

There are many Facebook live videos on our Facebook page. They are not done professionally, but with a simple phone every Sunday.