What is worship like at Holy Trinity?

I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."  Psalm 122:1
If you clicked on this page, you probably have some questions about worship and you are looking for answers.  We know that it can be hard to visit a church for the first time.  You might ask yourself, "What is going to happen when I walk in the door?"  "How will I know where to go and what will I do when I get there?"  "What will I do with my children?"  "What should I wear?"  "What will the service be like?"  All kinds of unknown factors can make visiting a church very intimidating.

On this page, we hope to answer some of these questions for you and help to ease some anxieties.  All of us at Holy Trinity want to make your visit with us relaxed and enjoyable.

What is worship like?

Every church has its own style of worship.  We think you'll enjoy the worship service at Holy Trinity, but as in any church, you should expect to take a couple of Sundays to become accustomed to how we join together to praise God.

We attempt to make our worship as "user friendly" as possible.  Each week, the order of service is printed in the bulletin along with the hymn numbers so you can find them in the hymnal.

Our worship is liturgical, which means that we have a set order of worship each week.  Every Sunday we consistently focus on God's Word and Sacrament because only through the words of Scripture and in the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion does God freely offer us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Music is a very important part of our worship life.  Though our singing of hymns and other songs we express our thanks to God for his wonderful salvation.  Lutherans are blessed with a wonderful history of excellent hymnody.  Our hymns remind us of the wonderful things that Jesus has done for us and for our salvation.

Our worship services include the following parts:

The Invocation - We call on the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the beginning of the service.

Confession and Absolution - We confess our sins to God, we ask for his mercy and forgiveness.  The pastor announces the full and free forgiveness of our sins because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Readings from Scripture - Each week there are four readings.  One from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a letter from the New Testament and the Gospel reading.

Sermon - Each week the pastor shares a message about one of the readings.

Response to the Word - We respond with offerings, prayers, and singing to give thanks for the things God has promised us and for the strength to live our lives of faith.

The Lord's Supper - Each week we come together and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  We ask that those who do not share our beliefs or have not been instructed to refrain from partaking in the Sacrament.  For more information, please click here.

Final Blessing - We hear one last assurance of God's guidance and love.

Through these different parts of our service, we praise our gracious God with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from the entire history of God's Church.

Other Questions?

If there is something that we didn't answer on this page, feel free to contact the church and speak with our pastor.  We hope to see you for worship soon!

How should I dress?

You might wonder how you are expected to dress at a church you've never visited before.  Since the Bible presents no dress code, except for simple decency and Christian humility, Holy Trinity doesn't make any rules either.  On any Sunday at our church you might see running shoes and high heels, shorts and jeans or suits, polo shirts and ties.  When a person dresses out of love for his or her Lord, the choice of dress is acceptable to God and to us.

What about the offering?

"When will they take the offering?"  "How will it be collected?"  "How much am I expected to give?"  "Do they want visitors to contribute too?"  These are typical worries about church offerings, but God's Word teaches that our offerings to God should reflect our belief that all we have is his gift to us.  It teaches us that with our offerings we worship and honor God.

Like most Christians, our members bring offerings to God through their church.  Since offerings are gifts of love for God, no one dictates what each person is to give.  These offerings give them the opportunity to not only show love to Christ, but also to support the work of our congregation as we bring the Good News of Jesus' love to more people.

The offering is collected after the sermon and the prayer of the church.  As our guest, we will never expect you to contribute an offering, nor do we want you to feel pressured into doing so.  You may wish to learn more about our ministry before bringing your offerings to God through our church, but you are welcome to participate as your heart leads you to give.

What's the worst that can happen?

Attending a church for the first time can be intimidating.  Here are some common worries:

"I would just die if they made me stand up and say something."  We can assure you, we won't embarrass you in this way or any other way.  We want you to feel as comfortable as possible and at home with us.  Time at church should be an enjoyable and uplifting experience.  We promise to do all we can to help you learn about Jesus.

"I know my child is going to be too noisy."  Our congregation is much like a family with people of all ages.  It is not unusual to hear the cry of a baby mixed in with the sounds of worship.  If, however, at any time you feel the need, we have an unstaffed nursery where you can go with your child with comfortable chairs, a crib, toys, and a changing table.  The service is streamed into the nursery so you can still see what is happening in church.

"I know I will feel out of place."  We hope this visitor's guide has helped to ease your mind, but if you have a question, please ask someone for help.  Don't hesitate to say, "I'm new here.  Can you help me?"  We can assure you our members are more than willing to help.

"I'm afraid I'll say or do something wrong."  You are not alone!  All of us, at some time, have felt this way in a new situation.  We hope you'll see that the people of Holy Trinity are ordinary people like yourself.  We want to accept you as you are and help you become what Jesus wants you to be.

"I just want to watch at first, but I know they'll try to get me involved or sign me up for something."  It's unpleasant to be pressured or to be a part of a "membership drive" as though we were heads of cattle, isn't it?  We believe church membership should be a voluntary matter, and the most important thing of all is to trust in Jesus as our Savior.  This takes time.  People need time to evaluate and decide if they wish further involvement in a congregation.  We believe we should respect that need.

"I don't know that much about the Bible."  Worship and Bible Study are opportunities to grow in our knowledge of the Bible and faith in Jesus.  You won't have to answer any questions you don't want to answer.