What to Expect on Sunday Morning
We meet for worship on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.
While the number of people in attendance varies from Sunday to Sunday, we typically have 70 to 80 people in attendance on Sunday mornings for worship. This number represents considerable and sustained growth that we have experienced recently, which you can read more about on our Church History page.
The elements included in our worship services are reflective of the diversity of faith and theological backgrounds that exist within our body, including aspects such as weekly participation in the Lord’s Supper, liturgical prayers, contemporary worship music, and Biblical preaching. Men and women fully participate in all roles within our gatherings, and we value the voices and perspectives of women and men at all levels of involvement, service, and leadership. Our typical worship service lasts a little more than an hour. Here are more details on some of the specific aspects of our worship services that you can expect to experience on any given Sunday morning:
Welcoming Environment
First and foremost, we believe you can expect to be welcomed, embraced, and loved. Our hope is that we embody a spirit of hospitality in all that we do.
-
Liturgical Prayers
Liturgical Prayers are established prayers that we pray collectively each Sunday. We typically pray two such prayers — The Lord’s Prayer and our Prayer Of Confession. These prayers help to re-center our hearts and minds on a weekly basis on some ideas and ideals that we all hold in high regard. While the practice of praying established or “already written” prayers might be new or different to some people, there is a long tradition in the Christian faith of praying such prayers. We believe that including these prayers in our services grounds us in a rich heritage of faith and reminds us that we are connected to something that extends beyond our specific context and setting. We are connected to those who have walked in faith before us, and we are joined by others across the world who are responding to Christ in faith today. If you are new to The Vine, you are welcome to pray these prayers with us or simply to listen and take in the message of the prayers.
-
Praise And Worship
Our worship band of vocalists and musicians lead us in uplifting and encouraging praise on Sunday mornings. Our praise includes mostly contemporary worship songs with some older hymns included occasionally. Chris and Emily Payne lead our worship on most Sundays, and they have been serving in our worship ministry since 2010. Most people stand for the duration of our praise and worship time, but you may stand, sit, kneel, raise hands, clap, or worship however the Spirit leads you.
-
Preaching
Our preaching is based in the Bible, centered on Christ, and emphasizes the grace and love of Christ for all. We hope that our sermons serve to increase our love for and knowledge of Scripture, draw us closer to Christ, and encourage us to lead faithful lives in response to God’s love for us. Our Lead Minister, Warren Gray, preaches on most Sundays, but other members and guests also preach from time to time. If you would like to get a sense of our messages, past sermons are available on The Vine’s YouTube page.
-
Communion
Each Sunday we share in communion as a way to remember Christ’s death and remind ourselves of the call that the Gospel places on our lives to live faithful lives of service to God. Communion consists of drinking “the cup” (grape juice) that represents Christ’s blood that he shed and eating “the bread” (a sweet wafer-like cracker) that represents the body that he gave on the cross. In doing this we remember his life, his ministry, and his mission. We honor his humility, his love, and his compassion. We proclaim his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Communion — or “The Lord’s Supper” or “eucharist” — also looks ahead to the promise of eternity and Christ’s returns. The bread and cup ground us in the knowledge that we are awaiting something greater than this present experience. We pass trays containing the elements for a communal experience, but individually wrapped elements are also available for those who prefer that option.
Kids are a welcome part of our worship gatherings, and we want them to feel included, at home, and comfortable in their time at The Vine! Families can check their kids into our Kids Ministry programming and get more information on our Kids Ministry at the Check-In Area in the foyer of the worship center. There are several opportunities for children to engage and participate on Sunday mornings. All who serve within our Kids Ministry on Sunday mornings have undergone a background check.
A staffed nursery is available for children younger than three years old for the duration of our Sunday morning gatherings. The nursery is staffed from 9:45 a.m. (15 minutes before the start of the worship service) until 12:15 p.m. (15 minutes after the conclusion of Bible classes).
Kids three years old through second grade are invited to attend Children’s Church during worship each Sunday. Kids in this age range stay in the worship center for our praise and worship time at the beginning of the service and are then dismissed with our Children’s Church leaders at the beginning of the sermon.
Kids in older elementary grades and all older students remain in the worship center for the duration of the worship service. After worship there are various classes for all ages.
In addition to those specific offerings we also have a Kids Table set up at the back of the worship center where kids can color, play, and hang out during the worship service. There is also a “cry room” in the foyer of the worship center where families can take young children during worship.