Worship at Sligo Presbyterian Church

Worship is intended to be a free expression of our love for God and the joy we feel when we accept that love. Of course, there are many ways for us to express that love and joy. So that we can experience a greater sense of freedom and flexibility in our praise, we've decided to move away from a rigid order of worship, with the different elements printed in a very formal way, and to utilize the screen and the worship leader to guide us through the service. Below you’ll find some information that you may need to participate fully in our praise and reverence for God.

The Music for the Service

Instrumental and vocal music are important to our worship.  Songs give us the chance to praise God and to help focus our attention on the theme of the service.  During the service, we’ll have the opportunity to sing songs that reflect different musical styles.  Since God has called into his church as individuals with a variety of tastes, this offers us the chance to display our sensitivity for our fellow worshipers and to grow in our knowledge of how we might praise God.

The Prayers for the Service

Our prayers represent our communication with God. Of course, as Paul wrote, the Holy Spirit “...intercedes for us with groans too deep for words”; therefore, God already knows our needs. Still it’s important that we put them into words, as well as the regret we feel for our sins and our thanks for all God has done for us. During our service, there are two times when we pray together.  During the Our Prayers to God, we confess our sins and hear the assurance that we're forgiven.  We also have the opportunity to lift our concerns and needs to God.  We close this prayer with The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Finally, after the offering, we praise and thank God for his presence in our church and within our lives.

The Word Read and Proclaimed

God’s word is at the core of the worship service. It’s often reflected in the songs we sing and the prayers we pray. But it’s most clearly present when we read passages from the Bible, and in the sermon, apply God's Word to our daily living. 

When We Gather Around the Lord’s Table

When we gather around the Lord’s table, we believe that even though Christ's body and blood are not physically present in the bread and the juice, he’s with us in a special spiritual way. Jesus is the host of this meal and when we share the communion, we can experience his presence in a special way. For that reason, the elements are spiritual nourishment in Christ by faith. In fact, when the community as the Body of Christ gathers around the table and celebrates the Lord's Supper, it’s  “transformed” into the Body of Christ, or “reformed” into the Body of Christ each time it participates in this sacrament.