Worship - what to expect ...
Visiting for the first time?
Everyone is welcome to attend and experience our worship service. It doesn't matter if you have no religion, are of another religion, or if you've simply never been to church before. You will be greeted warmly, treated with dignity, and your privacy will be respected. No one will try to "convert you" to Christianity or to our particular form of it.
Why worship?
Worship is the central ministry of the church, the time when we all gather together to give praise to God, (remember that God is in us and we are in God) as well as be equipped and sent forth into the world as followers of Jesus who care for the earth and its peoples. Our usual worship service lasts between one and one and one half hours long.
When you arrive
When you arrive in the building you will be greeted by someone with a white lapel tag on that says “Welcome”. (That’s the idea, anyway… sometimes they’re busy with a lot of visitors and you may slip by them.) They will hand you a printed booklet that contains the order of service for the day plus announcements of life of our church community.
Children
We are delighted to welcome your children into our worship experience.
Infants and children under 3 may be cared for in the nursery either by our qualified and screened nursery personnel, or by yourself (you can hear the church service from there). The nursery is found through the door on the left side at the front of the church.
Children older than 3 begin in worship with adults, then go to the front for the lighting of our peace candle (if desired), and finally go across the lane to the lower floor of the Centre for Peace with leaders for Children's Church. You may accompany your child if you wish, and stay for all or part of the program.
Entering the sanctuary
You may sit anywhere you wish. If someone comes and tells you to move because “you’re in their pew”, this person is in violation of our core value of hospitality – but nobody’s perfect and people can be ignorant of our values, let alone common sense hospitality.
When you enter the sanctuary, there is often music playing. If you’re early enough, you may even catch the choir still rehearsing. You may sit in silence in your seat, or chat quietly with a friend.
You can leave at any time during a service, but quietly please if we are in the middle of something.
Accessibility
We have a level access door to the Church on the west side (opposite side from Burrard street) You can get there from the lane or up the sidewalk from 15th Avenue. Handicapped parking spots are posted in the lot next to the Centre for Peace, and the Centre for Peace is fully accessible with an elevator and wheelchair friendly washrooms on each floor.
Visually impaired
If your visual impairment means you can read a large text document, please speak to an usher or greeter. We have the worship bulletin printed out in large print each week for this purpose.
Welcome and announcements
The Minister will begin the service by welcoming visitors. You will not be singled out, nor asked to stand up.
Where stuff is and what it's called
Christians have a sort of unique language with many vocabulary words you won’t be familiar with. For starters, we have special names for rooms, hallways and so forth. There is no test - lots of folks use the common names and not the church lingo. Here’s a little primer:
- Entrance lobby, inside the front doors - Narthex
- Room where worship is held: the one with all the pews - Sanctuary
- The "stage" area in the sanctuary - Chancel
- The two open areas on either side of the pews
(if you imagine the church in the shape of a cross, these are the arms) Transepts
- Courtyard and garden with cemetery for ashes - Memorial Garden
- The hall, or big meeting room, coffee time place - Great Hall, or Centre for Peace
- Altar (a term for it used by some churches) - Communion Table
- Sunday school (traditional term for Sunday morning children's programs) - Children's Church
- Washrooms We call them washrooms too, which are located through the door at the front left of the church
Communion
We usually celebrate the sacrament of holy communion one Sunday each month. Everyone is welcome to participate in this sacrament, however if you are not a Christian or you really don't feel like you understand it enough to do so, you are perfectly welcome to stay in your seat. Instructions as to how to go up to communion, what to do with the bread and wine and what to say, will be explained at the time. Generally when you receive the piece of bread/cup, an appropriate reply is "amen". We use a pasteurized grape juice instead of wine. We generally serve communion in STATIONS - we will form 2 or 3 stations, where you will be invited to come forward and receive your bread, then dip it in the cup, then eat it and return to your seat. Sometimes we serve SEATED - servers will bring the bread and cup to you in your seat (you are free to consume it as you receive it).
Music and singing
Christians love to sing! (Well, most of them. Some just like to listen.) We are blessed at Canadian Memorial with a fantastic music ministry including a chancel choir, instrumentalists, and Peace-in-the-City Band. Music in the service is a blend of traditional Christian hymns and more modern worship songs. Feel free to join in or just listen. There are hymn books in the pews (the red “Voices United” and the spiral bound "More Voices") for those of you who like to read the music.
Bible readings and sermon
There will be 1 or 2 readings from the Bible each Sunday. These readings are chosen by the Christian church as a whole, and rotate on a 3-year cycle known as “the lectionary”.
There are several translations of the Bible into English from its original Hebrew and Greek. We find a scholarly and inclusive version to be the New Revised Standard Version (“NRSV”). Most just listen rather than read along, however you may borrow a Bible from the pews if you’d like to read the text.
The sermon is an oral presentation by the Minister on the bible texts and relates to how we understand their meaning in our lives today. This usually lasts about 15 minutes. Our sermons page gives you the written version of sermons preached.
Passing the Peace
At one point in the service members of the congregation are invited to "pass the Peace" (or "Peace of God" or "Peace of Christ"). This is based on an ancient teaching to make peace with your neighbour before making your offering to God. You are invited to stand up and greet those around you, and then sit down when you feel done. Often people will say to you "Peace be with you" and a common response is "and also with you." It is OK to say nothing, or something like "good morning". This is a time to extend peace, but not for general conversation. This part of the service may seem a bit chaotic to the casual observer, but is well loved by regular attendees.
The Offering
The offering is an act of worship for Christians. It is symbolic of the fact that we believe everything we have comes from the blessings of God. It is also an act of generosity. Offerings support the ministry programs at our own church (including salaries) and various programs across Canada and throughout the world to help others. It is perfectly acceptable to let the offering plate pass you by. If you put your gift in one of the small envelopes found in the pews, fill out the info, we will make sure to send you a tax receipt.
If you decide to make Canadian Memorial your home congregation, there are several ways to participate in the offering.
Coffee time
Following the service, we gather in the Great Hall for coffee, tea, juice and a social time. If you’re a newcomer, you are most welcome. Another way to get to know us is to pick up a newcomer's brochure (a greeter should be able to help you find one), or join us at our monthly newcomers lunch.
Next steps ...
You are most welcome to visit as often as you wish. If you have specific questions, our contact page has ways to reach us. And if you feel this is the community for you, then our membership page will explain about formally joining. Thanks for taking the time to read our website.