Our Services

Visiting us 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, as well as be equipped and sent forth into the world as followers of Jesus who care for the earth and its peoples.

Children

We are delighted to welcome your children into our worship experience. Infants and children under 3 may be cared for in the downstairs nursery by our nursery volunteers, or by yourself in the nursery adjacent to the entry (you can see and hear the church service from there). Children older than 3 gather with their families in the sanctuary for the first part of the service and, after a time of blessing, they may go to the Children's Church area for worship and programme. You may accompany your child downstairs if you wish, and stay for all or part of the program. More information about our children's worship, see the Children and Families' Ministry page.

Helping Us Get to Know You

There are a couple of ways that you can give us an opportunity to be in touch with you, should you want that. When you first enter the church, there is a welcome table off to the left. A greeter will be there to welcome you. On that table is a guest book which we encourage you to sign to let us know you joined us that day. There is a space in that book that you can put your phone number and address, if you would like us to be in touch with you.

Once you are seated in the sanctuary, you will see a card in the pew in front of you that says "Welcome to Langley United Church." If you want, you can put your contact information on the card and put it in the offering plate when it comes around.

Welcome and Announcements

The Minister will begin the service by welcoming visitors. You will not be singled out or asked to stand up. Some announcements about the life and work of the community will appear on the big screen as people gather before the service. A few will also be highlighted during the service.

Communion

About 10 times a year we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. 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 given just before the meal is served.

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. Visitors are not expected to participate in the offering. It is perfectly acceptable to let the offering plate pass you by.

If you decide to make Langley United your home, you may begin to participate in the offering. See our Giving section for more information.

Music and Singing

Christians love to sing! (Well, most of them. Some just like to listen.) We are blessed at Langley United with a fantastic music ministry. Music in the morning service is a blend of traditional Christian hymns and more modern worship songs. All the words to our hymns and songs come up on the big screen. Feel free to join in or just listen. There are hymn books ("Voices United") in the pews for those of you who like to read the music. Hymn numbers are displayed on the screen for all hymns.

Visit our Music page for information about our various music ministries.

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 the most scholarly and inclusive version to be the New Revised Standard Version ("NRSV").

We encourage you to listen rather than read along, however there are Bibles in the pews if you'd like to read the text.

Normally, copies of sermons are available for download.

Colours of the Décor

The décor in the sanctuary follows the seasons of the church year. The year begins four weeks before Christmas, a season called Advent ("waiting")

Season	Time	Colour
Advent	Four Sundays before Christmas	Blue
Christmas	Christmas Eve – January 6	White and Gold
Epiphany and after	January 6 and following	Green
Lent	6 weeks before Easter	Purple
Easter	Easter and 50 days following	White and Gold
Day of Pentecost	50 days after Easter	Red
After Pentecost	Pentecost until next Advent	Green

Coffee time

Following the service, we gather in the Lower Hall for coffee and a social time. If you're a newcomer, the greeters will take you there and you may

• meet the Minister and Ministry Team
• view brochures and other information about our church
• mingle with other folks and chit-chat

Visually Impaired

If your visual impairment means you can’t read the big screen, but you can read a printed document, please speak to an usher or greeter. We have the bulletin printed out in large print each week for this purpose.