Our Worship and Pastoral Care Ministry On this page . . . Baptism Caring for People Centering Prayer Contemplative Worship Funerals/Memoral Services Healing Touch Holy Communion Special Worship Opportunities Sunday Morning Worship      ~ Audio of Worship Service      ~ Order of Worship Weddings Welcome To Northwood You are welcome at Northwood to worship and to enter into the work and ministry of this church family. It is our hope that your worship with us strengthens your relationship with God and Jesus Christ and with one another. Several brochures anvout the work and ministry are available from the greeter's table in the Gathering Place as you enter. We hope the information will help you feel more comfortable at Northwood. Please sign our Guest Book if you are visiting or the Newcomer's List so we may get to know you. Our church supports and celebrates worship in a variety of styles and liturgical traditions; a wide range of music; prayers that name loved ones near and far, issues of justice and peace, and concerns that exist in our unique context; sermons that lift the experiences from our daily routines and global neighbours in dialogue with the texts of faith--all of these form the connective fibres of our worshipping life. Pastoral Care is provided by our ministers, who respond to the needs of members and their families in times of illness, hospitalization, bereavement or other life crisis. A pastoral care team of lay volunteers visits hospitals and nursing homes. Contact the church office if you wish to have a Pastoral Care person contact you. Worship Service Audio Click on the track you wish to listen to. Date We Gather for Worship Announcements Call to Worship Opening Prayers Prayer of Confession Hymn We Listen To the Word Children's Story Scripture Reading sermon Hyymn of the Word   We Respond In Faith Pastoral Prayer Choir Anthem Closing Hymn Benediction Postlude June 29, 2008 Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 June 22, 2008 Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 June 15, 2008 Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 June 8, 2008 Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Most of the hymns used in these services can be found in Voices United or the new supplement to Voices United, More Voices Sunday Morning at Northwood Worship services are held each Sunday morning at 10:30 am. This is an opportunity to hear God's word for us and bring our praise and concerns to God. View the order of worship, posted in advance, and hear last Sunday's service. Children and youth are an important part of the church family. We need them in our midst. A special word is shared with the children and youth each worship service before they go to their classes for ages 3 to youth. We are a church that believes in prayer. During our worship there are several opportunities for prayer: when we approach God we confess to God our shortcomings and sins (when we were not truly the people God created us to be); prayers of the community when we give thanks to God and bring our needs and the needs of others around the world to God; a prayer of dedication when we give our offering and ourselves to God. There are prayer request cards at the information table when you enter if you have need for a special prayer for yourself or someone else. Sacraments of the Church When a Child is Baptized Whether you are seeking baptism for yourself or for a child in your family, baptism can represent a meaningful and joyous milestone in your life and the life of your family. Baptism is a sacrament, a holy symbol of our life-long relationship with Jesus Christ. In baptism we find our deepest identity and vocation in Christ. It is also a special celebration for the Church. In baptism a person is declared to be a child of God, and takes on the identity and vocation of a follower of Jesus Christ. This is true regardless of the age of the person baptised. Baptism marks the beginning of a spiritual union with Jesus Christ and with other Christians. In baptism we become a member of the Christian church. The person baptised becomes a member of our congregation but also shares in the wider fellowship of The United Church of Canada and of all Christian people everywhere. The baptism of a child has implications for the whole family. Children are baptised into the Church when a parent commits to nurture them through their own active faith and in the fellowship of the congregation. The baptism of a child is an opportunity for a parent to reaffirm their own faith as they promise to give their child a Christian upbringing. The commitments and questions for a parent are the same asked of any adult presenting themselves for baptism or confirmation. The expectation is that at least one parent will be participating in church life (eg. regularly attending worship), and will be taking steps to become a confirmed member of the congregation, if this has not already happened. A parent may come on their own to have a child baptised, and the marital status of a child's parents has no bearing on baptism. Contact the church office if you wish to talk to one of the ministers about Baptism at Northwood. Holy Communion Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper, has its origin in the Passover Meal which celebrates the ancient Hebrews' escape and deliverance by God's hand from bondage to freedom. It is a meal to which Jesus gave new meaning as he shared it with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. From the earliest of times, believers have experienced Christ as present among them in this holy celebration. In the United Church we believe Christ is present in this meal as Spirit, not actual flesh and blood. Everyone who claims Christ as Lord is welcome at the table, for it is not a United Church table but the table of the Lord. Children are most welcome! While they may not understand the deep theological meanings, they can share and feel the blessing of being a part of God's family who love one another and who are deeply loved by Jesus Christ. At Northwood we celebrate Holy Communion at our regular service of worship on the first Sunday of each month. Special Worship Celebrations At various times through the year special worship services are offered to assist people in their faith journey. These are held during Advent (the four weeks before Christmas), Christmas, Lent (the forty days before Easter) and Easter. Contemplative Worship This is worship that comes from the deep traditions of the Christian Church that uses silence, candles, readings and liturgy. The word Contemplative means to 'contemplate' or 'meditate' on God and his presence. The music will also come from many branches of the Christian Tradition. We will lift up quiet hymns and choruses. There will also be some of the Taizé choruses. Services are held once a month and are announced in advance in our "What's Happening" page. Centering Prayer Centering Prayer is a method of prayer which prepares us to receive the gift of God's presence, traditionally called contemplative prayer. It consists of responding to the Spirit of Christ by consenting to God’s presence and action within. It furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence. Centering Prayer facilitates the movement from more active modes of prayer — verbal, mental or affective prayer — into a receptive prayer of resting in God. It emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God. At the same time, it is a discipline to foster and serve this relationship by a regular, daily practice of prayer. Days and time for Centering Prayer can be found in the weekly bulletin. Weddings Northwood United Church endeavours to be a community of Christians, acting in loving and supporting ways, to those who are members of our church, and those who have become associated with us through our outreach activities. It is because of this that we welcome requests to be married here. We look forward not only to helping you plan your wedding ceremony, but also to helping you in your preparation for a Christian marriage. With this in mind, we ask you to consider the following: give at least three month's notice prior to the wedding for marriage preparation and planning meet with the minister in a private session that you might become better acquainted and gain further insight into what is the most important decision of your life you must participate in an inter-denominational marriage preparation program available from The Marriage Project Couples are encouraged to attend church worship together before and after the wedding. The wedding celebration is itself a service of worship and the couple should not be strangers either to the sanctuary or to the experience of worship. The significance of the marriage service is that two people stand in the presence of God and pledge their love and loyalty until death. As we think of this in its deepest meaning, we have to think of eternity. Therefore, from the church's viewpoint, what you wear, how many guests, flowers, the number of attendants, and so on, are just frills. The only thing that is important is what is in the heart of the bride and groom as you make this covenant. The United Church has prepared a marriage service that aims to express in an orderly manner what we believe a church wedding should mean. The whole service is set in praise to God, the source of love. Contact the church office if you wish to arrange your wedding and to meet with one of our ministers. Caring for People Pastoral Care is provided by our staff ministers, who respond to the needs of members and their families in times of illness, hospitalization, bereavement or other life crisis. A pastoral care team of lay volunteers visits hospitals and nursing homes. Contact the church office if you wish to have a Pastoral Care person contact you. Healing Ministry Members of Northwood's Healing Ministry follow The Healing Pathway, a program developed by Naramata Centre. It is a Christian adaptation of Healing Touch International. We believe that: Healing as restoration to wholeness and balance is the will of God. The church is called by Jesus to continue his ministry of healing. Through prayer and spiritual discipline we can open ourselves to the healing presence and power of God. Through this empowerment we can act as transmitters of God's healing energy and transformative power. Love is the power that heals. As we open our hearts to Christ's Spirit of compassion, we are united with God's healing power and become agents of that power.