Worship Belong Learn Proclaim
The highlight of our week as a church family is when we gather together for worship on Saturday mornings.
All programs are come-as-you-are, and are family-friendly.
All programs are come-as-you-are, and are family-friendly.
Bible StudySaturdays @ 10:30am
Our weekly Bible study classes are called "Sabbath Schools". We have classes for learners of all ages, from our newborn "Beginners" classes up through multiple adult class options. Because of COVID-19, we currently have 3 in-person classes (Elementary School, Middle School & Adult).
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WorshipSaturdays @ 11am
Our weekly worship services are designed to experience God in multiple ways. Services usually take around 60 minutes, and are designed for worshipers of all ages. Join us as we sing, give, pray, and proclaim God's Word. Because of COVID-19, we meet outside in our Memorial Garden area for a "family camp" service.
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A Typical Worship Service
In case you've never attended our church, check out these handy guides to the various elements of our service.
(Sorry if they're a little "church-splain-ish" for some of you,
but we want to make sure that nobody has to guess at what we're doing or why we're doing it.)
(Sorry if they're a little "church-splain-ish" for some of you,
but we want to make sure that nobody has to guess at what we're doing or why we're doing it.)
BEFORE SERVICE
Because of current safety guidelines, we're encouraging in-person attendees to arrive at 10am and immediately set up their seating space in and around our Memorial Garden.
Welcome & Announcements
This is our chance to say, "Good morning, and Happy Sabbath!" to our attendees (both those worshiping in person and online). We also take a moment to highlight a few announcements, most of which are in the weekly bulletin and on our screens. Finally, we'll turn our hearts to God and begin our worship service.
REFlections
(NOTE: Because we're worshiping outside, we are not currently doing this.) This is the official beginning of our worship time. We intentionally pause from the business of life as we come into His presence. Together, we listen to music and reflect on what God has done for us, who He is, and His promises to us found in His Word.
SInging together
(NOTE: Because we're worshiping outside, we're doing services with more of a "camp" feeling. This includes how we do music together.) This is our song service. We rotate songs and song leaders weekly, so our music catalog is as diverse as our church family. Some weeks will feature traditional hymns chosen by our choristers, like "How Great Thou Art" and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", complete with pipe organ accompaniment. Other weeks be led by one of our praise teams and will include some of the latest contemporary Christian songs from musicians like Chris Tomlin and Hillsong (among others). We typically sing 2-4 songs, and the words will always be on the screens.
OFFERING
(NOTE: Because of safety concerns, we're not currently "passing the plate". We're encouraging those interested in donating to do so using our online giving system which can be accessed here.)
This isn't about paying membership dues; it's about speaking God's love language. "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
We are entirely dependent on your donations for our ability to serve our community, and collect these offerings during our service. Depending on the week, however, your cash donations may go to different projects (sometimes staying in our local church to help pay the bills, and other times being passed along for other statewide or global ministries). Because of this, we suggest you pay attention to what the "loose offerings" are for each week before you give.
You're always welcome to grab an offering envelope and specify how to use your funds as well. If you fill out an envelope, we can properly process your donations and provide a statement for the sake of your taxes at the end of the year. You can also easily give online by clicking here.
Finally, we want to point out that there is a difference between "tithes" and "offerings" in the Adventist church. Tithe is exclusively used to support the work of ministry in our denomination, so we pass it along to our church headquarters in Lansing so they can pay the salaries of pastors & administrators in our area. Offerings, on the other hand, generally go to projects; you can either give to a specific project (like "Cornerstone", our building fund, or "Worthy Student", our education assistance fund), or you can donate to our general "local budget".
This isn't about paying membership dues; it's about speaking God's love language. "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
We are entirely dependent on your donations for our ability to serve our community, and collect these offerings during our service. Depending on the week, however, your cash donations may go to different projects (sometimes staying in our local church to help pay the bills, and other times being passed along for other statewide or global ministries). Because of this, we suggest you pay attention to what the "loose offerings" are for each week before you give.
You're always welcome to grab an offering envelope and specify how to use your funds as well. If you fill out an envelope, we can properly process your donations and provide a statement for the sake of your taxes at the end of the year. You can also easily give online by clicking here.
Finally, we want to point out that there is a difference between "tithes" and "offerings" in the Adventist church. Tithe is exclusively used to support the work of ministry in our denomination, so we pass it along to our church headquarters in Lansing so they can pay the salaries of pastors & administrators in our area. Offerings, on the other hand, generally go to projects; you can either give to a specific project (like "Cornerstone", our building fund, or "Worthy Student", our education assistance fund), or you can donate to our general "local budget".
CHILDREN'S STORY
(NOTE: Because of current safety concerns, children are asked to remain in their seats and we do not go around with cups.)
Children (and the young at heart) gather at the front of the church for a special story aimed at them. This short story will help them understand some part of God's character, or our lives, better as we minister to attendees of all ages. After the story, kids will grab a colorful cup and go around collecting coins and other offerings which will go into our Cornerstone building fund.
Children (and the young at heart) gather at the front of the church for a special story aimed at them. This short story will help them understand some part of God's character, or our lives, better as we minister to attendees of all ages. After the story, kids will grab a colorful cup and go around collecting coins and other offerings which will go into our Cornerstone building fund.
PRAYER
Starting at this point in our service, we turn much more reverent as we approach God through prayer. The prayer leader will share some of the public prayer requests (which you can submit by grabbing a blue "How can we pray for you?" card from your pew, filling it out, and turning it in with your offerings). We invite everyone who is able to kneel to do so as we pray; those who can't may remain seated.
SCRipture reading
We open God's Word for a reading of some verse or passage. The reading usually corresponds to the sermon's theme.
Sermon
Our preacher for the week will expound upon some biblical passage or theme with the purpose of drawing us closer to the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This message is often around 30 minutes, and will often include personal stories, deep thinking, and a personal appeal to make some sort of change in the lives of the church family in response to the sermon. All sermons are live streamed and recorded for our archives so you can go back and watch any missed messages.
BENEDICTION
Following the closing song, we will have a "benediction", which is a big fancy word that basically means closing prayer. Benedictions will also include asking for God's blessings and the Holy Spirit to be with us as we prepare to go forth with a newfound understanding of His ways.
After service
Because of the current pandemic, after services we're asking in-person attendees to pack up their seats and head home with as little "mingling" as possible. We look forward to resuming our normal cycles of after-service fellowship and meals that PPAC is known for as soon as we safely can.
