Why, When & How We Worship
The 30th Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration
There will be a community-wide interfaith service to remember the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16, 10:00 a.m., at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 100 Dayton St., Ridgewood. The 30th Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration in Ridgewood and Glen Rock: The Power of One, the Strength of Many, will be led by Rabbi Neil Tow of the Glen Rock Jewish Center. There will be student speakers from Ridgewood and Glen Rock high schools, plus music by the Indian Hills Chamber and Concert Choir, directed by Susan Heerema, and the Men of Umoja Male Chorus, directed by Irene Simpson and Richard Fulcher, assistant. All are welcome!
Special Congregational Meeting
There will be a special congregation meeting on Sunday, January 22, following the 10:00 a.m. worship service for the express purpose of calling an Associate Pastor for Family Life.
West Side's Centennial Year
On October 9th, 1912, this congregation came into being. During the year leading up to October 9th, 2012, we will be celebrating West Side's 100 years of ministry in this community with a variety of special events. Mementos for West Side's Centennial are now on sale following worship: Christmas ornaments, $10; 2012 pocket calendars, $5. These handsome leather-bound volumes are handy for your own use as well as a very practical gift item and a wonderful way to keep track of all the special Centennial events.
Time Change for Saturday Service
The next Saturday evening service will begin at 5:25 p.m., rather than 5:55 p.m. Adult Night Out will follow. Both of them take place on Saturday, November 26th (Thanksgiving weekend). If you will be around, please make a note of the date now and plan to join us. This is a service for the whole family.
The most recent Saturday service was videotaped and is available for viewing -- go
to the Videostreaming page.
A recent study by the North American Mission Board and LifeWay Research found that 67% of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. A personal invitation from a friend or neighbor would effectively reach 63%. Just knowing that many of our friends, neighbors, and family are ready for an invitation, please extend a personal invitation to our next Saturday 5:25 p.m. service. The congregation, friends, and family are invited to any and all parts of the evening:
West Side’s New Sunday Schedule
Click here to see new Sunday morning schedule
Beginning in September, West Side’s Sunday worship services and education classes will be on a different schedule. The two worship services will change to one, at 10 a.m. There will also be a new shorter, more informal service with communion in the Chapel at 8:45 a.m. Children’s Church School will take place during the 10 a.m. service, with another program for kids in worship and music education at 9 a.m.
- Sunday Chapel Service at 8:45 a.m. 45-minute service in an intimate setting. Children may leave following the children's message to participate in a Sunday school program from 9 to 9:55 a.m., or they may remain with their parents.
- Traditional Sunday Worship at 10 a.m. Children may begin worship with their families and leave after the children's message to engage in Sunday school focusing on Bible stories and the history of the Christian faith, or they may remain with their parents.
- Wednesday Evening Worship at 7:30 p.m. A 30-minute contemplative service in the tradition of Taize held in the Chapel and led by Rev. Marc Oehler. For more information, see Wednesday Evening Worship page.
- The Saturday 5:25 p.m. A 45-minute informal, family-friendly service offered on a monthly basis. There will be a Saturday 5:55 on October 22, November 26, and December 17.
Opportunities to Participate in Worship
You may have noticed we are trying something new in worship. During the opening hymn, a small group is processing with the symbols of our faith: the Cross, the Bible, Communion elements, and water for the Baptismal Font. This is something that we would like to do regularly as a way for our entire church family to have the opportunity to participate in the service. We need four or five people each Sunday. You could be a family, a small group, a committee, or a circle of friends. All are welcome! But you do need to be able to get to church about 20 minutes early, so we can help you get ready. We will be phoning some people to get us started, but don't be shy about asking to be put on the list. Just call Shelagh Brooke to schedule a Sunday that works for you. Or complete the form that's available in the narthex, then drop it in the offering plate, mail it to the office, or leave it in the Worship.
What's Presbyterian Worship Like?
The order of Sunday worship service in a Presbyterian church is determined by the pastor and the Session, the church's governing body. It generally includes prayer, music, Bible reading, and a sermon based upon Scripture. The Sacraments, a time of personal response/offering, and a sharing of community concerns are also parts of worship.
The constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) suggests that worship be ordered in terms of five major actions centered in the word of God: gathering around the Word, proclaiming the Word, responding to the Word, and bearing and following the Word into the world.
Sunday Mornings
Click here for the new Sunday morning schedule [pdf]
Sunday morning worship at West Side begins with an "invitation"—we are invited into the congregational group to hear the word of God. We start by praising God in word and song, then by confessing our sins to him. We hear a scripture reading, usually one from the Old Testament and one from the New, then a sermon based on those readings. Afterwards we make an offering based on our acceptance of that message and pray and sing our thanks to God. Then we are "sent out" into the world to live what we have just learned and practiced.