WORSHIP SERVICES

Early Service Laird Hall

The early Worship experience each Sunday begins at 8:30 am. and takes place in Laird Hall.

Due to the environment, (Laird Hall is our Fellowship Hall), it is a more casual gathering by design. Worshippers gather around tables, family style. There are usually no more than eight at a table. Usually coffee, tea, and juice are offered, along with a "sweet",  before the service begins.  There is time for conversation and fellowship before and after this service.. Music is live, assisted by a worship leader. The teaching is informal and interactive. Blessings are offered and the service concludes with the congregation joining hands in a circle and singing a benediction. 

Please note: due to COVID-19 some portions of this worship service may be altered or eliminated.

8:30AM @ LAIRD HALL

Later Service – Sanctuary

The later Worship experience begins at 11:00 am. in the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary is a beautiful and modern facility, built in 1969 and remodeled in 1996. It features stylized stained glass and a Moller Pipe Organ. Music is central to this service as well, and is led by the organist, the chancel choir and a guitarist. Frequently the Joy Ringers Handbell Choir also offers special music, as will an orchestra ensemble of flute, strings, and even a few saxophones.  The elements of worship are: Gather Around the Word, Dwell in the Word, and Respond to the Word.

The Senior Pastor shares the teaching and/or sermon at each service. Greeters are available in the church narthex to welcome guests and receive prayer requests. Prayer requests are received by the pastor during the service, and people freely share their joys, concerns and testimonies.  (It is not uncommon for the pastor come down into the seating areas to offer prayers for those in need during the service.  )

Even though this worship experience is a little more formal than the earlier service, it is still a casual and friendly environment, where folks move about the sanctuary to pass the peace and express greetings and blessings. 

Please note: due to COVID-19 some portions of this worship service may be altered or eliminated.

11:00AM @ SANCTUARY

Worship

Worship is the purpose of the Christian life and journey. It is not merely an activity confined to a specific time and place on a Sunday morning. It is a way of life, an active response to the saving grace and amazing love of God.

 

Worship assists us in developing a more profound spirituality and purpose and enables us to experience the presence of God and respond to His love. 

 

Our regular Sunday morning worship services are the starting points of our faith journey. They are designed to uplift, instruct, encourage, and provide a platform for service to God and others. They are a model for how we interact with the Lord on a daily basis. Each service is supported with lively praise music, including vocal and instrumental selections, shared by gifted musicians. There are prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and intercession. The focus is on the Word of God, which is central to all that we do. Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments are shared, and a teaching or sermon firmly based on these scriptures is offered. The messages are Biblically based and culturally relevant. Care is taken to ensure that each service is personal and intimate. An essential value at First Presbyterian Church is that we are highly relational. Our worship reflects that value.

 

We frequently celebrate The Lord’s Supper (Communion), particularly during special liturgical seasons, including Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Pentecost, and World-Wide Communion. Other special observances are also marked by the Lord’s Supper, as directed by the Session. When the Sacrament is observed, it is shared at both the early and later services. There are no restrictions on who may celebrate Communion at First Presbyterian Church of Murrysville. All are welcome at the table of our Lord. The Elders of the church individually serve each person in worship the elements of Communion at their seats, reminding us of the incarnate Christ, who came and dwelt among us. Our leaders serve the elements as a symbol of God’s call to servant leadership. We ask that everyone holds the bread and wine until each person is served so that we celebrate in Communion not only with the Lord, but with one another. 

Advent Worship

December 3 marks the first Sunday of Advent. The lighting of the Advent candles will be celebrated at both the 8:30 and 11:00 am services. On Sunday December 10 both services will be held in the Sanctuary, we will be receiving the Peace Light from Bethlehem, and the students from our Preschool will be participating in worship at the second service. While there will be two services on December 17, in Laird Hall and the Sanctuary respectively, there will be a single morning worship service of lessons and carols at 10:00 am in the Sanctuary as we prepare for our Candlelight Service that evening.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

A traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be celebrated in the Church Sanctuary on Christmas Eve beginning at 7:00 pm. December 24 will special music being presented by the choir and other talented musicians.

Full Communion Services

The Sacrament of Holy Communion will next be offered at both the 8:30 and 11:00 am Worship Services Sunday January 7, 2024.