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Frequently Asked Questions | |
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Will I be asked to give money during worship? Will someone call on me at my home if I attend worship? What if I want to talk to the pastor? Can anyone take communion during the worship service? Can I have a wedding at the church if I am not a member? Do I have to join the church in order to participate in things?
8:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Come on in.
Child care is available for most church wide events for attending families. Sunday morning childcare is provided between 8:45-12:30. A Tuesday morning Bible study has childcare between 9:45-11:45.
You’ll find people more casually dressed at the 9:00 service; blue jeans are common and shorts in the summer. Dress at 11:00 tends to be, well, “dressier.” No one has ever been sent home for being either too dressy or too casual.
Will I be asked to give money during worship? Like most churches, we receive a financial offering at every worship service and a special “Pennies for Hunger Offering” on the last Sunday of every month. We believe that giving money, as well as time and talent, is an appropriate response to God’s activity in our lives. Offerings are not coerced, but an opportunity to give is always extended in worship.
The Session, the church’s governing body, is responsible for receiving and allocating the financial offerings of the church. Our expenses are distributed in ways that are fairly typical for our a church our size: salaries, program costs, utilities and maintenance, support for local, regional, national, and international missions.
Will someone call on me at my home if I attend worship? To deliver bread at the door and thank you for visiting our church. You are welcome to initiate a longer visit with the pastor or a member of the church, but extended visits are your decision.
What if I want to talk to the pastor? Let him know in person following worship, but then be sure to call for an appointment or email him at carl.utley@orpc.org. (His Sunday-after-worship memory is terrible!)
Can anyone take communion during the worship service? The standard rule at ORPC is that everyone is invited to participate in communion, as everyone is loved by God.
Can I have a wedding at the church if I am not a member? Yes. Please call the pastor for an appointment.
Do I have to join the church in order to participate in things? Nearly all aspects of church life are open to anyone who desires to participate. We welcome anyone’s participation, regardless of membership status. We also recognize that joining a church is usually a sign of a deepening identification with a congregation and that, too, is welcome. The Presbyterian Church requires membership only of those who wish to vote, hold office, or present children for baptism.
Elected church officers called “elders” meet once a month to receive new members, ordinarily on the 3rd Sunday of the month, 45 minutes prior to our monthly fellowship meal. You will be asked to introduce yourself, sharing your background and what draws you to our congregation. You’ll also be asked to make a commitment to participate in the life and ministry of the church and to your own faith development. People join in one of three ways: 1) Profession of faith and baptism (for those who have never joined a church), 2) Reaffirmation of faith (for those who have been baptized but have either not been active in a church in recent years or have been active in a church that does not either send or receive certificates of membership), 3) Transfer of church membership from another congregation (our church secretary handles all the correspondence if those who join supply a church name and address).
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