How/When We Worship
RUC's intergenerational worship services are fun, creative, challenging, and unique. By featuring different preachers/speakers, activities and themes, we strive to make services meaningful for all ages. After attending services at RUC, people leave feeling uplifted, connected to the church community, cared for and supported, and connected to God.
Our worship services include:
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inspiring music (many genres), hymns, songs, inclusive and expansive language,
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invitations to get involved in activities of the church,
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children's procession,
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prayers of confession and hope,
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a message just for children,
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scripture and contemporary texts,
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homily,
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intercessory prayer with an opportunity to share concerns and celebrations,
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a blessing to go out to serve God and neighbor.
Our worship includes rewarding rituals of ancestors, contemporaries and of our crafting. Our worship is characterized by a willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity, a strong emphasis on social justice and care for the poor, the oppressed, and environmental stewardship of the Earth.
We worship with a deep belief in the focusing power of the instruction to "love one another" (John 15:17) within the teachings of Jesus Christ. This leads to a focus on promoting values such as compassion, justice, mercy, tolerance, hands-on loving and political activism. Our expression of worship ever grows to incorporate the voices of people in the world whose value has been silenced. We affirm LGBTQ folk, particularly seeking to create safety and value for the transgender community.
Our worship seeks spiritual expressiveness, includes participatory engagement. We grow towards integrating meditation, ringing, drumming, the visual arts and personal testimony in worship. Our children are central to our worship experience, processing each Sunday to open our hearts to hope. In preaching with critical interpretation of scripture, we seek intellectual integrity, creativity, laughter, playfulness, and a call to active loving.