The weekly bulletin provides several different types of information.
Most importantly, it lays out the what you can expect to find when you attend a worship service at Community. The pastor and congregation "walk" together through some very significant steps. Responding to God's call for us to worship Him, we open in praising Him and then acknowledge that we've messed things up in the past week and need to confess those shortcomings. These sins have harmed our relationships with God, each other and our community. In confessing our sins we also hear about God the Father's assurance that He has forgiven us because of what He has done through His Son, Jesus Christ.
It is then with a mix of humilty and joy that we turn to the Bible, to read and hear God's word to us. The sermon that comes after the Bible reading is the result of the pastor's encounter with God's word. This encounter involves many things: study, prayer, reflection, and conversations with the other pastors and members of the congregation. Together, we examine and reflect upon what God is telling us--not only about ourselves but, more importantly, about Him.
In some mysterious way, God's Spirit brings all of these things together and the congregation is instructed in and benefits from a deeper understanding and experience of God, His word and His world. At the centre of that understanding--you might say, holding everything together--is the truth of what Jesus accomplished on God's behalf for our benefit: salvation. Salvation is a both a word basic to Christianity (you can't have Christianity without it) and a word that's full of meaning for Christians. The more sermons you hear, the more you'll understand what salvation is all about and what it means for your life, the lives of your family and friends, and the life of your community. If that sounds a bit vague or even confusing then come join us, listen in and participate as we unfold and fully explore God's gift of "salvation"--it's a life-long journey of discovery that you'll never regret.
The final part of the worship service takes us from listening to God's gospel ("gospel" means "good news," which a sermon always is) to responding to God's gospel. Here you will sing, have the opportunity to give an offering (a financial gift), and listen as our prayers are spoken to God. Finally, the pastor will offer a benediction (a blessing to the congregation). We leave refreshed and ready once more to serve God and others in the arts, the sciences, in politics and economics, at home, in school and on the job, in the great outdoors or in the office. Everywhere, in fact!
The walk that the pastor and congregation take together each Sunday is only part of what you'll find in the bulletin. Christianity and the Christian life are much bigger than what happens in church on Sunday and the bulletin provides info on activities occurring during the coming week. So, enjoy the bulletin (which you can download below) and, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them.
Current bulletin:
August 12, 2018
Download
Previous bulletins:
For archived bulletins please email: office@ccrc.on.ca.
