What to expect at the 9 am Contemporary Worship?

Sunday mornings begin with our 9 am worship in Calvin Hall, which is also our gym.  The worship begins at 9 am and you are welcome to come early, but it is not necessary to get a seat as we have folding chairs and can accommodate larger turnouts.  Most worshipers arrive a 8:58, if that helps! You can easily get to Calvin Hall by entering the door by the playground and immediately going up the stairs.  If you are unable to take the stairs, proceed through the tiled preschool hallway and through the double doors which will take you straight to the elevator.  You will likely hear our praise band warming up as you get closer.  

Once in Calvin Hall, you will be met by a greeter who will give you a bulletin and direct you to the name tag table. We ask that everyone wears a name tag because it just makes life easier on our overtaxed brains.  Preschool aged children are encouraged to stay in the service through the Children's Message and then be dismissed to caregivers in the back of the gym.  Children are always welcome in the service and the ushers loan worship bags with crayons and puzzles to play for our more wiggly friends.  We encourage you to enjoy coffee, tea, and cookies or other treats that are available in the back of the Calvin Hall during the greeting time.  You are welcome to bring your own coffee to enjoy during the service as well.  

For the contemporary service, we do not have a hymn book as the words for the contemporary music and joint prayers, like the Lord's Prayer, will be projected on the large screen behind the praise band.  If the slides are not in sync due to the praise band being moved by the spirit to try a new verse or if there are technical troubles, just enjoy the moment of song.  The praise band, led by our Contemporary Worship Director Robert Stocks, is made up of Trinity members who practice together the week prior to service. Occasionally a guest singer or instrumentalist or choir will join the contemporary worship.

  

We celebrate Communion the first Sunday of each month.  All are invited to partake in Communion at Trinity.  Communion is served in the front, if you are unable to walk to the front, please let us know (or more than likely someone next to you will offer to have an elder bring it to you).  At Trinity we take a piece of the bread and dip it in the cup of grape juice, both held by elders.  Gluten free wafers and a dedicated chalice are available.  

We also pass a basket for offering after the sermon.  There is a tear off sheet in your bulletin that we ask everyone to fill out each week so we know you are here and it gives you the chance to check off an area that you are interested in at Trinity.  You are also welcome to support Trinity by giving money either in the basket or online here.   

At the end of the contemporary worship we all help to put our chairs away at the back in the chair holders.  If you are unable to move your chair, someone will take care of it for you.  Some people stay to break down the stage while others go to teach or attend the education hour, which begins at 10:10.  Children ages 4 year old through 3rd grade are in the preschool hallway, which is downstairs from Calvin Hall.  Children 4th grade through high school are in the main church building, which is through the double doors by the bathrooms and can be recognized by the carpeted floors.  Adult Education is held in the upstairs classrooms in the main church building.  Don't feel like going to a class?  Join the adults for Just Coffee in the Knox Room (a large room with carpet and big windows) which near the nursery and  is by the ramp in the preschool hallway.  There is also coffee available in the Narthex (the large space by the sanctuary in the main church building).  

What to expect Sunday morning for the traditional service?

The traditional service is at 11:15 am, after the education hour, and is held in the sanctuary in the main church building.  Do you need to arrive early to get a seat? Not normally unless it is Christmas or Easter when we recommend you arrive 10 minutes early.  There is handicapped parking on Sundays in the in the small parking lot by the church office on Ivanhoe St. and the church sanctuary will be to your right as you enter the building.  If you park in the larger 16th st parking lot or on the street, you can enter the building either by the playground, where you will walk through the preschool hallway through the double doors to the carpeted section.  You descend the stairs (or take the elevator by the stairs) and the sanctuary is in front of you.  You can also park in the 16th St. lot and walk around the outside of the church to the main white doors leading to the sanctuary.  Once inside to the sanctuary, you will be greeted by an usher who will give you a bulletin. There is also seating upstairs in the balcony, if you wish. Children are always welcome in the service and the ushers loan worship bags with crayons and puzzles to play for our more wiggly friends.  Preschool aged children are encouraged to stay in the service through the Children's Message and then be dismissed to caregivers in the back of the sanctuary.  There is also nursery care available for smaller children to be checked in before (or during) the service.   For more information on Childcare, please click here.

 This sanctuary has monitors with the words to songs, but the hymns are the same as in the hymnals, found in your pew.  The chancel choir is directed by our Music Director and organist Carol Feather-Martin.  The children and youth choirs and the hand bell choirs also occasionally join this service as well as guest instrumentalists. This service has more shared responses, which are all printed in the bulletin.  

We celebrate Communion the first Sunday of the month.  All are invited to partake in Communion at Trinity, which is served by intinction (dipping the wafer in the chalice) in the pews.  At Trinity we take a piece of the bread and dunk it in the cup of grape juice, both held by elders.  Gluten free wafers are available and distributed at the same time as the other sacraments.  

We also pass a basket for offering after the sermon.  There is a tear off sheet in your bulletin that we ask everyone to fill out each week so we know you are here and it gives you the chance to check off an area that you are interested in at Trinity.  You are also welcome to support Trinity by giving money either in the basket or online here. 

At the end of the service, you are welcome to meet others in the Narthex with coffee and treats.