Worship - First Presbyterian Church of South Bend

Worship Service: Sundays at 9:45 a.m

All are invited

As a Presbyterian Church, we believe going to worship is a verb. We go to worship God as the One who creates, redeems, and sustains by loving and guiding us as the Sovereign Ruler of all creation. We go to worship and attend to the divine service of God’s rule at work in the world, seen most clearly in worship of the gathered church, and we enter into that divine service as servants of it, joining our liturgy in its work both inside and outside the sanctuary with the work of God in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. In addition, we worship and serve God by loving one another – and this begins in the community of those who come on Sunday mornings. We are called to extend this love outward to all whom we meet in our daily walk.

On the first Sunday of each month and on most special days in the Christian calendar, the Sacrament of Holy Communion is observed. First Presbyterian Church practices an open table and invites all those who trust Jesus Christ is Lord to partake of Communion.

As the work of the people, we joyfully invite all God’s beloved children to join us in participating in worship. We, the church, gather to praise God, to hear God’s word to humankind, to baptize and to join in communion, to pray for and present the world to Christ in worship, to enjoy fellowship, to receive instruction, strength and comfort, to be tested, renewed and reformed, and to speak and act in the world.

Sacraments

As a Reformed Church,

First Presbyterian Church of South Bend celebrates two sacraments, which we call the visible signs of God’s invisible grace. Baptism and communion are witnessed to in the Scriptures and sustained through the history of the universal Church. According to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order: “The Sacraments are the Word of God enacted and sealed in the life of the Church, the body of Christ. They are gracious acts of God, by which Christ Jesus offers his life to us in the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism

Baptism, the sign and seal of an infant, child, youth or adult into the family of the church is a special occasion in the life of a church. One we wish to celebrate with your family within Sunday worship. First Presbyterian Church takes seriously the witness of the covenant community to walk with those baptized. The Presbyterian Church (USA) recognizes one body and one Baptism, and so recognizes all baptisms of other Christian churches that are administered with water and performed in the name of the Triune God –Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For families wishing to partake in baptism, contact the Church Office to schedule.

Communion

The Lord's Supper

Communion is the enacting and sealing of what the Word proclaims: God’s sustaining grace offered to all people. The Lord’s Supper is at once God’s gift of grace, God’s means of grace, and God’s call to respond to that grace. Through Holy Eucharist the Holy Spirit renews the Church in its identity and sends the Church to mission in the world. FPC celebrates communion traditionally on the first Sunday of every month. FPC celebrates an open table and invites all those who declare Christ as Lord to partake. The opportunity to eat and drink with Christ is not a right bestowed upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance and love. Come to the table, be assured of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ.