[Seekers] [Write us] [Seeds
of Hope Mission Group]
A
Christian Community
In
the Tradition of the Church of the Saviour
_____________________________________________________
Worship with
Welcome
Since
· a commitment to shared leadership,
· a readiness to dialog between the faith traditions we
inherited and new understandings of Christian commitment, and
· an invitation to all with full respect for the richness
brought by people of different age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation
or spiritual tradition.
We want to be a church for all God's people.
Our worship life each year is structured into nine liturgical seasons. The year begins four weeks before
Christmas with Advent, when we remember the coming of Jesus into the world as
the chosen child of God.
Our seasons follow the traditions of other Christian churches
through Christmastide, Epiphany, Lent and Eastertide. Beginning with Pentecost we divide the
remainder of the year into four seasons. One of these focuses on Pentecost, the
coming of the risen Christ, the Holy Spirit, to enliven the people of God.
In the fall we focus on our tradition of annual recommitment to the community. All Seekers are
invited to make a specific commitment to the community during worship on the
third Sunday in October.
This tradition, from our roots in the Church of the Saviour,
helps us each to be intentional about being part of the community.
Our Worship
We begin our worship together on Sunday with community sharing, gathered in a
circle outside the sanctuary.
This is a time to welcome visitors, celebrate birthdays, share the joys
and sorrows of all who come, hear news about issues and activities that affect
our lives and practice the hymns we will be singing during worship.
We use the same liturgy or order of worship for all Sundays in a season. Our liturgies are
written by Celebration Circle, the Seekers mission group that structures our
worship life. Each
liturgy is built around a worship theme that grows out of the
life of the community and lessons for the season.
We enter the sanctuary in silence, to continue our
worship with a time of reflection. There is a visual composition on the altar table beneath the life-sized
empty cross. These
images and the bulletin covers
relate to the worship theme for the season. There is also a reading in the liturgy
for silent reflection
during this time. Like
the composition on the altar, these readings may nurture reflection on the
worship theme for the season.
This initial time for reflection includes music, which is chosen to complement
the sermon, and the lighting of candles on the altar table by members of the
community. This
is often an opportunity for our children to help lead us in worship.
A member of Celebration circle usually leads the
worship. The
liturgist is chosen to provide gender
balance with the person who will be offering the sermon. The liturgist leads
our community prayers, but there is always the opportunity for everyone to
offer prayers for individual joys and concerns.
Each week, as part of our sharing of the Word, we
hear readings from the lessons
for the week. Normally
we hear the lessons from the Hebrew Scripture and the Gospel, read by Seekers
who volunteer to add their voices to the worship in this way.
On most Sundays a member of the community gives the
sermon. We do
not have a "regular" preacher in Seekers. Sermons are normally drawn from the
worship theme for the season, the lessons for the week, the life of the
community and the particular experience of the individual who is offering the
sermon. Sermons
vary from personal testimony, to reflections on life in the community and the
world, to teachings about theology or doctrine.
Following the sermon, there is an opportunity for shared reflections from others in the
community on the lessons for the week or the experience of worship itself. These community
reflections often add depth and contrast to our understanding of the Word. This sharing is not intended to be a dialog, but often provides a
starting point for conversation after the worship service ends, when we gather
for coffee and conversation
upstairs.
On the first Sunday of each month we celebrate communion or Eucharist. After the bread and
cup have been blessed by two of our core members, we gather in a large circle
to serve one another. You
are encouraged to join the circle and share in this time of remembering that
our faith is based on Jesus' model of welcome inclusion, forgiveness and the
promise of new life. If
you do not wish to share the elements, please pass them along as you receive
them so that others may serve one another. If your
physical condition limits your ability to stand in the circle and you would
like to share the bread and the cup please let someone nearby know and we will
serve you.
Come Again
In many ways, we share characteristics of the early
churches started by the Apostle Paul during his itinerant ministry in
We hope you leave Seekers' worship nourished in
spirit and strengthened for your ministry in daily life. We encourage you to sign the guest
book, and come several times to experience the diversity in our life as a faith
community. If
you have questions, or comments, or concerns, please speak to a member of the
leadership team. Our
worship grows out of our life together, and now that you have joined us you have a place at the table.
You can find much more information about
Celebration Circle
December
The Call of
Our call is to be a "Seekers community"
which comes together in weekly worship rooted in the Biblical faith, with
shared leadership; and disperses with a common commitment to understand and
implement Christian servanthood in the structures in which we live our lives.
By "Seekers community" we mean an
intentional body that sees Christ as our true-life source. Koinonia
with one another and genuine self-giving to the world are the ways we can be in
Christ today. Seekers
are not persons who have arrived, but persons who are intentionally on the way.
By shared leadership we mean empowering the gifts of
women and men to help our worship flow out of and feed into the life of the
community. We
are committed to evoking and giving space to new gifts of preaching, liturgical
leadership, creative worship forms, giving, mission and other acts of faith.
For us, Christian servanthood is based on empowering
others within the normal structures of our daily lives (work; family and
primary relationships; and citizenship) as well as through special structures
for service and witness.
We desire and welcome participation in Seekers of women and men
of every race and sexual orientation. In
The Seekers community sees itself called into
Christ's ministry of deliverance from bondage to freedom in every personal and
corporate expression. We
recognize the value of each individual and seek to heal any wounds of
discrimination inflicted by our society and church.
Issued by Seekers Founding Members in July
Revised by Seekers Core Members in November
Revised by Seekers Core Members in May
[Seekers] [Write us] [Seeds
of Hope Mission Group]