Sunday Mornings

What do I wear?  Different churches have different practices when it comes to dressing up for church.  We have no dress code and our members and guests wear a variety of clothing.  Most would probably fall into the smart casual/business casual category of dress.

Our church service starts each Sunday at 9:30am CT.  Consider arriving 5 to 10 minutes early so you can get parked and to the auditorium.  There are Sundays when we start a couple of minutes late, but most of the time we are pretty prompt.  Allow a few extra minutes if you need to bring children to the nursery, use the wheelchair lift, or--since we are out in the country--have never been here before.  When you come, find a parking spot, and come in the main door on the south side of the building.  We have a lift (elevator) for those who can't use the stairs.  This door is also on the south side of the building to the east of the main entrance.  When you come in proceed up the stairs.  The auditorium will be to your left and the nursery to your right, but there will be greeters who can show you where to go. They will also give you a bulletin explaining the day's service.  When you come into the auditorium, there is no assigned seating.  Sit wherever you feel comfortable.

We believe that there is no more important thing going on each week than the meeting of the Lord's church.  What we do is directed at glorifying God, helping fellow Christians to grow closer to God, and leading others to God.  The services are not meant to be entertaining, though we do hope you enjoy them.  But we want everyone, member and guest alike, to come with the realization that something greater than any of us is happening and we have the privilege of joining in what God is doing.

The service begins with a welcome from the song leader and then some singing.  The music at Prairie Green is what is called "blended traditional" which means that we sing mostly older hymns and gospel songs with a sprinkling of more contemporary Christian music.  We strive to have music that is uplifting and faithful to God.  Praising God in song, and singing to each other as Christians--as a way of teaching timeless truths--is commanded in scripture (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).  We project the words to the songs on a screen in the front of the auditorium and most of our songs are in the songbooks in the pew with words and notes.  You are encouraged to sing along as you are able.

At various times in the service, there will be scriptures read and prayers given by members who have been designated to do so.  There is usually a time for sharing prayer requests and praises.  Members will raise their hand and share something that they would like the congregation to pray for.  Guests are welcome to share, but are not expected to, and never asked to do so.  A prayer is then offered for the requests given.

At the center of each Sunday morning service is the celebrating of the Lord's Supper.  This is the most common scriptural name for what is often called "Holy Communion."  Christ himself instituted the observance of this supper on the night before he was crucified, and for close to 2,000 years there has never been a Sunday when Christians somewhere did not partake of this sacred meal.  It consists of bread, of which Jesus said "this is my body," and the fruit of the vine--grape juice--of which Jesus said, "this is my blood."  The point of eating the bread and drinking the cup is to to remember, with a spirit of thanksgiving, what Jesus did for us and to proclaim that he did die for our forgiveness.  This time of the service sometimes starts with a Lord's Supper exhortation (called a "Communion Meditation"), which is a short message by one of the members reminding those present of the meaning of the Lord's Supper and encouraging them to participate with a right spirit.  God's word teaches us not to partake of the bread and the cup in an unworthy manner, and to examine ourselves (take stock of our inner life) before we partake.  Each person is responsible to do this on his own; so at Prairie Green we practice "open communion":  every person must judge for himself if he should participate--all Christians are welcome to do so.  After the Communion Meditation, or if there is none, a song is sung which talks about Christ's death on the cross as a way to prepare our hearts and minds for the supper.  After this the evangelist (a.k.a. the minister) or one of the deacons will read scripture, pray, and invite those present to participate.  Church members called servers come to each pew and pass two trays, one with small pieces of bread, and the other with small cups of juice.  When it is passed, if you wish, you may take one of each.  Some Sundays we eat it immediately upon receiving it (emphasizing our personal relationship with Christ), other Sundays we hold the bread and the cup and all eat and drink at the same time (emphasizing our relationship to Christ as a church).  The deacon leading will indicate beforehand which one is to be done.  You will find that during the Lord's Supper it is very quiet in the auditorium.  Many people use this time as a time of personal reflection and/or a time to silently confess their sins to God.

After the Lord's Supper, the evangelist or deacon will begin the time of offering with a prayer and, occasionally, a scripture reading.  Our church typically does not do fundraisers, and we have no other sources of income other than the offerings freely given by our members.  We expect our members to make a regular contribution to the work of the church, but we do not expect our guests to give.  You are welcome to give, but we want our service to be a gift to you.  If you do put money in the offering plate when the servers pass it, please know, that the amount you give is never shared with the public or general membership of the church (not even the evangelist knows), but if you write a check you will receive a letter from our Treasurer at the end of the year stating the amount of your tax deductible gift.  We do request that guests fill out a "New Here" card (they are in each pew) and put it in the offering plate in lieu of a gift.  We use the information on these cards to "follow up" with guests, bringing them a small gift for attending, and to see if they are interested in returning on a regular basis.  Our intention is to contact you but not to bug you.  We will follow up for eight days after your visit, but not again unless you request it.  The offering ends with those gathered standing and singing the Doxology, which is a short song praising God for everything he is and has given to us.

The next part of the morning service is the sermon.  As the sermon starts, preschool aged children are dismissed for Children's church in the basement while the rest of those gathered stay for the sermon in the auditorium.  Most Sundays, our evangelist, Dustin, preaches this message.  Dustin preaches what are called expository sermons--which are verse by verse and section by section teaching through the books of the Bible.  Each Sunday he attempts to explain, apply, and illustrate the passage in question.  His goal is be accurate to the word of God, relevant to people's lives, and interesting in his presentation.  Occasionally, Dustin will preach topical messages gleaned from several passages of scripture, but over the last 11 years we have studied through all of Genesis, Joshua, John, Acts, Romans, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy, and Titus and are currently studying the book of Matthew.  The sermons are typically 20 to 30 minutes in length.

At the end of each sermon an invitation is extended.  At the Invitation those present are invited to make a public response to what has been preached.  This might include 1) publicly rededicating one's life to Christ, 2) asking for prayer from the congregation for a serious personal issue, or 3) placing one's membership with ("joining") the Prairie Green Church.  The invitation ALWAYS includes a request for those who have never been converted/become a Christian to come forward and make a public profession of faith in Christ and be baptized.  Those who wish to respond to the invitation should come to the front of the auditorium and meet the evangelist while the Invitation hymn is being sung.  Often those who come forward to become a Christian are baptized immediately during the service.  This does not happen every Sunday, but when it does happen it is one of the most joyful parts of the service.

At this point, about an hour has passed (maybe more if there are one or more baptisms).  A closing prayer and song are offered and there is a 10-15 minute break.  During this time, coffee, juice, and snacks are served in the basement many of those in attendance "catch up" with each other.  At or around 10:45, we begin the second part of the morning--the Sunday school.

In our Sunday school we offer Bible Classes for adults and children of all ages.  Our adult class, which is typically taught by one of our deacons, the focus is on practical Bible teaching, with a heavy element of discussion.  We sit at a table.  Often those in class will read passages from the lesson or give their own thoughts, or examples.  The teacher serves as a facilitator helping to draw out the meaning from the Bible.  Sometimes the lesson is discussed in light of Dustin's sermon that was just preached.  Everyone who attends is welcome to participate as much or as little as they want.  No one (except the teacher!) is expected to read or speak and no one is ever "put on the spot" to do so.  For many, this Adult Bible Class is the highlight of their week, for it's the best way to really get to know others in the church.  Everything is wrapped up at 11:45 am CT.