Worship
WORSHIP
OUR SERVICES ARE CURRENTLY HELD EACH SUNDAY BOTH IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR THE ZOOM LOG IN INFORMATION.
Worship is central to our life of faith here at Houghs Neck Congregational Church. We seek to provide all who come an uplifting, faith-filled worship experience. Each Sunday, we proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all in Jesus Christ. Our hope is that you experience the loving and uplifting presence of God in our midst and are blessed with the spiritual strength to live faithfully and joyfully.
Services are Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM. Following worship, we have a time of refreshments and fellowship.
SPECIAL SERVICES
Family Sundays: During Family Sundays we celebrate the diversity of all our families as we gather to worship as one. The children take part in the service as greeters, ushers and readers. Each Family Service is a little different from the others and everyone looks forward to these new experiences in worship. Currently, family Sundays are held quarterly.
Rally Day: After a long summer break from studies, the first Sunday after Labor Day our Church rallies together to begin the new year of Christian Education and fellowship. The worship service is geared toward the family with parents registering their children for classes.
Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service: The Sunday evening before Thanksgiving, churches serving the Houghs Neck, Germantown, Adams Shore and Merrymount sections of Quincy join together for an ecumenical service of gratitude. Clergy and laypeople of the participating churches and an ecumenical choir plan and take part in the service. The church families that come together on this Sunday are the Houghs Neck Congregational, Holy Trinity (Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Good Council) and Bethel Church of the Nazarene.
Christmas Eve: On this evening, we celebrate the birth of Jesus through word and song. The service ends with the singing of “Silent Night” and the lighting of candles honoring Jesus as the “Light of the World”.
Maundy Thursday: Also known as “Holy Thursday” or “Great Thursday”, Maundy Thursday is a remembrance of the “Last Supper” when Jesus shared the “Passover” meal with his disciples the night before he was crucified. On this night, we gather for a meal and partake of Holy Communion just as the disciples did more than two thousand years ago. Included, is a service of “Tenebrae” with the gradual extinguishing of candles while the events of the three days before the resurrection of Jesus’ are read. We leave the church in silence.
Easter Sunday: A seaside service at 7:30 AM, offered by members of the M.O.T.H.E.R.S. Club, at nearby Nut Island begins our Easter Sunday worship. This is followed by an Easter breakfast in the Rev. M. Alicia Corea hall downstairs in the church. The climax of the day is our 10:00 AM service in the sanctuary celebrating new life through the resurrection of Christ.
Children’s Day: Towards the end of the school year, we celebrate our young people and the ministry of our Christian Education. The children lead the entire service. Both children and teachers are recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year.
WHAT OUR WORSHIP LOOKS LIKE
Our regular services follow a simple yet effective pattern of Protestant worship, including:
Prelude: Meditative music is played by our organist and we experience it as worship.
Choral Introit: A short verse of music sung by our choir calling us to worship.
Call to Worship: A responsive invitation to worship is read, calling the congregation into the presence of God and uniting us in the spirit.
Processional Hymn: The first hymn flows into the theme of worship, inspiring our hearts to offer our lives in praise to God.
Scripture Readings: Often we follow the lectionary readings for Sunday. Throughout the year we draw from the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures), the New Testament and the Epistle lessons.
Anthem: Our choir sings an Anthem (a song of praise or devotion) related to the morning’s message.
Children’s Message: An interactive lesson for and with the children. The children proceed to Sunday School.
Sharing of Joys and Concerns, and Pastoral Prayer: At this time in the service the Pastor invites all present to share their prayer concerns and requests with the whole congregation. It also is a time for sharing the joys of the people. Then the pastor offers a prayer beginning with a moment of silence. This prayer is also known as the Pastoral Prayer and is followed, in unison, by “The Lord’s Prayer”.
Offertory: This part of worship includes the offering of our financial gifts for the support of the life and mission of the church. After the collection is received, the Doxology (a short hymn of gratitude and praise) is sung and the Pastor offers a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing over the offering.
Middle Hymn: The congregation sings a hymn that is closely related to the sermon that follows.
Sermon: The Pastor preaches a sermon based upon one of the Scripture readings. In the Protestant tradition, the proclamation of the Word is central to worship. It instructs, inspires, ministers to and calls for faith in God.
Final Hymn: A closing hymn that connects with the sermon topic and sends people out uplifted and inspired.
Benediction: The Pastor blesses the congregation and the congregation sings a blessing as well.
Postlude: The organist plays departing music.