It is necessary to reemphasize that The Service of Worship and Instruction was built around a central theme, the purpose sentence, which was a capsule form of the sermon. The entire program was then coordinated to fit that theme.
The service contained three parts. First is The Approach to God in Worship, at which time we praised God for a specific attribute that related to the purpose sentence. The second part, God Speaking Through His Written Word, was an unfolding by many means, including preaching, of the main thrust. Finally, The Response of Obedience served to pin down that truth into the practical area of everyday living.
Final Considerations
To avoid leaving the impression that we were inflexible in this form, let me repeat that we had great freedom to change the order of service, including the three parts. We refused to be bound to a given pattern if something else would better facilitate our purpose.
There were times when no one preaches. Music might be a better conveyor of the truth. Or, there were times when Larry and the choir were given a rest, or where there was no music at all. There were even regular Sunday mornings when we encouraged those who were interested to meet in small home services.
When the church was small, intense intimacy was felt in shared experiences, such as communion or corporate worship. But, when growth occurred, it was easy for some people to lose the camaraderie of the sharing of worship when faced with so many unknown faces.
Therefore, we tried to provide enough occasions during the year for those who desired it to worship or observe communion on a more intimate level in their homes. Two Sunday evenings in advance were used for them to plan these times. Those who didn’t feel the need for such an experience would come to the Union Hall and participate in the regular service.
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