Worship style survey

We have a mostly contemporary service with a few hymns in there sometimes. It is a Baptist congregation and I personally enjoy the service very much. It is a smaller congregation with less then 500. Usually have a scripture reading in-between songs.

 

We are "culturally relevant". www.lakeridgechurch.com

 

Dear Tim,

My wife and I attend Bishop Cummins Memorial REC Church http://www.bishopcummins.org

REC stands for the Reformed Episcopal Church http://www.recus.org founded by Bishop George David Cummins after splitting with the Episcopal Church in 1873 over doctrinal liberalizations.

There are 2 services on Sunday,8:15 and 11:00.

The 8:15 uses the 1662 Prayer Book and has 3 Scripture readings (OT,NT, and the Gospel)in the service.

Musically,there is a prelude,opening hymn,gospel hymn,offeratory hymn and a closing hymn as well as service music (Kyrie,Sanctus,and Gloria),all traditional music. On Communion Sundays, there will be music played during Communion.

At the 11:00 service, an approved modern English service (based on the 1662 Prayer Book) is used.

Musically, the service is "blended". The same preludes,hymns,offeratory music and Scripture readings used in the 8:15 service are used in the 11:00. The Kyrie,Sanctus,and Gloria played are contemporary.

There are usually 1 or 2 "P&W" songs sung before and after the Scripture readings and there is a 3-4 song "set" that is sung during prayer time at the altar rail on Morning Prayer Sundays and during Communion on Communion Sundays.

In Christ,

Dale

 

Dear Tim,

You wrote: " Dale,

How does this body relate to the American Episcopal Church and how and when did it form?

Sounds your church is truly blended, not only in music but in liyurgy as well."

To answer your 1st.question: The REC is in "impared communion" with the American Episcopal Church over the beliefs and practices of that denomination. See http://www.everyvoice.net/ and you'll see the promotion of everything except Biblical Christianity.

For a conservative view: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/

To answer your 2nd. question: (From the Reformed
Episcopal Church Website) http://www.recus.org

An Overview of the Reformed Episcopal Church

"The Reformed Episcopal Church was organized in New York City in 1873 by eight clergymen and twenty laymen who were formerly priests and members of the Protestant Episcopal Church. A long debate over the excessive ritualism and exclusive attitude of the Protestant Episcopal Church toward other denominations lay behind the separation. The immediate cause of the division lay in the participation of Bishop George David Cummins, Assistant Bishop of Kentucky, at a Communion Service held in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. In the face of criticism and with the conviction that the evangelical and catholic nature and mission of the Protestant Episcopal Church were being lost, Bishop Cummins resigned as Assistant Bishop of Kentucky and transferred his Episcopal oversight to a new jurisdiction called the Reformed Episcopal Church.

Doctrine and organization of the Reformed Episcopal Church are similar to that of her parent Church with several important exceptions:

Holy Scripture is the highest authority in the Reformed Episcopal Church.


The Reformed Episcopal Church vigorously holds to the plain understanding of the 39 Articles of Religion of the English Reformation and adopted them as the doctrinal standard of the Church at her founding.


Clergymen ordained as Presbyters in other churches may be received into the ministry of the Reformed Episcopal Church. If their ordination is irregular, such orders are regularized by the laying on of hands of a Bishop. Members are admitted on letters of dismissal from other Protestant denominations.


Worship is liturgical. At Sunday morning worship, the use of the Prayer Book, recently revised to conform with the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), is required. The 1928 BCP is also authorized for use. At other services the use of the Prayer book is optional while at any service extemporaneous prayer may be used by the minister.


The triennial General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church is not like the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA since her bishops do not constitute a separate house but, rather, vote with the Clergy.

The Reformed Episcopal Church has added over fifty new parishes and missions in the last decade. Foreign missions are maintained in India, Liberia, France, Uganda, Brazil, and Germany. In India there is a primary school, hospital, and orphanage. In Liberia there are twenty parishes with a membership of over 3000. There are three Theological Institutions within the United States (Philadelphia, PA; Summerville, S.C.; Houston, TX). The Reformed Episcopal Church is in fellowship through concordat with the Free Church of England (Otherwise known as the Reformed Episcopal Church in England) and the Anglican Province of America. There are 13,422 members in 137 local parishes and missions."

My church,Bishop Cummins,was founded by Bishop George David Cummins in 1875 originally as the "Church of the Rock of Ages" in Baltimore.

The liturgy for both services are based on the 1662 Prayer Book,the only differences being contemporary English vs. 1662 English, see: http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/index.html
for the 1662 BCP.

In Christ,

Dale

 

We are a very traditional Baptist church, but we have taken a very serious look at our worship service to make sure we are not just going through the "Baptist" motions.

We start with a relavent Scripture reading (that which exalts the Lord) and prayer.

Then we proceed with three distinct sessions of music...

First- a time we call Adoration & Exaltation (Hymns...Holy, Holy, Holy -- To God be the Glory -- All Hail the Power, etc.)

Second- a time we call Edification and Encouragement (Hymns...Take time to be Holy -- Heaven came down -- Dwelling in Beulah Land, etc.)

We worship in giving with another relavent Scripture reading.

Third- a time we call Preparation (Hymns & Chorus...Search me, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Other Psalms that we have put music to, Etc.)

We worship in the WORD! (Preaching!)

Then a time of Decision & Prayer...Not a forced altar call!

Last a closing Hymn & closing prayer.

Hope this helps.

Max

 

We're praise and worship, and we do hymns in a contemporary way. We have Scripture readings about once a month, and do drama about once or twice a month (or a video clip). We use Media Shout to project the clips. Our musical instruments consist of an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drum set, keyboard, piano, and we've just recently added a second acoustic guitar. We're Southern Baptist. (We also have a more blended service which has hymns and praise and worship mixed, a choir and full orchestra, and much less drama. They also use Media Shout for the words.)

I've placed some of our orders of worship on-line so that you can read them if you'd like:

September 18, 2005 worship service

September 25, 2005 Worship Service

October 2, 2005 worship service

And here are some mp3's of our music. (I do warn you that this was taken from September 11th's service, where our minister of music was not there. He's a much, much better singer than me! - oh, it's me leading worship here...)

Forever
O Worship the King
Nothing But the Blood

One Desire

 

Singing begins at 10:30, but may begin informally at an earlier time if enough people are there who want to start singing. Singing lasts about 30 minutes, with most what would be considered old hymn tunes. Songbooks with music or words-only hymn books may be used. Singing is followed by prayer and sermon. Service ends with song and handshake. Sometimes there is a conference at the end.

 

I've been raised Baptsit but I'm away at college so I've been attending a Methodist church with my friends, which I really enjoy. They have worship/praise songs projected on a, well, projector and a group of people up front singing and playing different instruments. The service is full of praise and worship, and I can really feel God's presence there much more then I ever have at some other churches where we just open a book and sing regular hymns(not that there's anything wrong with that). That could be though because of my youth and because this church actually has people my age there and there's energy going on, churches I went to growing up were primarily older people and my mind would often wonder from boredom. That can't happen here where the music is fun and full of love for God, and the sermons are full of knowledge I can use in my own life to praise God throughout the week. Its awesome!

BTW I'm new here, sorry for the rambling. This was also posted in the thread about hymns cause I posted it in the wrong place at first