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The Worshipping Life of Berean Baptist Church
Luke 4:8
"It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'
Worship is the focal point of BBC's common life.
Worship is a time to reconnect with friends, share triumphs and
burdens with those we love and who make us feel loved. Worship is
a time to experience the presence of God and to allow that
experience to both encourage and challenge us. While Berean's
worship is ordinary in many ways, what makes worship unique is the
feeling of family. 'I felt at home, like I belonged,' 'It's been like
home,' ' Berean is very close, like a family.'
Our music attempts to balance traditional hymns played on
the organ and piano with contemporary praise performed on piano
and guitar. We are fortunate to also have a gifted flautist who
participates in both types of music. Different church members have
different tastes and so diverse kinds of music touch a wide variety of
people. Our music, may not please all the people all the time, but is
does create a sense of comfort and peace as well as welcoming for
the new and the un-churched.
Our building is beautiful and we have worked hard to keep it
pleasing to the eye. While a church is not simply a physical
structure, the way a congregation keeps its house of worship
communicates an important message to visitors. A well-kept, clean
building assures people that they are entering a place where they will
be cared for, attended to, nurtured and treated with respect. We are
especially proud of our stained glass windows, which are not
traditionally a part of Baptist sacred architecture, but which serve to
comfort and inspire many.
Sermons are conversational. Our Pastor walks down on the
floor among us, preaching often without notes, asking questions,
encouraging sharing and participation, and even a differing opinion,
so that we all work together to build our sermons. This style of
preaching shows that our pastor is available to us, approachable and
connected to us.
All aspects of the order of worship, from scripture and sermon
topic, to hymn selection and prayers focus on a common theme
for the day and over-all seek to remind us that we are God's beloved
children, chosen to love and be loved. The continuity of the service,
the participation of the congregation, the approachability of the
pastor and the sense that we are both hearing and proclaiming
'something positive' makes worship at Berean truly the gathering of
God's children, giving us a sense of security, strength and belonging
that inspires the living of our days, the creation of the kingdom and
the spreading of the Gospel in word and deed.
It is the atmosphere of Berean's worship that makes it most
unique. We make a point of welcoming visitors and new-comers,
introducing ourselves and we are committed to helping them feel
safe and secure in an unfamiliar space. While worship may seem
informal to some, with the singing of 'Happy Birthday' and jokes
sometimes exchanged between pastor and congregation, the 'Holy
Banter' of our worship serves to make those unaccustomed to church
feel comfortable and welcome.
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