As God's covenant people, all the members of Grace Community CRC gather each Lord's Day
to celebrate God's presence, hear His Word, offer our thanks for His mighty deeds, 
and encourage one another for ministry and witness in our daily lives.

• Our worship reflects and helps us participate in the grand story of redemption.
  In our worship:
  - The motif of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation will be woven into the fabric of the liturgy.
  - We make concrete the connection between our story and the bigger story of redemption.
  - We affirm the connection between our worship and our work, seeing both as the offering of our lives in
    acts of service.

• Our worship reflects our covenantal relationship with God. This means that our worship is dialogical - a conversation between God and his people.
  In our worship:
  - We listen to God speak to us through the Scriptures in greetings, assurance of pardon, sermon, 
    sacraments, guidance for living, and blessing.
  - We respond to God through words and songs of praise, confession, dedication and offering,
    prayer and thanksgiving.

• Our worship is thematic.
  In our worship:
  - We focus each service on a unified theme.
  - All readings, songs, visuals and other aspects of worship reflect and/or point the the theme.
  - The core values of Grace Church - Grace Cares, Grace Cultivates, Grace Compounds, Grace Connects -
    will be highlighted during each church year.

• Our worship is an act of celebration.
  In practice this may mean that:
  - There is a focus on the good things God has done for us through thanksgiving and praise.
  - There is attention to the visual character of celebration through the use of appropriate media.

• Our worship is sacramental. Our worship is a tangible sign of Christ's presence on earth; we are reminded of his presence with us through prayer, the sacraments, and the centrality of the Word.
  In practice this may mean that:
  - Visuals are used to help us focus on the mystery of Christ's work in us.
  - Silence and sounds are used to point to God's holiness and majesty.

• Our worship is a preparation for our acts of service in the world.
  In practice this may mean that:
  - A "call to action" is part of each service.
  - We are challenged to service through personal reports of service and ministry.
  - We affirm the connection between our story and the bigger story of redemption through the use of the
    life stories of our congregation.

• Our worship is participatory, inclusive and reflective of all ages.
  In practice this may mean that:
  - There is an attempt to use the gifts of all God's people in disgining and implementing the worship service.
  - We will use various musical styles that reflect the diversity of the body Christ has called to himself.
  - We will include all ages in worship as readers, leaders and musicians or prayer leaders.
  - Live expressions of praise and worship and live accompaniment are used whenever possible.
    Technology will be used as an enhancement of worship and message.

• Musical and visual arts are servants of the full message of scripture, reflective of Christian experience, uniting heart and mind to help us enter into worship.
  In practice this may mean that:
  - The musicians are not the focus but servants of the congregation.
  - Musicians are pastorally sensitive in choosing and teaching music that is sing-able to the untrained.
  - Songs are chosen that reflect the full experience of the Christian life - i.e. suffering, repentance,
    celebration, commitment.
  - Songs chosen incorporate the rich history of the Christian musical tradition.
  - Worship leaders (musicians, readers, singers) are aware of their visual impact and work to keep
    the focus on the relationship between God and his people.
  - Visuals reinforce and direct us to the mystery of God's presence with us.

edited July 2018