Worship

Worship

We believe that the worship of God is what every human was made for. His delight is in us, and ours is in him. Therefore in all that we do, as a church, and as individuals, we seek for it to be a love offering of reverence and joy to our King. Interestingly, in church culture, when people say “worship”, they typically mean “music”, and while we certainly affirm this interpretation, we also believe that there are larger issues at stake. There are many of us who get up early on the weekends to set up chairs for our meeting…we’re worshipping God, when we do so. When we care for the children in our midst…we’re worshipping God. And when we tilt our heads back and sing out in joy towards our God, we, of course, are worshipping him.

ADULT WORSHIP

To give you a picture of what we’re like when we get together…

On a Sunday morning, as you walk into the humble and rather plain surroundings of The Covenant Lower School cafeteria, you will hear the sounds of young children laughing, metal chairs clanging as people sit down, the music team as they prepare for the service, and the general clamor of a family that is re-gathering again. Hopefully, you will be greeted by several folks (we love our guests) – not out of duty, but because they genuinely care about you and are grateful that God has brought you this Sunday to be with us. You will find yourself at ease as you are handed a bulletin, introduced to others, offered a cup of coffee and maybe something sweet, and genuinely treated as valuable in the sight of God (because you are). You won’t be pressured into doing anything—whether it’s speaking during the service, coming back the next Sunday, or giving money during the offering. We recognize that those who come through our doors are on a journey to find Jesus and perhaps a church home. So you should know that it is our deep joy to serve you in whatever way possible. We long to be an unselfish, kingdom people who affirm the many beautiful expressions of the body of Christ in our town and surrounding area.
Our Sunday morning gatherings revolve around this concept. We want to worship God through our interactions with our friends and guests, with music, with the sharing of insights from Scripture, even with our announcements. We don’t always achieve this, but it is the goal of our fellowship.

One of the things we love to do on Sunday is sing. Throughout history, the people of God have been a singing people. We are told that God has "put a new song in our mouths" (Psalm 40:3). We want to be connected with the Body of Christ throughout all time, so we seek to blend multiple styles of music using various instruments: guitars, mandolin, keyboard, drums, congas and violin. We’ll sing folk songs, traditional hymns, and praise songs, centered around the love of God, his power and glory, and how he engages with his people. We believe that God is an emotional God, and while we don’t ever want to manipulate people into a fever pitch, we really are quite comfortable expressing words of intimacy and love to God. It is part of our great inheritance from Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16). So we reach back with older hymns and stretch forward with modern hymns of love just as surely. And our music is energized as we reflect upon the Word of God, ancient and contemporary church prayers, and personal testimonies of the work that God is doing in us.

ACORNS TO OAKS (CHILDREN'S WORSHIP)

Children are a large part of our gathering. It’s our hope that our entire body—children and adults—gather as families, together, within the community of Evergreen. We know that we, as adults, need children. We need their example of child-like faith. We need their example of crawling into the arms of their father. We need their joy. Our children help us learn what it means to be children of God. So we welcome children into our midst and delight in the joyful noises of infants and children from whom our Lord has ordained praise (Mat. 21:16).

In addition to providing an atmosphere in our times together that welcome children and encourages the unity of the family, we offer a Children’s Worship Program. Our Children’s Worship Program serves parents by providing a nurturing environment for the children in which they are introduced to corporate worship. We think children are precious gifts from the Lord, and we don’t want to hinder them from the open arms of Jesus. We want them to feel welcomed into his glorious presence.

We’re excited about what God is doing in our children each week and consider it a privilege to be used by him to give parents vision and hope for their family that will reach into eternity. We are convinced that God is glorified as we saturate the minds and hearts of children with His Word and lay out the banquet feast of worship. Join us as we seek to spread a passion for God to the next generation!