The Worship Program
Seventh-day Adventists choose to worship God because we believe He is our Creator who deserves praise and honour.
Exodus 20:11 says ” in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
We believe that Saturday is a special day set aside for humanity, since the beginning of the world, to spend time worshipping and honouring God. We can worship God in many different ways. It can be through Bible study, prayer and singing praises to Him. We can do this at a personal level or meet together with fellow believers.
We invite you to join us on Saturday mornings to praise God and learn more about Him. You are welcome to sit anywhere during the worship program – there are no set seats – and we don’t have a ‘dress code’ either. If you’re comfortable, we’re happy!
We have two worship programs each Saturday. A small group Bible study which we call Sabbath School and the Main Service where everyone meets together. In both our services we sing, pray to God and collect an offering. However, we emphasise that there is no obligation for you to give an offering if you don’t want to. The program is our gift to God and to you – we don’t expect anything in return.
Small Group Bible Study
Sabbath school starts at 10:00 am. It’s a time when we can discuss the teachings of the Bible and socialise with each other.
Sabbath school classes are divided into the following general age groups:
- Adults (ages 26+)
- Youth (ages 18 – 30)
- Teens (ages 13-18)
- Juniors (ages 10 – 13)
- Primary (ages 6-9)
- Kindergarten (ages 3-5)
- Beginners (for parents with infants 0-2 yrs)
- Song service
- Welcome
- Prayer
- Special Item – this can be a musical item or even a drama performance on an aspect or story in the Bible
- Lesson Study – At this point the discussion is led by a facilitator from the desk. The duration of the lesson review is about 40-50 minutes. During this time, Adventists study the Bible using the Sabbath school lesson as a guide. The Sabbath school lesson is a Bible-study guide produced every three months by the worldwide church’s Sabbath School Department. People are encouraged to study the lesson throughout the week and, during Sabbath school, discuss what it is teaching and have the opportunity to share how it has made an impact on them.
- Mission Story – Every three months, the Seventh-day Adventist church focuses on a certain region of the world and on how church members can help people in that region. The needs and stories of these people are told.
- Offering – Adventists collect an offering in Sabbath school to support the mission project.
- Prayer
Main Church Service
The church service starts at 11.15 am on Saturday. It is a time when we can unite, gather strength from the Word of God and learn more about God.
- Announcements - The Elder in charge will normally provide additional information to attendees
- Praise and Worship - Singing of lively contemporary songs and traditional hymns
- Call to Worship - A Scripture reading, typically with a response from the congregation
- Invocation - A prayer to thank God for his presence with us
- Welcome - Welcoming worshippers into the presence of God and each other
- Opening Hymn - Congregational song typically from the SDA Hymnal
- Children’s Spotlight - A special part of the program specifically for the children
- Scripture Reading - The lesson from the bible associated with the Sermon
- Titles and Offerings - An opportunity for us to return our gifts to God
- Prayer - All prayer requests are presented before God
- Sermon - Presented by the Pastor, Elder or visiting speaker
- Closing Hymn - Final congregational song typically from the SDA Hymnal
- Benediction - Final prayer
