Order of Worship

God is holy and sovereign; we worship Him with reverence. Worship is a meeting with the God of the universe who has condescended to us in Christ in order to draw us to Himself. Worship is to be joyful and purposeful, yet serious and reverent.

Scripture requires that in worship everything must be done "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). That is, worship must be intelligible and edifying. Following the teaching of Scripture, its summary in the confession and catechism and its application in the Church order, we follow in our worship services an historic Reformed liturgy which we believe reflects these Biblical and confessional priorities.

Because it is God who made and redeemed us, He has the first word; so our services begin with a call to worship from God's Word, an invocation and Greeting from God, followed by a response by God's people (congregational singing).

We read God's Law, confess our sins (song of confession), and rejoice in the declaration of God's grace toward His people.

After a prayer for illumination, God speaks to us through the reading and preaching of His Word, and we respond in worship and praise.

Since prayer is the chief part of thankfulness (see Heidelberg Catechism Q 116), we offer our hearts in thankful prayer in every morning and afternoon worship. Following the prayer, we offer up our tithes and offerings out of gratitude for what the Lord in His grace and mercy has entrusted to us.

Finally, God has the last word as the minister pronounces God's benediction upon His covenant people. Just as the service begins formally with the call to worship, so it ends formally at this point. As the minister descends from the pulpit, a doxology is sung.

Other Information

When you enter the sanctuary, you will be handed a bulletin which contains an outline of the order of worship. This will assist you in participating in the worship of our God and King.

In our worship service services, we use the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, and we sing from the Trinity Psalter Hymnal.

For more information on the order of worship, please review the article "Principles of Reformed Worship".

Whom the Lord Welcomes to His Table

If you do not trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation we heartily welcome you to our worship services, but we say to you that you are under God’s condemnation and the holy food and drink of the Lord’s Supper will only further your condemnation, as the Word of God says, "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." (1 Cor. 11:27). If you are not a Christian, we pray that you will accept the Gospel message that, if you turn from yourself and cast yourself before Jesus Christ, trusting in His perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, you shall be saved. If this describes you, please speak with our pastor following the service.

As this is the Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, and not that only of the Thunder Bay United Reformed Church, the elders invite you to join us at the Lord’s Table if...

• You believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone for your salvation;
• You have been baptized in the name of the Triune God; and,
• You are a communicant member, not presently under church discipline, of another Protestant church which has the "marks" of a true church; pure preaching of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercising of church discipline
• As the table of our Lord is holy, the elders have a responsibility to guard it. As a visitor wishing to partake of this sacrament, you will be directed by the ushers to speak with one of the elders prior to the service.