First Presbyterian Church of DuPage Bolingbrook, Illinois Congregational Customs

Local gatherings of Christian believers all over the world have numerous customs which may differ in form, and sometimes in substance, from those in other areas of the world, or from other denominations. We affirm that all who have accepted Christ as their personal savior, confess with their mouths that 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in their hearts that 'God raised him from the dead' are our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation or theological persuasion. All believers in Christ who seek to worship are welcome in our midst, as are those persons seeking to understand the meaning of this life and their place in the scheme of things. You are invited to renew your spirit through the corporate worship of the living God. Some of the customs we observe during the worship year are as follows: Communion We observe the Lord's Supper, communion, each month: Normally the first Sunday of the month Easter month, on Easter In July, the Sunday before July 13, our anniversary The first Sunday of October as World Communion Sunday We normally use white bread and "the juice of the unfermented grape." For the past several years, on World Communion Sunday, we have been using a variety of breads - white, wheat, rye, dark rye, etc. - to symbolize that the Body of Christ, the Church, is made up of believers from all races and ethnic groups (or will be, when the non-reached people groups have heard the Good News). It is our custom to invite all in our midst who trust in Christ as Savior to participate in communion with us (including small children at the discretion of their parent(s)/guardian(s)). We routinely partake of the bread and the wine in unison, to again symbolize the unity of the Body of Christ. Worship Style The overall tone of the worship is basically traditional Protestant and Presbyterian. The preaching is both biblically based and exegetical. It offers practical applications for living the Christian life in the contemporary world. Our music ranges from the historic to the modern. Hymns, usually 2, are sung in a sprightly manner with vigor and joy. Our choir uses anthems from contemporary Christian composers. Both young and old can find refreshment for the heart and soul in the music of the church. We include "The Lord's Prayer" in Sunday worship, not as a ritual, but as renewal. As we repeat the words that Christ taught his Disciples, we renew our understanding of, and dedication to, the Kingdom of God. Our tradition uses "debts and debtors." We include a corporately expressed Prayer of Confession. Being Presbyterian, we strongly believe in the participation of the "lay-person" in all aspects of church governance, including leading the experience of worship. A lay person, usually an Elder, acts as Worship Assistant to lead the congregation in the responsive prayers and readings. The Worship Assistant also leads in the gathering of tithes and offerings, and in the prayer of offering and dedication of self to God's service. Within the past 20 years, our Congregation has found a meaningful experience in the time of sharing of Prayer Requests and Praises. Those with requests or praises stand and state the request or praise. We have experienced that the statement of heartfelt requests and praises are heard by our compassionate God. It has also been our experience that God acts upon these requests, according to his will, often in marvelous ways. This aspect of our worship lasts as long as there are concerns and praises to be voiced, usually 5 to 15 minutes. It is followed by the pastoral prayer, in which we all lift the concerns and praises to God, placing them before God for His perfecting. Fellowship Style Many of the current members of the congregation and regular attenders were attracted to this fellowship of believers by the friendliness and warmth of the church family. Numerous people, members and attenders, as well as visitors, attest to a feeling of 'instant family' and of caring acceptance. We seek to be known as followers of Christ by the love and truth of Christ that we share. The Reason For the Hope and Joy That Is Within Us. Our experiences have been verified by the Bible. God is real, Christ did die to pay for our sins, which was proved when God really did raise him from the dead. Life is worth living, and love is worth sharing. There is wonderful meaning to this existence and for eternity to come. Come and share our joy. Praise be to God.