Zion Free Reformed Church
WHAT TO EXPECT
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ON SUNDAY
So what is Sunday like?
At Zion, we strive to worship God with every aspect of our lives as we engage our community and its culture, and as we serve each other, our city, and our Saviour. We want you to experience that with us!
If you’re a visitor or guest, we realize that coming to a church for the first time can be intimidating. We hope that Zion feels welcoming and so if you plan to visit on Sunday, here are some practical things you’ll want to know:
Before the Service
When you enter the doors of our church for one of our Sunday worship services, you will be welcomed by one of our greeters. There you may find a place to hang your coats, use the restrooms, socialize before the service, or proceed directly into the sanctuary. Ushers at the entrance of the sanctuary can help you find a seat too.
While you may bring your own, Bibles and songbooks (Psalters) are provided in each bench. We sing hymns as well that can be found printed in your bulletin you will receive on your way into church.
If you require wheelchair access we have designated parking, sanctuary seating, and accessible. If you have any questions or require assistance please ask.
Child Care
You are welcome to take your children into the worship services with you, or if you prefer, child care offered during the worship services can provide a safe and enjoyable environment for your young children. The “babysit” is found to the right of the main doors. The volunteers present will be able to help you and your child(ren).
After the Service
Following the morning service until 11:45 am, we have a Sunday School Program in the the Sanctuary which consists of singing, and a Bible story for children ages 4 to12.
After the morning service, typically coffee and tea is served and we welcome you to join us for fellowship and conversation behind the sanctuary.
WORSHIP
GOD-FOCUSED
Our worship is God-Focused. Worship is all about the Triune God. It is ascribing the glory due to God’s name in every aspect of our lives, and especially in the weekly corporate gathering of His people. Psalm 115:1 exclaims, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory!” For this reason, we long to display and praise God for His worthiness in our worship.
We do this by coming to worship with Moses’ prayer on our lips, “Lord, show me Your glory,” and expecting God to answer that prayer by giving us clear views of His glory, holiness, beauty, and grace, as it is climatically revealed in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:1-6; Heb 1:1-3). When the Spirit opens our eyes to see God for who He is, then sinners are drawn to embrace Christ and God’s people are strengthened for service and gospel witness. Therefore, the heartbeat and focus of our worship is “to God be the glory!”
WORD-SATURATED
Our worship is not only shaped by God’s Word, but also saturated with it. In John 4:23, Jesus promised that the Father is gathering worshipers to worship Him in Spirit and truth. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus tells us that His Spirit-inspired Word is truth (Jn 17:17). Therefore, we aim to have the truth of God’s word permeate every aspect of our worship service.
In order to accomplish this, we sing the Word (the Psalms), read the Word, preach the Word, and pray the Word. In this way, Jesus Christ, who is at the center of the Word, stays at the center of our worship
WORD-SHAPED
Our worship is Word-Shaped. That is, we seek to glorify God by worshipping according to His instruction which He has given in Scripture. We want to worship God in the way that He wants to be worshiped. This means that we submit our preferences and ideas to God’s authoritative Word. As such, our worship services include only the elements which the Bible has mandated. This includes prayer (1 Tim 2:1), preaching (2 Tim 4:2), singing (Eph 5:19), scripture reading (1 Tim 4:13), gift offering (1 Cor 16:1-2), administration of sacraments (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:17-34), God’s blessings (Num 6:1-4; 1 Cor 1:3) and the benediction (2 Cor 14:13).
However, not only is the form of worship to be shaped by the Word, but the spirit of worship as well. Psalm 2:11 instructs us to worship the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. We aim to have both elements of faith-filled awe and adoration present in our worship.
COVENANTAL
Lastly, worship is covenantal communion between God and His people. In every worship service, a back-and-forth communication happens between God and the covenant community.
This conviction is reflected in the flow of our worship services, which is as follows:
1) Prayer of Dependence
2) God’s Greeting
3) Song of Praise
4) Reading of God’s Law (recitation of the Apostle’s Creed in the afternoon)
5) Song of Confession or Thanksgiving
6) Scripture Reading
7) Pastoral Prayer
8) Gift Offering
9) Song of Expectation
10) Sermon
11) Song of Response
12) Prayer of Thanksgiving
13) Song of Praise
14) God’s Blessing
15) Song of Doxology.
We follow this fixed order of worship out of a desire to keep order in God’s house (1 Cor 14:40), and because it helps us maintain the scriptural priorities of God-focused, Word-shaped, Word-saturated, covenantal worship.
We pray that you would taste and see that God is good as you gather in worship with us!
PREACHING
IMPORTANCE
Preaching is an important part of God’s worship and takes up the largest portion of our services. God has appointed the foolishness of preaching to be the power of God which saves sinners and the means for the Holy Spirit to work faith (1 Cor 1:18; Rom 10:17). Therefore, preaching is serious business. We don’t aim to entertain people in our preaching, but to expound Scripture so that we come face to face with the living God (2 Cor 4:1-6).
Our aim is to reach the whole person in our preaching. We want you to grow in your knowledge of God, your love for Him, and your zeal to serve Him in a life of gratitude.
For this reason we aim to preach Bible-based sermons in a God-focused, Christ-exalting manner, trusting that the Spirit will use His Word to renew minds and transform lives.
BIBLE-BASED
Our preaching is Bible-based. We gladly obey God’s command for us to “preach the Word!” (2 Tim 4:2). We believe that the power of preaching, lies not in the preacher, but in the Bible itself. Therefore, every sermon is unpacking what God has revealed in Scripture. You will notice that we frequently preach through books of the Bible to help us understand the Scriptures better.
We also regularly preach “catechism” sermons, which are sermons guided by the topics covered in our confessional statements. Although catechism sermons are ‘topical,’ they are biblical in that they uncover the truth revealed in God’s Word. Our authority is not the catechism itself, but Scripture which undergirds the catechism. This is due to the fact that the catechism is a faithful summary of the core doctrine of Scripture.
Preaching through the catechism helps us regularly cover the basics truths of the Bible that are necessary for salvation and helpful for Christian growth. It does this in a warm, heartfelt, and practical way that aims at a personal relationship with God
GOD-FOCUSED
All of our sermons aim to be God-focused. In Isaiah 40:9, God calls His people to lift up their voices and proclaim to others, “Behold, Your God!” The reason for this is that God is our greatest Good, our only Hope, and the Fountain of Life. He is the Center of the universe, and apart from Him, nothing makes sense (Acts 17:28). Therefore, rather than spending our time focusing on felt needs or speculative theories, all of our sermons aim to display the beauty and glory of God. Seeing God in His Word gives us the perspective we need to endure the difficulties of this life (James 1:2-18) and the faith that enables us to walk in godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).
There is nothing more practical, life-changing and necessary than knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ (John 17:3). Therefore, we long to see more of God’s mercy, grace, patience, steadfast love, faithfulness, holiness, righteousness (Exodus 34:6-7) and other aspects of His character in the preaching.
CHRIST-CENTERED
Since our preaching is God-focused, it also is Christ-centered. The Bible tells us that God’s glory shines brightest in the face of Jesus Christ, and that He is the perfect representation of the Father (2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:1-3). Therefore, if we want to make much of God, we must preach much about Christ. Furthermore, Jesus is the only Mediator who can reconcile guilty sinners to the Father (1 Timothy 1:15), and He is the only way back to God (John 14:6).
Our preaching proclaims the good news of what Christ has accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. You will hear about Christ who is the truthful Teacher, loving Priest, and good King. He is everything that we need!
PROGRAMS
Sunday School
Sunday school classes are available Sunday morning after the worship service for children ages 4-12. They begin in the sanctuary and then divid into classes based on age.
Catechism Class
On Wednesday evenings weekly classes for teenagers aged 13 -17 on the Heidelberg Catechism take place.
Confession of Faith Class
On Thursday evenings hose desiring to make public confession of faith with a view to becoming a full member of the congregation have weekly classes.
Young Peoples Groups
We have a junior and senior young peoples that meet regularly which includes a bible study and a social activity.
Men and Ladies Bible Study Groups
Various groups of men and ladies meet together for a bible study either at the church or at other locations. Ask us if you are interested in joining one.
Seniors Meetings
On the first Monday of each month at 10:00am, the seniors from various Reformed churches gather together for a time of singing, fellowship and a coffee.
Vacation Bible School
For one week in the summer months, we hold a vacation bible school in the evenings for children in our community and our church. Click here to register your child or learn more!