Our Values
The Experience of God in Worship
We believe that worship is our whole-hearted response to God who not only created everything that exists, but who loves us! We also believe that worship is a two-way street - that God makes His presence known to us when we gather to worship Him. We see our gatherings on Sunday as more than just a boring church event to be endured, but an exciting time of coming together to give and to receive from our Lord who is present with us.
Our style of worship is a mix of contemporary and traditional styles. We take time to focus our attention on Christ. We use songs that are easy to sing and remember so that we can praise Him, as well as an occasional hymn that carries deep meaning. We hear His word from Scripture with relevant messages that actually apply to our daily lives. We pray for our own needs and those of others. And in the most traditional part of our worship, we celebrate His presence with us in the Holy Eucharist. At Southwick Community Episcopal Church, we believe that worship doesn't end when the service is over. We believe it's a whole way of living life!
Our style of worship is a mix of contemporary and traditional styles. We take time to focus our attention on Christ. We use songs that are easy to sing and remember so that we can praise Him, as well as an occasional hymn that carries deep meaning. We hear His word from Scripture with relevant messages that actually apply to our daily lives. We pray for our own needs and those of others. And in the most traditional part of our worship, we celebrate His presence with us in the Holy Eucharist. At Southwick Community Episcopal Church, we believe that worship doesn't end when the service is over. We believe it's a whole way of living life!
Jesus Is Central to Life
For us, church is not a spectator sport. We believe that Jesus died and rose alive from the dead to allow every person to have a relationship to God. Knowing God is a lot like a relationship with another person -- it takes time to grow, it involves a lot of communication, it means sharing life together. Following Jesus every day is an adventure that changes how we experience life. And most of all, a relationship with God comes as a gift, nothing we could ever earn by being religious or trying hard every day. And the beauty of knowing God in a close relationship means that it carries over into our everyday lives, not just on Sunday! And we don't walk the path of this new life alone. Knowing Jesus brings us into new relationships as we learn to follow him together. As we get to know him more, we find a new strength within us that empowers us to relate to others with a greater love and compassion.
Helping Kids Connect to Christ and Have a Blast!
Younger children have an innate ability for joy and excitement. Why would we ever make the experience of church anything less? At Southwick Community Episcopal Church, we believe that kids should have such a great experience of connecting to Christ that they can't wait to come back! Whether it's a Sunday morning or a midweek program, we want kids to meet with adults who really care and feel called to minister to kids using the best creative and fun materials possible. We want parents to have the confidence that their children are important to us and to our vision of ministry. We want kids to learn and grow in an environment that is safe and reflects the incredible love that God has for them. And we want them to leave wanting more!
The Importance of Relationships
We're hard-wired for relationships. T.V. shows like "Cheers", where "everybody knows your name", and "Friends", where "I'll be there for you, 'cuz you're there for me too", mirror our natural desire to connect with others. God created us to be in a living relationship with Himself.
We believe that being connected to others in small groups is the best way to learn and grow. In small groups, we have the freedom to ask the questions we've always wanted to ask, without embarrassment. We develop friendships. We support one another as we share our lives. We learn to read the Bible and to pray. We get together to serve others in our community. We share meals and just have fun. Small groups are essential to becoming fruitful followers of our Lord.
We believe that being connected to others in small groups is the best way to learn and grow. In small groups, we have the freedom to ask the questions we've always wanted to ask, without embarrassment. We develop friendships. We support one another as we share our lives. We learn to read the Bible and to pray. We get together to serve others in our community. We share meals and just have fun. Small groups are essential to becoming fruitful followers of our Lord.
Service With a Purpose
Being a Christian is really about cooperating with the work that God is doing in us and in the world around us. Church isn't really about where religious people go to retreat from the world. It's about how we respond to Jesus Christ who was sent into the world! Reaching out in the same way as Jesus did is part of who we are. God has made each of us in a unique way, with unique gifts and motivations, and with a unique purpose that only we can fulfill. As we support each other to serve others, both individually and as a local church, we see God at work more clearly, and others do, too. So, we look for ways to serve others, here in Southwick, and beyond, by sharing our time, our abilities and what we have. We believe that this kind of service is key to the balance that gives our lives meaning and purpose.
The Bible
Aside from Jesus himself, the Bible is God's clearest way of communicating to us. Everything we need to know in order to have the life God offers to us through Jesus Christ is in the Bible. There are no secret sources of wisdom or 'revelations' that have come later that carry the same value as the words of the Bible. So, our teaching comes from the Bible, and we spend time studying the Bible individually, in order to know God's will and God's ways so that we can see God's blessing at work in our lives.
