Worship Service
Join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 A.M. in the Worship Center!
Worship
Join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 A.M. in the Worship Center!
Worship Style
Plainfield Friends Meeting/Church has what Quakers/Friends call a “programmed” style of worship. This means that our worship service includes singing a few hymns together, a scripture reading, a children’s story for the younger children (see below), and a sermon/message given by our pastor. Worship is also considered “programmed” because it is expected that the pastor or individual leading worship has spent time during the week in prayer listening to God, and that the message that is shared during worship emerges from this prayer time with God. The service also includes a shorter “unprogrammed” time of worship — a quiet time of listening to and talking with God, as well as time to reflect on the morning’s message. We believe that the spiritual life and our time of worshiping God together involves a balance of both a community and a personal experience. We seek to focus our attention on the Presence of Jesus Christ in our midst — not on the individuals leading worship.
Experiencing worship is the heart of a vital Christian, Quaker faith. “Worship is the loving interaction between God and the people of God who are the Church … When we worship, we receive God’s love for us and express our love for God … Worship involves centrally the process of abiding in Christ and He in us, for apart from Him we can do nothing” (Paul Anderson, Quaker theologian).
Early Friends worshiped in silence. There were no hired ministers; folks gathered together and listened for God’s voice. Someone might share a message, a scripture reading or a hymn or spiritual song that God had laid on their heart during the silent worship time. There are Friends Meetings today whose worship is silent. These Meetings are called “unprogrammed” Meetings because it is expected that God will speak to people during the silent worship and that any message that is shared with the gathered community is not prepared ahead of time, but emerges out of the silent worship time.
John 4:24 “God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Children/Youth & Worship
Children’s Story During Adult Worship
We feel that children and our youth are a vital part of our congregation. Each week during our worship service, the younger children are invited to come to the front of the sanctuary for a children’s story.
Children’s Worship – Launching This Spring
We also provide a wonderful Children’s Worship program for students ages 3 years old through 5th grade featuring Godly Play materials. Immediately following the children’s story in the sanctuary, students head to our Children’s Worship Center, which is located upstairs. Each week the storyteller shares a story from the Bible using wooden figures and a variety of creative materials to tell the Bible stories. Bible stories that take place in the desert are re-enacted with the wooden figures in the desert box in our Children’s Worship Center. Parables are kind of like gifts to us, and they have different meanings for us at different times in our lives, so they are in gold boxes. The curriculum is from the book, Young Children & Worship. We believe that children can have a personal relationship with God, and that God speaks to our children just as He does adults. Students also have a “Worship and Wonder” time — a quiet time when each student chooses how they want to spend time with God: painting or coloring a picture, using Play-Doh, or choosing to work with the figures from one of the Bible stories. (Older students grades 6-12 can serve as helpers with the younger children).
On the last Sunday of each month, students will remain in worship. Students are given an activity sheet that encourages them to be engaged with different aspects of our worship service.
Nursery
We provide childcare in our nursery for infants through 5-year-olds. The children have an age-appropriate lesson and they also enjoy playing with toys in the nursery. The nursery is available every week.