Worship
We welcome you as we come together to worship God. We’re currently meeting in person and we also have a zoom option If you are interested in joining us on zoom please contact the office during the week or Lead Pastor, Leslie Murray.
Our Sunday meeting times are:
Unprogrammed meeting: 9:30am
Programmed meeting: 10:45am.
Some Thoughts About Worship
At North Valley we recognize that worship is how we live our lives, and not about the time we spend together on Sunday morning. However, there is something significant about gathering together with the purpose of paying attention to God together that is important and different. When we gather, this is our primary purpose, through whatever we’re doing, to pay attention to Christ alive and present among us. Our gathered programmed worship generally has preaching, music, prayer, and worship after the manner of Friends.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Romans 12:1 (The Message)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1 (NIV)
We gather in the worship center, sitting together in a circle. The Friend facilitating unprogrammed worship will offer a quote or scripture verse to help us center—something for us to think about as we invite God to lead our thoughts and speak to us.
During this time of extended silence, we are invited to become attentive to the presence of Christ in our midst. In the silence, we open ourselves to God and let God guide our thoughts. As a participant, you may spend the whole time “centered” in silence; or as you listen, the Spirit may direct you to share what you have received, whether it be a song, prayer or spoken message. We usually set aside 45 minutes for this time of quiet.
At the end of that time, the leader may ask, “Are all hearts clear?” (“Does anyone have something they need to share?”) He or she then shakes the hand of the person on either side as a signal that the time of silence is over and as a recognition of those with whom we have shared this time; all can participate by shaking the hands of the people next to them.
We often voice prayer requests and pray for each other before departing.
We are committed at NVFC to creating space to meet Jesus together. We believe that God is truly present with us, moving among us and speaking to us in transformative ways. There is something unique that can happen in a gathered meeting where we are a people pay attention to God together. Programmed worship is a Quaker term for a worship service that has planned elements like music, corporate prayer, and a pre-planned message.
One distinctive element is that we incorporate “open worship,” which is a shortened version of unprogrammed worship. During this spacious time of open worship, we encourage you to listen to God, and share aloud with us if God is urging you to do so. Open worship may last only a few minutes, or longer if the Spirit prompts a message or messages to arise from the silence.
We always welcome children in our worship services, and invite them to be present in our gathered worship.
Unprogrammed worship — (9:30am)
We gather in the worship center, sitting together in a circle. The Friend facilitating unprogrammed worship will offer a quote or scripture verse to help us center—something for us to think about as we invite God to lead our thoughts and speak to us.
During this time of extended silence, we are invited to become attentive to the presence of Christ in our midst. In the silence, we open ourselves to God and let God guide our thoughts. As a participant, you may spend the whole time “centered” in silence; or as you listen, the Spirit may direct you to share what you have received, whether it be a song, prayer or spoken message. We usually set aside 45 minutes for this time of quiet.
At the end of that time, the leader may ask, “Are all hearts clear?” (“Does anyone have something they need to share?”) He or she then shakes the hand of the person on either side as a signal that the time of silence is over and as a recognition of those with whom we have shared this time; all can participate by shaking the hands of the people next to them.
We often voice prayer requests and pray for each other before departing.
Programmed worship — (10:45am)
We are committed at NVFC to creating space to meet Jesus together. We believe that God is truly present with us, moving among us and speaking to us in transformative ways. There is something unique that can happen in a gathered meeting where we are a people pay attention to God together. Programmed worship is a Quaker term for a worship service that has planned elements like music, corporate prayer, and a pre-planned message.
One distinctive element is that we incorporate “open worship,” which is a shortened version of unprogrammed worship. During this spacious time of open worship, we encourage you to listen to God, and share aloud with us if God is urging you to do so. Open worship may last only a few minutes, or longer if the Spirit prompts a message or messages to arise from the silence.
Children in worship
We always welcome children in our worship services, and invite them to be present in our gathered worship.