Sundays

Coming up with ways to be engaging and interesting takes more than just one person; it takes many. We are always searching for good ideas.

This is a brief description of what it's like at St. John's United on a Sunday morning: where we are, what we do, and how we measure success.

Welcome to St. John's United Church.

Sunday mornings are relaxed and welcoming.

People come into the church either by the Alma St. door (over the Karing Kitchen sign) or the Victoria St. door where you will be greeted by someone who will give you a copy of the church service before you enter the sanctuary. The church is large, which can be intimidating, but everyone finds a place. Some people like to go right in, and others like to disappear up into the balcony to sit because the view is better from up there. It's your choice. We don't rope off sections. We'd rather people be comfortable.

When the service is ready to begin, the choir enters (along with the minister) and everyone is welcomed to the morning service, and some announcements are shared. Our minister is from Cape Breton, and well, that means he has a sense of humour. We never know what to expect when he comes in.

The service is just about an hour long, with music, a time with children (who teach us a lot), a brief reading from poetry or an author (because God can be found in lots of places, especially in the poets), a few scripture lessons, prayers (where people are welcomed to name the people and places for which they are praying) and a sermon.

Now, we know sermons can be, well, less than exciting. Our minister, Aaron, does his best to bring humour and a down to earth approach to preaching. His belief is that "it is a sin to be boring." In fact, one of the strengths of St. John's has been the preachers it has had in the past. There is a strong tradition of the spoken word. This is a moment to unplug from the internet, gear down, and think about life for a few minutes. Sermons can be from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. It really depends if anything strange and wonderful has happened during the week, or something too interesting not to share.

Yet, there is also a friendliness that permeates our services. One woman said recently, "It was so welcoming. Even my fiance said, "I could go there every Sunday."

Well, that's a compliment, right?

We think so.

And we hope you find your worship experience at St. John's meaningful, sincere, and spiritual.