FAQ: What Should I expect from your Sunday Service?
Actually, quite alot. We try to keep our service to about an hour (on the first Sunday of the month, when we celebrate communion, the service runs a bit longer). During that hour, we praise God through congregational singing (a few traditional hymns, a few praise songs) and special music, we pray to God, we practice giving, and we proclaim God’s word (through its public reading and preaching).
Children are welcome to participate in worship, and we include a brief children’s message each week. After this message, children are invited to our Sunday School class.
There is also a coffee hour each Sunday. This is often more than “coffee and cookies”, and all are invited to this time of casual conversation in our Parlor.
FAQ: Do you have a dress code? (How much do I have to dress up?)
You do not have to dress up.
We do require that you wear clothes — not wearing any makes it hard for everyone to concentrate on worshiping God, the real reason we get together. (That was a joke!)
More seriously, we do not have a dress code. Our fellowship takes people as they are, and we are glad to see you however you come. We believe God feels the same way: always glad to see you, no matter what you’re wearing.
FAQ: Can I take communion at your church? Can my child?
When it comes to communion, we believe that Jesus Christ is the host, the One who invites each of us to the table. You are invited to share in the Lord's Supper whether you are a member of our church, another church, or not a member of any church — anyone who knows and wants to grow closer to Jesus, to have Jesus be more Lord of their lives than when they came — is welcome to participate.
What about children? That's up to parents. The rule of thumb is that children are welcome to have communion when they are old enough to understand what it means. Some parents encourage their children to have communion as young as they are able. Other parents ask their children to wait until they are baptized/confirmed. Parents make the call.
FAQ: Is there a God?
We (all of us) ask this question for lots of reasons—maybe because bad stuff is happening and we don’t know why, maybe because we have trouble believing there could be a God, maybe because we desperately hope that there is, maybe because we are questioning all sorts of things, maybe we are just curious. At First Church Squantum, we believe there is an answer to this question, and that the question and the answer are the most important parts of anybody’s life. Not all of us have found God—some of us are still looking! So at First, we are comfortable with this question because we have asked it ourselves and because the Answer (God!) continues to find us.
FAQ: I don't know what I believe. Is that OK?
Of course! One of the beautiful things about Congregationalism is that we have a rich heritage of asking questions and sharing our doubts. Jesus even had disciples who weren’t sure what they believed either, but still they came to Jesus and found what they were looking for. So feel free to come with your questions and doubts. We find God is very patient with us and our questions, and we try to treat people in the same way. Come and see! Maybe you have something that could help us understand God better!
FAQ: Can reading the Bible really change my life?
Absolutely. The Bible is the Word of God—powerful, active, always fresh, always refreshing. Every time we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit speaks to us about what’s really going on in our lives. When we listen for the Holy Spirit’s direction and follow, great things can happen in our lives and the lives of those around us. But don’t just take our word for it!
