The Gathering of the Community

The Gathering of the Community is just that. Individuals come from all parts of the city/town and are gathered into a community. Some people you only see on Sundays. Often people are exchanging greetings as they get themselves settled.

Plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the start of the service time and learn about the church.

People will sit through most of the service in benches called pews. The pews tend to fill from the back of the nave forward, so if you arrive late expect to sit at the front. The nave is the name given to the main body of the worship space and it is Latin for boat.

The first people you will meet are sidespeople, also called sidesmen or greeters. They hand out bulletins that contain an outline of the worship service and announcements. If you have any questions ask them. You may want to know where to hang up your coat, the arrangements for children or where the washrooms are. For those with vision difficulties ask about large print service books and hymnbooks.