The Seasons of Worship

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Program Year Worship
(Sunday after Labor Day - Sunday before Memorial Day Weekend)
During the regular program year we worship at two services:  9:00 and 11:15 am.  Adult Education Classes meet from 10:15 - 11:00 am, Coffee Hour meets between the services in the Social Hall, and Sunday School for children and youth meets from 10:00 - 11:00 am. Childcare is available for infants and toddlers throughout the morning.

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Ordinary Time
Pentecost is followed in the Christian year by a season called Ordinary Time.  Ordinary time lasts from the week after Pentecost until the beginning of Advent in November or December. The lectionary readings for this period focus on various aspects of the faith, especially the mission of the church in the world.

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Advent
The season of Advent is observed in the Christian church as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming".
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At SCPC we celebrate Advent with Organ Recitals,  a Candlelight Service and special worship services on each Sunday during Advent.

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Pentecost​
It was on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, that the church was born through the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost and its call to be witnesses can enlighten and clarify the church's sense of identity and mission.
Red is the color of the season of Pentecost.  The day of Pentecost is described in the Book of Acts 2: 1-31.

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Lent
Lent is a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God.  It's the forty days before Easter.  Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday is like a little Easter.  Basically it's about one-tenth of a year (like a tithe of time).  Mardi Gras is the day before Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday.

The dates of Lent are based on the date of Easter which can fall between March 22 and April 25.  The most common date for Easter is April 19.  First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), a gathering of bishops, determined Easter would always fall on the first Sunday after the paschal full Moon - the first full moon of the spring equinox.

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Easter​
The period of 50 days, spanning from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday is called the Season of Easter.  Each Sunday of the season is treated as a Sunday of Easter.

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Summer Worship
​(Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend)
We worship in the summer with a single worship service at 10:00 on Sundays.  Coffee Hour follows at 11:00 am.  Summer Sunday School for children ages 4 through having completed 3rd grade meets for several weeks.  Adult Education will be offered on several Sundays during the summer -- "Education After Worship" (excluding Arts Festival Weekend).

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Watch the weekly Sunday bulletins and the emailed Weekly Update for details about church activities and events.