April 2025
Overview
Our worship services throughout the month of April are immersed in the joyful season of Eastertide, celebrating Christ’s resurrection following the solemnity of Lent.
This period is marked by an atmosphere of profound joy, hope, and victory, often visually represented by the liturgical colors of white and gold, symbolizing purity, light, and triumph. The celebratory tone resonates through the music, featuring uplifting hymns and anthems focused on resurrection themes and the frequent, exuberant use of “Alleluia.”
Scripture readings, drawn from the Acts of the Apostles detail the early Church’s witness and Gospel accounts of post-resurrection appearances, provide the foundation for sermons exploring the power of the resurrection, the call to share the good news, and the hope believers have in the risen Christ.
Prayers emphasize thanksgiving for Christ’s victory, while sacraments like the Lord’s Supper are celebrated with distinct Easter joy, and baptisms, symbolizing new life in Christ, are meaningful during this season.
May 2025
Overview
In May our worship services embrace the spirit of springtime renewal. Expect a warm and inclusive atmosphere where individuals from all walks of life gather to connect with God and one another.
Sermons during May delve into scripture, exploring themes of growth, new beginnings, and the enduring love of God, drawing upon passages that resonate with the season’s vitality or the impact of Christ’s resurrection. Music forms an integral part of the service, blending traditional hymns with contemporary expressions of faith, inviting congregational singing in praise and reflection.
Meaningful prayer is central, encompassing communal expressions of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession, alongside moments for personal reflection.
May fosters community connection through fellowship after the service, providing opportunities for conversation and building relationships, with potential for special events or gatherings. All are welcome to experience this enriching time of worship.
June 2025
Overview
In June our worship services include the vibrant celebration of Pentecost, a key moment marking the descent of the Holy Spirit and the empowering of the Church for its mission.
Following Pentecost, worship transitions into Ordinary Time, a season where the focus turns more broadly towards the ongoing journey of faith.
As a result, sermons and services in June explore themes of Christian discipleship, encourage spiritual growth, and guide congregations in discerning how to live out God’s call in daily life and in the wider world, with scriptural readings from the lectionary providing the common foundation for these reflections.
July 2025
Overview
In July, Presbyterian congregations are in the season of Ordinary Time, focusing on spiritual growth and mission. Worship is guided by the weekly scripture readings of the Revised Common Lectionary.
The month’s focus is often on social justice and faith in public life. This includes reflections around Independence Day, an emphasis on welcoming immigrants, and raising awareness about global issues like human trafficking.
August 2025
Overview
Taken together, August’s gospel lessons can provide an examination of stewardship and giving that calls for reflection on personal motivations, takes us into difficult conversations about what Jesus was willing to give and what Jesus requires of those who follow him, and finally brings us to the words of Peter, the Rock of the Church, “Lord, to whom shall I (we) go? You have the words of eternal life.”
September 2025
Overview
Culturally, September carries the unmistakable energy of renewal and new beginnings through the back-to-school season, bringing collective possibility, learning, and fresh starts that extend far beyond educational institutions. When these liturgical and cultural streams converge, they create a unified narrative around transformation through community, where the potter’s house imagery speaks to individual malleability under God’s guidance while the cultural emphasis on education and community rebuilding provides practical frameworks for living out that transformation in relationship with others. September’s ideology thus becomes one of faithful formation that is simultaneously inward-looking and outward-facing, rooted in ancient wisdom yet responsive to contemporary challenges, offering Presbyterian congregations an authentic framework for discussing how faith shapes our approach to learning, work, relationships, and civic engagement as we are shaped by God for service in the world.
October 2025
Overview
The month begins with an emphasis on peace and global unity as the Season of Peace concludes on October 5 with World Communion Sunday, which celebrates the global church and our unity in Christ. This same Sunday also features the Peace & Global Witness Offering, reinforcing themes of international fellowship and reconciliation. Throughout October, Presbyterian churches also emphasize justice and awareness through observances like Mental Illness Awareness Week (beginning October 1), Indigenous Peoples Day (October 13), and World Food Day (October 16), which addresses hunger issues.
Mid-October shifts toward children and education with Children’s Sabbath on October 19, along with the “Educate a Child, Transform the World” emphasis. The month culminates with Reformation Sunday on October 26, when Presbyterian churches celebrate their Reformed heritage and the Protestant Reformation. For 2025 specifically, the focus is on John Knox and the Scottish Reformation. Overall, October worship services move from themes of global unity and peacemaking in early October toward reflection on the church’s Reformed identity and heritage by month’s end.
