At 9am and at 11am on Sunday mornings, we gather as Newland Presbyterian Church to praise God for who He is and to hear what Jesus has to say to us in the Spirit.  Truly, our Sunday worship marks the high point of our life together as God’s family.  This first day of the week is filled with praise, prayer, joy and thanksgiving, a sharing in the celebration of the sacraments together and in the proclamation of the Word. It is in worship that we are brought together before the Father, by the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is here that we offer up our lives to God, and receive the life of God in return.  In worship, through Word and Sacrament, we are sustained by the presence of Christ…which empowers us to serve God and neighbor in the world.   

Our basic biblical pattern of worship, handed down for centuries, follows a four-part movement:

The Gathering – Here, we gather…always in response to God’s call…offering praise, prayer, and song.  We confess our sinfulness to God, and receive the declaration of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

The Word – Scriptures are read and their message proclaimed.  Psalms, hymns, spirituals, or anthems are sung between readings.  Responses to the proclamation of God’s Word include expressions of faith and commitment, and the offering of prayer for the needs of others across the world and in our local communities of Avery County.

The Eucharist – As hearing becomes doing, the tithes and offerings of the people are gathered, and the table is set with bread and the cup.  We are invited, together, to the table of the Lord, to receive communion with Him, and to be joined, mystically, to His life.

Sending – Empowered now, by God’s Word, and joined to Him by the Sacrament, the church is sent forth into the world to love in the way of Jesus Christ, to proclaim His goodness, and to share in the work that Christ gives us to do.