Q: What is the new time for our Sunday worship service?
Beginning on Sunday, November 2nd, our worship service will be 9:00am on Sunday mornings, with pre-service prayer time at 8:45am that is open to all. (This date is the end of daylight savings time, when our clocks “fall back” an hour the night before. So that means you get an extra hour of sleep the night before our first earlier service - you’re welcome!)
Q: Why are we meking this change?
We are making this change because we believe it will help our church live into our mission of “making gospel-fluent disciples who love God, love others, and love our city.” Practically speaking, there are three main ways we believe this will happen:
- Encourage opportunities for fellowship and Sabbath rest with one another
- Increase opportunities for regular Christian Education for all ages
- Offer a time that would be more appealing to neighbors and visitors
Q: How does this help with Fellowship and Sabbath?
We are encouraging everyone to view this change as an opportunity to start a day of Sabbath Rest and Fellowship with one another, rather than just "geting church out of the way" so that we can fill up our busy schedules as usual. We as a people are in need of this weekly rhythm - in Scripture, we see that taking the Sabbath was not only a command, but a welcome gift - a time to stop striving and recognize that God is ultimately the one in control. What would it look like to see our service as a way of "kicking off" time together as we Sabbath? Grab lunch together. Go to someone's home. Invite a new visitor to your home. Take it easy, go for a walk, visit a friend, do something relaxing, or nothing at all. We are encouraging people to take this change as an opportunity to set healthier new rhythms and habits, where we prioritize the need for real Sabbath rest and restorative time in community with one another.
Q: How does this help with Christian Education?
Our new service time has built-in opportunities for more Christian Education for all ages, where we can dig more deeply into Scripture, theology, and relevant topics together. We are planning on meeting seasonally for classes from 11am to 12pm, during the time that First Parish has their service in the sanctuary.
Q: How does this help with inviting friends and neighbors?
We have found that a morning service is simply a more appealing time for most people to attend church, and so we hope that as we get the word out to more people, this can be an opportunity to welcome visitors, friends, and neighbors. Who will you invite?
Q: Are we still doing Pre-service Prayer?
Yes! We will have Pre-service Prayer starting at 8:45am. We ask all of our Sunday volunteers to join us for prayer, but it is open to everyone. We encourage you to think about this as a regular way to prepare yourself for worship. Typically, this is led by one person, who guides us to pray about specific things, as we gather in small groups of 2-4 people. We hope you join us!
Q: Will we be in the building at the same time as the First Parish congregation?
Yes, there will be some more overlap between our congregations. The main time where we may be crossing paths is the time in between our services, from about 10:20 to 11:00am. During this time, we encourage our congregation to head over to the Parish Hall for Hospitality or out to the playgrounds for hanging out. And First Parish will enter the Sanctuary to begin setting up for their service that starts at 11am.
We are encouraging a spirit of Grace and good communication as we work through this transition. Please help us troubleshoot any issues in a timely fashion. If there are unforeseen issues, changes you could suggest, or even conflicts that happen, please let our staff know so that we can work things out and be good building neighbors!
Finally, because of the additional people in the same space, it is important for families to be aware of their children, and helping them to follow our safety guidelines of not running in the building and being supervised at all times.
Q: I’ve heard of other changes besides the time - what are these?
Christ the King Dorchester has been given the opportunity to make several changes that will help the building feel more like home for us. These include:
- Keeping (new) Bibles in the pews.
- Setting up a permanent CTKD information & welcome table.
- Having a CTKD bulletin board in the hallway.
- Placing more permanent exterior signage on the building.
If you are excited about these and other changes that can make ths space more welcoming and informative, please consider joining our new Welcome Team.
Q: Are we restarting Hospitality time after service? What about special meals?
Yes! In the weeks after the change, we will resume a time of Hospitality in the Parish Hall, from the end of our service until 10:55am. At that time, we’re asking everyone to make sure to be out of the building so that we do not disturb the First Parish service that starts at 11am. (remember, you don’t have to go home, but you just can’t stay there!)
We are working on plans to continue to have a few special “Family Meals” throughout the year where we can gather as a whole church. If you are interested in finding out more about serving with the Hospitality Team, let us know!
Q: I serve in a ministry on Sundays. How will this affect me?
There are several ways that our Sunday volunteer teams will change. Your team leaders will connect with each team directly about specific changes. Generally, our Children’s programs will remain the same. There will be changes to our Sunday Operations (Setup / Cleanup), A/V and worship Teams. Plus there will be new opportunities in our Hospitality and Welcome Teams for people to serve.
Q: What if this new time doesn’t work for me, or if I have questions?
We recognize that this change could present barriers or issues for people, and we want to approach this with a spirit of Grace. If you have concerns or questions, we welcome you to reach out to one of our elders or staff - we want to hear from you and understand where you are. Please feel free to reach out to any of our leaders.
Q: How can I help?
Here are a few suggestions as we move forward together:
- Adopt a posture of Grace as we make this transition
- Be open and intentional about creating new rhythms for yourself!
- Foster good communication about potential issues
- Spread the word by inviting friends and neighbors
- Give to one another by serving on Sundays
- Thank the Relocation Committee for their service over the last year! They are: Kate Zaubi (chair), Paulette Wood, Aaron Zaubi, Sarah Donovan, and Keith Riddle.
