Welcome Back to Worship!
Join us indoors for blended worship - Sundays at 9:30 AM

Children's Chapel is offered each week during worship for children Pre-K through 6th grade, spilt by age groups, where they will experience children's worship, messages & fun activities. Children will return to their families during the closing song. A nursery will be offered for children 4 and under in the near future, as soon as it is fully staffed!

​Masks are encouraged for indoor gatherings, no matter your vaccination status, to protect unvaccinated children under 12 ​and immunocompromised individuals.

​Livestream worship on Facebook

Open a Bulletin, Make your Offering & Worship On-Demand

Facebook Live

Online Worship Page

Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. In the United Methodist Church, all persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ are invited to participate in Holy Communion. This includes children, who are welcome at the Lord’s Table, just as they are welcome at the table in your home. If you would like an overview of what the United Methodist Church believes about Communion, please visit their site here.

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ADVENT WORSHIP SERIES: COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

The season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 28. This year, in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, our worship theme will explore the longing for the coming kin-dom, where we will study war no more, where people will walk in the light, where joy will be found, and love will be the tie that binds us together. That’s the home for which we long, and that’s the invitation this Advent season to you and to the world: “Come Home for Christmas.”

Sunday Worship, Nov. 28 - Dec. 19, 9:30 AM (in person & online)

Blue Christmas Worship: Dec. 21, 7:00 PM (in person & online)

Christmas Eve Worship: Dec. 24, 7:00 PM (in person & online)

Sunday after Christmas: Dec. 26, 9:30 AM (ONLINE ONLY)

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WORSHIP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Help us provide welcoming and meaningful worship each week by signing up to help greet, read scripture, provide audio/visual support, or prepare & serve communion on Sundays! 

​Look for the Sign-Up Sheet on the Information Board in the church entryway, or email our Worship Planning Committee. 

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WORSHIP PLANS BASED ON YOUR INPUT

​Thanks to all who provided input via our recent Worship Priorities Survey and/or interviews with members of our Leaders Council & Call Team. Your feedback was clear and valuable as we discern the path for worship in our “new normal”.

Here is the resulting plan:

• We will continue to worship together in ONE service (indoors) at 9:30am on Sunday mornings.
• All chairs will be added back into the sanctuary to ensure we have room for everyone, and we will continue offering online worship for those unable to attend in person.
• The music style of our service will be a blend of traditional and contemporary. Since the praise band leans toward contemporary, we may offer an occasional “more traditional” service for those who LOVE the hymns.
• Children’s Chapel will continue to be offered during 9:30 worship, split by age groups; and the nursery will be open as soon as it is fully staffed for children 4 and under.
• All are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary after worship for a time of fellowship with coffee, juice, and cookies. There will be other fellowship “special events” announced soon for this fall!
• Confirmation class will begin on Oct. 24 for youth in 7th grade and up from 10:45-11:45; we are exploring an adult discussion group and nursery care to be available at that time as well. More to come!

It’s so great to be back together in our Sanctuary, and we look forward to reconnecting with all of you this fall!

The Worship Planning Team

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GUIDELINES FOR INDOOR GATHERINGS

​While many youth and adults are now fully vaccinated, we as a church believe that the best way to show love for unvaccinated children under 12 and immunocompromised individuals, is by encouraging everyone to wear a mask for large gatherings indoors.

We will continue to offer sanitizer, low-touch and no-touch options for bulletins and offering, and sections of socially distanced seating.

Online worship will continue to be livestreamed to our Facebook page at 9:30 AM, and then made available as a recording on our website on Mondays.

3-2-1 CHURCH RE-ENTRY GUIDELINES FROM THE IOWA CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Level 3 Red Light Status: Stop all non-critical gatherings.  Essential workers only. This is the Stay in love with God and Stay Home phase of our ministry. 

Level 2 Yellow Light Satus: Cautionary Return. We anticipate this will cover a number of months.  As the IAUMC, we want to “Do Good” as restrictions are lifted and as test positivity rates decrease.  This means a gradual return to gatherings and doing so in a cautionary manner, with limitations.

Level 1 Green Light Status: When we finally reach the “Do No Harm” phase, it will be because the virus is contained and our people are safe. Permission will be granted to communities of faith to return to full activity and mass gatherings will be permitted. 

Our policy allows us to hold indoor services if the 14-day test positivity rate is below 15% in Polk County. These rates are published on the Iowa Coronavirus website.  Online worship will always be available. We encourage each person to consider his or her own health and comfort when determining whether to worship in-person or online. 

If test positivity rates increase and push us back into the RED LIGHT PHASE, we will notify the congregation of the cancellation of in-person gatherings on our homepage, via email, and on Facebook.