What to expect
We want you to feel very welcome if you decided to visit us at Palmerston Place so here is a bit more information about what you can expect at a morning service.
Welcome
One of our welcome team should greet you at the door and hand you an order of service for that morning which will tell you what is going on during the service and also have notices printed of any future events. If this is your first time at Palmerston Place you may be asked to sign the visitor’s book. This is purely so that we can welcome you specifically at the start of the service - don’t worry we won’t use your name or embarrass you!
Music
We sing hymns and also more modern songs as a way to worship God. This just means it’s a way of showing our thanks to him and expressing how we feel. The words for the songs will either be in the books at your seat, on an order of service sheet or projected on a screen. Most Sundays the organ or the piano is used and once a month there is a praise band with a variety of instruments.
Prayer
Prayer is when we talk to God and a vital part of our church service. At different times in the service we will pray for different areas including prayer for ourselves, for our community and for the wider world. Prayer is normally led by the minister with the congregation saying Amen at the end to indicate they agree with what has been said.
Talk
Each service generally has a talk (also known as a sermon) where a church leader will teach from a specific passage of the bible that will have been read earlier in the service. This talk helps us to understand the bible and to learn how to apply it to our lives.
Church Flowers
Each week an arrangement of fresh flowers is placed in the sanctuary. At the end of the morning service the flowers are dismantled, re-arranged in bunches and delivered to members of the congregation who are ill, housebound or bereaved, or whom we wish to remember for some other reason, e.g. a special anniversary.
Children
Children are very welcome at Palmerston Place and there are a variety of activities for them to take part in during the morning service. Of course if want to keep your children with you then you are welcome to do that too although you might find they have more fun joining the Sunday club appropriate to their age.
Money
At some point in the service an offering will be taken and this is a chance for regular members of the church to contribute to the church and the various services and missionaries that it supports. Please don’t feel obliged to give if you are just visiting and you can just pass the offering bag on to the person next to you.
Tea & Coffee
After the service we serve tea and coffee in the church and this is a great chance to get to know each other and catch up. Please do stay on after the service if you come to visit.