Our worship service is at 10 am and is usually about one hour long.

Our liturgy is informal to some people and formal to others, depending on your perspective.  We sing from a variety of sources:  a hymnal, printed inserts, and a brand new book published by the UCC with more contemporary music.  

We invite prayers of the people, an opportunity to name aloud your joys and concerns.  We also provide a table with candles in the back of the sanctuary for people who would rather light a candle than speak aloud.

Click here to see a current and recent bulletin.

We use Inclusive Language – which means our music and prayers use many images and names for God.  Instead of saying “Our Father” for the Lord’s Prayer, we use a variety of names, such as Divine Parent, Spirit of Life, Source of Healing and many more.
Sermons engage the biblical text seriously, meant to stimulate thought and action.  They seek to be relevant both to personal issues we may be facing as well as address contemporary issues of justice and peace.  Our pastor preaches most Sundays, but at other times, worship may be led by one of the several ministers or theological students who are members of our church.  Each year our pastor and rabbi from Temple Micah engage in a dialogue sermon.  Or, we may present a service centered on a dialogue among some of our members on a relevant topic or other kind of creative presentation, such as during Women’s History Month or Social Justice Sunday in July.

Click here to read some recent sermons

Twice a year we worship in a different way.  We have an annual all-church weekend retreat at our church camp – LaForet near Colorado Springs – in August and do not hold services at the church.  And one Sunday each summer we have a “Jesus Has Left the Building: And We Followed” Sunday.  That day we engage in worshipful service in the community – offering a meal to homeless families, marching in the GLBT Pride Parade, or leading a service in a local nursing home.

 

When you come to worship with us, your experience will vary depending on the Sunday – sometimes organ, sometimes gospel band, sometimes piano or a combination of all three! 

Since we are a diverse congregation, we vary our worship and music styles.  For most Sundays from September to May, our Sanctuary Choir sings and our hymns are accompanied on organ or piano along with the PHCC Wind Ensemble; the music for these Sundays varies from traditional to contemporary.  Once a month we have a Gospel Band and sing Gospel hymns. 

We have other special Sundays, including an annual celebration of the great classical Music of the Masters.  On the Sunday before Mardi Gras each year, Polite Jazz leads worship music.  One Sunday in March features all female composers to observe Women’s History Month.  In addition, we host a number of special musical guests and ensembles, including Sine Nomine and Mosaic, Denver’s LGBT Youth Chorus.

We celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion during worship about once a month.  You do not need to be a member of this church or any church to participate because we believe the Table belongs to Christ, not to any church, and Christ welcomes all.  If you’d like to discuss the meaning of communion to you, please contact the pastor.  We also welcome children to communion, believing that it is a family feast and no one keeps children away from the dinner table.

Communion is served by “Intinction.”  This means everyone who is able comes forward to take a piece of bread off the common loaf and dips it into the chalice (cup) and then eats while returning to their seat.  For those with mobility challenges, communion is brought to their seat.  We use grape juice.

Children and youth are welcome to worship with you or participate in our Christian Education program during the service.  We offer a nursery for the littlest ones. Older children begin in worship and may go
forward for a Children’s Time (like a sermon moment just for them) and then to a classroom to learn about the great stories and themes of the Bible, and explore the relationship of our faith to the events of everyday.  On Communion Sundays, class ends early and everyone participates in communion together.

As you enter the sanctuary you will see a "tree" with Worship Buddy Bags.  In these bags are items for children to help them if they get restless.  They can be used if you child wishes to stay with you during worship or if it's just for the time before children leave to attend Sunday School.

There are also special bulletins just for kids - one for ages 3-6 and another for ages 7-12.  They are located on a table next to the Worship Buddy Bags.

The main entrance to our building faces west a couple of hundred feet north of 26th Avenue on Leyden Street.  In the spirit of “WELCOME HOME – WE’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU,’ you’ll be greeted at the door.   You may be asked by one of our greeters if you’d like to give us your address and phone number so that our pastor can send you a note.  But it’s perfectly OK to say, “Not this time.” We’ll also offer you a nametag.

We have street parking all around our building.  There are handicap and drop-off spaces in front of the entrance on Leyden Street.

Our members are people of all races, ages, sexual orientations, and economic circumstances.  You can expect to see people dressed in everything from blue jeans to suits and ties.  Please wear whatever makes you comfortable.

We look forward to seeing you! We hope it will be evident to you that we’ve been preparing for your visit!

In addition to Sunday mornings, we have occasional worship services.  A special service in June - between Mothers Day and Fathers Day - was prepared for those griveing a loss.

Our Candlelight Christmas Eve service with Communion is at 8:30 pm on December 24th.

We have special services on Ash Wednesday at 7 pm (March 9, 2011) and Maundy Thursday at 7 pm (April 21, 2011).

The Park Hill neighborhood churches host an ecumenical service the week of Thanksgiving.

You are invited to any and all services.