We offer two different worship joyful and reflective services each Sunday morning. There’s a place for you at East Lake UMC!
Our Traditional Service meets in the Sanctuary at 9am. There’s a majestic organ, popular hymns led by a choir, rich liturgy, beautiful stained glass windows, and a bulletin to guide you – even if you are unfamiliar with traditional worship, the bulletin will give you everything you need! This service is livestreamed on Facebook each week, and you can view past services on our page too.
Our Alternative Service meets in the Chapel at 11am. There’s a worship band with acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, and a harmonica. It’s not quite “modern,” but more of a campfire-like feel. There’s a time to share prayer requests, graceful string lights, comfortable chairs, and projector slides to help you follow along. It’s a more casual option, although both of our services are relatively laid back.
In both services, a pastor shares a sermon that’s meant to encourage us in grace, love, and justice; teach us more about the reign of God; and help us grow closer to God, each other, and all of our neighbors. We give our tithes and offerings, read Scripture, think critically about how these testaments of God’s presence in creation impact our lives today, and spend time in prayer together. We aren’t afraid to laugh, and we certainly aren’t afraid to bring our full selves to worship – questions, doubts, flaws, and all. We try to make our services interactive and remind people that worship is something we participate in, not something we observe, so from time to time we’ll have an activity like putting together care packages and cards, lighting candles for prayers, writing down reflections, taking a trinket reminder home with us, and so on. Both services are open to people who are just exploring and checking things out. Oh, and both services are filled with wonderful people!
Each of our services celebrate Holy Communion (also known as the Eucharist and/or the Lord’s Supper) on the first Sunday of each month. Communion is a sacrament, or a special ritual or outward sign of an internal change or encounter with God’s grace and love. This is a time when we celebrate Christ’s graceful presence with us and encounter the love of God together in a special way. This shared meal includes a broken off piece of bread dipped in grape juice, although we have gluten free and pre-packaged/contactless options available upon request as well. The UMC practices Open Table, which means that all people who wish to participate, no matter their church affiliation, religious background, or anything else, are invited to receive Communion. We also offer communion kits to-go that were blessed with all of the other elements on the altar that staff members and congregants can take with them to share with others who were not present. This is a reminder of how we can extend the body of Christ and include people who are sick, for example. If you have questions about Communion or would like to request for you or a loved one to receive Communion at home, you can call the church office at (205) 836-3201 or email smcallocca@gmail.com.
Worship is also the time when we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism and accept new members into our family of faith. The water used in Baptism is a symbol of new life. We baptize by sprinkling water, pouring water or immersing in water. People of all ages can be baptized at our church, including infants and children whose parents or guardians make vows to raise the child in the love of God, since we believe God is the one who redeems us and we cannot earn God’s love. Since Baptism is a reflection of what God does in us, and not what we do, we do not baptize people more than once, although people who were baptized earlier in their lives can go through Confirmation and we do have Remembrances of Our Baptisms in worship from time to time. If you have questions about Baptism or would like to talk to a pastor about being baptized or becoming a member of our church, you can call the church office at (205) 836-3201 or email smcallocca@gmail.com.
Although chidren are always welcome to participate in worship, our Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries, along with other adult volunteers, provides childcare and thoughtful activites for young people of all ages during both services.
Sunday School (both year-round classes and seasonal groups) meets at approximately 10am between the services.
Sunday mornings are also a time when people can drop off donation items for our Snack Bags, Wellness Pantry, Food Co-op, Thrift Store, or Supplies for Seasonal Events (although you can also drop these things off at the chruch office during the week as well).
A couple times each month, we eat lunch together following the 11am service, around 12:30pm. On first Sundays of the month, we have First Sunday Lunch and head to a local restaurant after worship for continued fellowship. On third Sundays of the month, we host Lunch With Our Neighbors open to everyone in the community. We serve a free meal and hang out for good conversation and companionship in our parking lot if weather permits, or we hang out in the Downstairs Diner.
If you’re considering visiting us on a Sunday for the first time, you can find more information, directions, and FAQs here.
If you’d like to read a little more about why worship is important in general, click here.