VERADALE
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
ABOUT US
For over 100 years, Veradale United Church of Christ has been a progressive Christian presence in the Spokane Valley. All are welcome and invited to join us as we worship God and practice Jesus’ way of compassion and justice in our community and our world. The diversity of folks in our congregation helps to create a vibrant and exciting atmosphere.
OUR STAFF
OPEN & AFFIRMING
We welcome all. Every age, gender, gender identity and expression, race, national origin, faith background, marital status and family structure, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, economic and social status, and educational background, share in the life of this church. Read More
SAFE CHURCH
VUCC is committed to offering and maintaining programs, facilities, and a community in which employees, volunteers and congregants can feel safe from all forms of discrimination,
harassment, exploitation, or intimidation. Click to read our Safe Church Policy.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We recognize the original inhabitants of the land we occupy and the history of injustice committed against them, including by Christian communities. Read our Land Acknowledgment statement.
UCC
WORSHIP SERVICES AT VUCC
WORSHIP STARTS AT 10:30 AM
Worship is at the heart of our life together. Our service blends tradition with innovation to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in positive and relevant ways. We offer communion on the first Sunday of each month. All are welcome to join us for a lively and spirit-filled worship experience. (See Order of Worship below)
CHILDREN AND WORSHIP
We have a great comfort with the sounds of children. We even have rocking chairs in the worship space for nursing mothers and bottle feeding parents. Worship is diverse to help all attention spans to feel engaged. There is traditional and contemporary music. We often have a short video on a subject of interest to kids and adults. Sometimes we do readers theater, puppets, or art. Worship includes special message for the children.
SPECIAL SERVICES
Special worship experiences include: Christmas Eve Candlelight on December 24 at 7pm, Ash Wednesday (first Wednesday of Lent) at 7pm, and Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter) dinner and Tenebrae at 5:30pm.
COVID SAFETY AT VUCC
Part of the way we express Christ's love is to do what we can to keep our community safe. During the pandemic, we have made several changes to our services and sanctuary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including:
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asking congregants to screen screen themselves for covid symptoms or known exposure
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taking attendance for contact tracing if necessary
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running air purifiers in the sanctuary and keeping exterior doors open when the weather permits
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frequently sanitizing our space and surfaces
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livestreaming our services on Zoom
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Click to view a recent bulletin
10:20am Gathering and Prelude
Note cards are available to write down prayer requests and gratitudes. These will be read aloud during the time of community prayer.
10:30 Worship Begins
Land Acknowledgment is read by our Moderator or another council member
Service and Fellowship Opportunities (announcements)
*Hymn: We sing both traditional and contemporary hymns in our services. Here is an example of a contemporary hymn we use while we welcome the light of Christ in the chancel.
Community Prayer
The congregation sings a refrain to enter into a time of prayer. The pastor or a congregant speaks out the joys and cares that have been recorded on note cards, pausing at the end of the gratitudes and the concerns for the congregation to repeat the refrain. Then there is a short period of silent prayer, followed by the refrain.
The Lord’s Prayer: please use the translation and words which are meaningful to you. There are three choices of translations on page 9 of the New Century Hymnal.
A Time of Offering
This is a time to share of our time, talent, or treasure as we are able.
*Dedication Hymn is usually a single verse of a traditional hymn.
Dedication Prayer
This prayer is projected on the screen for us to say together. It might be something like:
Loving God, fill us and our gifts with your Spirit. May our lives be an expression of gratitude. Amen
Listening to God
Message to Young Hearts
Sometimes this is a story from the young and sometimes it is a story to the young. It is as important to most adults as it is to the kids.
Scripture Reading
A member of the congregation reads the Scripture passages that have been selected either from the lectionary or as appropriate for the time of year or the message.
Message
Meditation in Music
Our Light moves into the world God loves
*Closing Hymn, which might be something like:
*Benediction and Community Blessing:
After a benediction from the pastor, the congregation joins in encouraging one another with the phrase: "Be yourself. Grow in Christ. Live with compassion."
*Indicates the invitation to rise as you are able.
After the worship service, we usually gather in the Fellowship Hall for coffee/tea and snacks.