1. First of all it's best to arrive a little before the service to allow yourself time to find a seat. On the door you will meet two of our members who will greet you and give you a copy of this week's notices ¹.
   
   
2. This location is the foyer and in front, through the glass panels, is the main church area. Leading off at the sides are two staircases to the balcony area. For first timers this is the recommended location as it will afford you the chance to slip into the background and observe what goes on better.
   
   
3. Once you have found your seat you will notice some common church object:
   
   

   Cross The symbol of the Christian faith. The cross reminds us that Jesus died a painful death on the cross 2000 years ago to forgive us for everything we have done wrong. Our cross is empty (there is not figure of Jesus) as we believe in the risen power of Jesus and celebrate him being risen from, and defeating death. Pulpit Traditionally the pulpit was used by the Minister for all sermons and prayers to give better audible coverage. Ours is movable and so will often not be at the front. Some ministers - including our own - prefer not to us the puplit and conduct the service from the front. Numbers on the Wall On both sides of the church are boards showing the hymns and songs we will be singing in the service. In the left column titled HP are the hymns we sing from Hymns and Psalms - the large blue books. In the right is either LP or BP, which stand for Lets Praise (light blue) and Bethesda Praise (light brown) respectively. You should have been given the required books on the door. Red Things The 'colour of Methodism', if you were to call it that, is red. Our church has red (or maroon) seats and carpets as it is a familiar Methodist theme and looks great with the wooden furniture. Flowers Every week we have dedicated people who do arrangements of flowers for the church. These flowers are not wasted - after the services they are sent out to people who are ill or unable to get to church as well as to people who are celebrating good news too. Organ / Keyboard Most of the traditional hymns are lead on the organ and the more recent songs are played on the keyboard. We also frequently have a music group to lead our worship with guitars, flutes and other instruments. However the musician + choir combination is what you should expect.

   
   
4. Before the service begins any notices will be read out by the steward and there will then be a moment of silent preparation before the Minister walks in.
   
   
5. The service will most likely start with an introit by the choir, a 'call to worship' which may be a reading or some other introduction by the Minister and then a song or hymn will be sung.
   
   
6. At Bethesda we stand to sing each song and then sit again afterwards - keep an eye on others for the cue to stand.
   
   
7. Morning services often begin with a 'children's address' by the minister focused at the young members. After this and a second song the junior church leave for YPF - unless it is an All Age Worship service, in which case things may go differently.
   
   
8. There are usually two readings, one from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and one from somewhere else. If you can bring your own bible and follow the passage being read.
   
   
9. The sermon follows which will often focus on either or both of the readings, but possibly on neither if the minister feels that he needs to preach off the beaten track that day. This will contain your 'meet and two veg' of the service, so if you feel there is anything you don't agree with make sure you remember what it is and tackle the minister after the service - that is what they are there for!
   
   
10. Following the sermon will be other prayers and hymns. During the service the collection will be taken, where small blue bags are passed around and people put money in. This money primarily goes to the help of others in the local community and overseas. If you are just visiting or don't feel you can give any money then do not feel at all embarrassed to pass the bag on - some members prefer to pay directly and so do not put anything in themselves.
    
    
11. Sharing of the Peace - this is a rather jolly part of most services where you get to meet all your neighbours. The minister will say something like "The peace of the Lord be with you" to which everyone responds "And also with you". Then people will shake hands and hug those around them saying something like 'the peace of the Lord' and 'peace be with you' or just 'peace'. Try it out if you haven't before as it can be very liberating, especially with complete strangers!
    
    
12. The service usually lasts an hour or so. At the end there is another moment of quiet to ask God to be with you in the week and then the minister will go to the back of the church to shake hands with everyone as they leave.
    
    
13. Finally you can follow others around to the hall at the back of the church where you will find tea and coffee and enjoy fellowship with everyone. If you don't know anyone the normal technique is to get a cup and then hide behind it. Unfortunately not everyone is great at talking to newcomers so try saying 'hello' to someone who looks friendly and chatty and they should do the rest.
    
    
14. If the Sunday you go is a communion service then in the middle the communion will be shared. This is where we actively share in the feast that Jesus had with his followers and remember the body broken for us and the blood shed for our sins. In the Methodist Church we operate an 'open table' for communion. This means that you do not have to be a member to receive the bread and wine - anyone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ is welcome to share communion with us. Equally, there is no pressure or obligation to receive, and if you wish simply to remain in your seat then feel free - no one will object. There is no coffee after a communion service.
    
    

    ---

That's about it - you now know everything you need to survive a Sunday service at Bethesda!
So why not come along and try it out?
If you want to find out more about what we believe then read the introduction to Christianity page to get a better overview.

To find details of who is preaching and on the welcome team visit the Worship This Week page.