We are very excited to let you know that on Sunday October 28 we transitioned to a one service at 10am format on a permanent basis (no 9am or 11am services). We now gather as one community to worship God together.

This 10am service is based on our regular model in which children and youth meet separately (unlike the summer when children came into the service for worship and communion).

Please read on below if you would like to know some of the background to this decision. 

Background

For 7 weeks during the summer we had one single service at 10am instead of the usual 9am and 11am services. Towards the end of this period we surveyed our congregation to get some feedback about the experience and the overwhelming response was very positive.  The Cedar Ridge “Sundays Team” (a group of folk from various areas of our church community who have been reviewing all aspects of Sunday worship services) reviewed all the feedback in detail and made a recommendation to the Pastoral Team that we move to one service at 10AM on a permanent basis in the fall. The Pastoral Team has approved this recommendation and on Sunday October 28 we will change to one single service at 10am (no 9am or 11am services).

One Service

Here are a few of the main reasons for moving to one service at 10am:

• It draws us all together as one unified community
• Joining together creates a more energetic and passionate atmosphere
• We believe we will grow as God leads more people to Cedar Ridge and a more unified and energized Sunday service creates a more welcoming environment
• It puts less strain on volunteers. Currently we are struggling to cover all the tasks required for two services (such as children’s workers, coffee makers, greeters, worship leaders etc.)
• One service creates more opportunity for other activities before and after the service (such as classes, workshops, community meals etc.)

As a leadership team we believe our church will grow over the coming years and there will come a time when we will need to return to two services but right now we believe one service is the healthy option for us.

Children and Youth

This one 10am service will be based on our regular model in which children and youth meet separately (unlike the summer when children came into the service for worship and communion). There will also continue to be occasions when we meet together as all ages. The change to one service represents a challenge for many of our children and youth leaders because when they are leading children and youth there will be no alternative service for them to attend as regular participants. This has been discussed and worked through with these leaders and alternative provisions are being made for a worship experience that nurtures their spiritual growth. In addition we will be actively inviting our congregation to help lead and serve children to alleviate pressure on current leaders, so they can be in the main service more often.