Worship Times
Listed below are the times and locations for our regular Sunday Services.
Please note that during some school holidays and other times throughout the year, times may change slightly. This will generally be announced in the "What's this BUZZ?" section on the front page
Morning Tea is served following the 9.00am service at Umina and following the 9.00am service at Ettalong Beach.
Baptism
- Our church offers two services for parents who want to acknowledge God in the life of their child. Firstly there is the service of “Baptism”, which takes place in one of our Sunday services or in our special “Celebration of Baptism” service at 11.15am on the third Sunday of each month. There is a strong emphasis on God’s love for the child, and the child is accepted as a member of Christ’s universal church through the sprinkling of water. The parents make promises to bring up their child to know Christ and become part of the church.
- Secondly, we have the “Service of Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child”. This service can take place in a church service, or in the church at another time, or in another location [e.g. in a home or a park]. It is a more informal service, with the emphasis being on thanksgiving for God’s gift, and God’s blessing on the child. The promise which the parents make is a more general one.
- Godparents are optional in both services.
We also offer Baptism for teenagers and adults who were not baptised as a child, but who have come to faith in Christ and want to acknowledge this publicly. This service takes place in a regular church service, but if the person wishes to be immersed in water rather than sprinkled with it, a special church service will be organised for the beach or a swimming pool.
Confirmation
Both for those who were baptised as a child and now want to publicly affirm their faith, and for those baptised as a teenager or adult, we offer the service of “Confirmation”.
In this service, the person confirms the promises which his/her parents made, or which he/she has just made in Baptism; God’s love and promises for the person are confirmed through the laying on of hands; and the person commits himself/herself to Christian service.
Weddings
We conduct Weddings in both our Umina and Ettalong churches, and in outdoor locations or Wedding Reception Venues.
Some of the people who marry are both marrying for the first time; with others, one or both are marrying for the second time after divorce.
We strongly recommend to all couples that they undertake the “Prepare” marriage preparation programme which our Minister organises.
Funerals
We conduct Funerals for active church members, and also for those whose loved ones want a Christian burial or cremation.
We are happy to conduct a service in one of our churches, at one of the crematoriums at Ourimbah, at Point Clare cemetery, or at Greenway Gardens Chapel at Green Point.
In recent years, more and more people have opted to have the whole funeral service, including the committal for cremation or burial, at one of our churches or at Greenway, and then for the Funeral Directors to privately carry out the cremation or burial later in the day.
You may contact us directly by phoning the Minister or Parish Office, or asking the Funeral Director to do so. |
