About
Worship Service
St. Paul’s is is open to all who wish to worship the triune God–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion the first, third, fifth, and other holy days, and we welcome all to God’s table of grace.
Our typical service will change a bit from season to season, but will usually follow the order discussed here. It is divided into four main parts: Preparing, Proclaiming the Word and Sharing the Lord’s Supper, Going out into the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ..
PREPARING: The pastor will walk to the front of the church to welcome everyone to worship and will also deliver any announcements that are to be made. After the announcements, all will be invited to “Prepare our hearts for worship.” The congregation then sings the Processional Hymn.
PROCLAIMING GOD’S WORD: The pastor and the congregation reflect upon our sins and confess together our sinfulness, afterward hearing God’s words of absolution (forgiveness). The Kyrie (Lord, have mercy) and a Hymn of Praise are then sung by the congregation. The Prayer of the Day follows. Folks are then invited to share the Lord’s Peace with their fellow worshippers. The congregation will turn to one another, shake hands, hug or simply smile while wishing peace for each other. All are then seated and God’s Word is read. The First Lesson (Old Testament, except during the season of Easter when it comes from the New Testament), the Psalm (which sometimes may be omitted), the Second Lesson (from the New Testament Epistles (letters), and the Gospel. Next, the pastor or lay person will give the Children’s Sermon, inviting all of the children in the congregation down to the altar for their own, special lesson. It is often a highlight of the service. After this, the Word of God comes to us through special music, either the choir, hand bells, soloist or other musician/s. Then the pastor speaks the Word of God, or preaches. The Sermon is followed by the congregational singing of the Hymn of the Day. The Apostle’s or Nicene Creed is then recited by the congregation, and there is time for congregational prayer.
RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION: As we prepare to share the Lord’s Supper and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, the offering is taken up. After it is collected, the Offertory Response is sung by the congregation., and then the Offertory Prayer is recited. The Great Thanksgiving and Words of Institution follow, whereby the pastor consecrates the sacred elements of bread and wine. The words Jesus used in creating the Lord’s Supper remind us of God’s wonderful promises, proclaim His mercy and forgiveness, and invite us to receive the elements (the bread and wine), as the Holy Spirit blesses us. The Lord’s Prayer follows, after which all are seated as Holy Communion begins. St. Paul’s is a house of prayer and all are welcome to the Lord’s Table. Those who prefer not to receive the wine may choose grape juice. Wine is received either by common cup (all drink from one chalice) or intinction (dipping the bread into a cup of wine). The congregation sings the Communion Hymn as communicants proceed to the front of the church to receive the Sacraments. Following Holy Communion, the congregation stands for the Blessing and Benediction, after which the Recessional Hymn is sung. The service ends with the pastor sending the congregation out into the world to serve the Lord until we gather together again next week.
ACCESSIBILITY:
- Handicap accessible premises
- Special-needs Sunday School curriculum
- Hearing assistance available
- Large-print worship materials and page magnifiers available
Our Pastor
The oldest of four children, Pastor Chris Farrow was born in a small farming community in south-central Wisconsin. Upon graduation from high school, she spent a year in Dortmund, Germany as a governess. She then attended Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from which she graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, majoring in Psychology, Sociology, and German. She spent her junior year abroad, studying at Phillips Universitaet in Marburg, Germany.
She graduated from Luther (Northwestern) Seminary in 1990. Her internship site was Redeemer Lutheran Church in Bettendorf, Iowa. She served Metigoshe Lutheran Church in Bottineau, North Dakota from 1990-1992.
Pastor Chris began serving here at St. Paul’s on August 1, 1999. She enjoys playing sports, especially volleyball. Recently joining the church bowling league, she is working hard to keep her 135 average. When she has free time, she likes to bake, read, and practice her German. She is married to Al, Deputy Public Works Officer at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. They have two children, Katie, 13, and Brian, 11.
Pastor Chris loves being sleep deprived, especially when it comes in the form of spending time with the youth at retreats. She feels strongly called to serving those in crisis, serving as an on-call Lutheran chaplain at local hospitals funeral homes. She has received emergency crisis training from the Red Cross (The Basic Critical Incident Stress Management Course: Basic Group Crisis Intervention) and is a trained facilitator for Healthy Congregations, an ELCA program for helping congregations work through change, strife, and every day life.
Pastor Chris is also passionately committed to serving and working with individuals with special needs. She founded “Children of the Promise,” a non-denominational, non-instructional fellowship group for individuals with special needs. This group meets the first Friday of every month (except in July and August) from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at St. Paul’s. She serves as Secretary and Education Sub-Committee Chair for the Hampton Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, and she has written a Sunday School and Confirmation Curriculum using the Picture Exchange System (PECS) method of communication for those with more severe communication disabilities.
Going totally out of her comfort zone, her ministry took on a global aspect in the summer of 2004 when she headed to Wittenberg, German and participated in the Wittenberg English Ministry. Formerly part of East Germany, the spiritual component of the city tours are often lacking. As “Pastor in Residence” she spent two weeks tending to the spiritual needs of tourists. She was able to use her German and visit with and minister to the townsfolk as well. For history buffs, she led worship and preached in the Castle Church (where the 95 Theses were nailed) and the City Church (where Dr. Martin Luther pastored). In September 2009 Pastor Chris was honored to participate in the program again. While there she ministered to both tourists and townsfolk alike and translated a thirty page exhibition description for the “Haus der Geschichte” (House of History, a museum dedicated to life in East Germany).
Above all, Pastor Chris loves God and strives to love and serve all God’s children. She has a heart for normal everyday people who, like herself, are trying to understand and live this thing we call “faith.” What does it mean when Jesus says, “I came so that you might have life and have it abundantly”? (John 10:10) Each day, she gets a little closer to understanding what that means. Come, join her and the St. Paul’s family journey. We don’t know where God is taking us, but we sure are enjoying the ride!