Worship and Music
“The time I spend with God in the worship service brings me back to what is important in life.”
“Joe’s sermons are relevant to my needs.”
“The time in the service when people share their joys and concerns is one of my favorite ways of getting to know others.
At Altadena Community Church, United Church of Christ, music enhances the worship experience. Each service is planned so that the overall impact is echoed in all aspects of the service: the sermon, the liturgical prayers and responses, sung responses and the special music/anthems sung by the choir or as solos or duets; all are parts of the whole with emphasis on the message. Participants on Sundays become the Worship Leaders for that day.
We invite you into the sacred space that is our church. The sanctuary is fresh and airy, with windows of beauty, and now warm in the winter and cool in the summer with a new heating and air conditioning system throughout all the buildings. Children are welcome. Nursery care and Church School is available during the worship service.
On one Sunday of the month, a person will bring a brief message for peace. Every Sunday, the Peace Candle is lit and audible or silent prayers for peace in our world are lifted up. On the second Sunday of each month, the sacrament of the Last Supper/Eucharist or Communion is celebrated during the service. All, members or not, are welcome to this celebration.
Music Director Wendy Caldwell incorporates sacred classics and gospel with contemporary compositions for the choir. Adding to the pipe organ and grand piano, the music for the service will occasionally embrace strings, brass or wind instruments and, most recently, drums.
Pastor Joe McGowan, at once preacher, prophet, and compassionate friend, delivers sermons that may touch many in the congregation, and calls the people of the church to a life that is mindful of the ways of Jesus. Sometimes comforting, sometimes challenging, he is a revitalizing voice in our societal wilderness.
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