Special Services
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Children and Youth Christmas Program
9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Our children and youth lead us in music and drama as they perform a Christmas play that shares the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ. We sing carols together and a donation is taken to support Bethany Children’s Home.
Christmas Eve
4:30 p.m. Traditional Christmas Eve Worship
Similar in structure to our typical Sunday morning worship, this service is full of joy, Christmas Carols, scripture, prayers, sermon, and communion. We commune together as one body seated in our pews. Both our adult hand bell choir (the Goshenhoppen Ringers) and our Senior Choir offer special music. Worship concludes with singing the carol Silent Night in the candle-lit only sanctuary. The first verse is sung in German, the remainder in English.
7:00 p.m. Children and Family Worship
All families are invited for a Christmas Eve worship centered on children’s experience. We tell the story of Jesus’ birth through short scripture passages and select verses of traditional carols that we sing together. Our children’s choirs (the Cherub Choir and the Choristers) offer special music. We take communion together via intinction - coming forward to the altar and being served the bread and the wine together. Worship concludes with singing the carol Silent Night in the candle-lit only sanctuary. We have glow sticks available for the youngest among us to still participate. Our children and youth bell choir, the Joyful Ringers, accompany Silent Night.
10:30 p.m. Lessons and Carols
A contemplative and elegant retelling of the Christmas Story through alternating scripture and song. The New Goshenhoppen Brass Choir brings an exuberance warmth to singing carols. We commune together as one body seated in our pews. Worship concludes with singing the carol Silent Night in the candle-lit only sanctuary. The first verse is sung in German, the remainder in English.
Ash Wednesday
10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Marking the beginning of Lent, the season in which we prepare to journey with Jesus to the cross and then his resurrection, Ash Wednesday services are simple: consisting of prayer, confession, silence, and communion taken together seated in our pews. The imposition of ashes reminds us of the relationship between life and death, as we enter into a season of somber reflection. Soloist and Choir lead us in sung hymns.
Women’s Community Service
10 a.m. - Saturday after International Women’s Day
Sponsored by our Women’s Fellowship Group, our Women’s Community Service is open to all in the community who identify as a woman. Local women religious in various levels of leadership in the community participate together. A choir, comprised of women from the community, offer their voices in praise. Communion is taken together. Worship is followed by a light luncheon in our Fellowship Hall for continued deepening in relationship with one another.
Preparatory Service in Fellowship Hall
Wednesday of Holy Week. 6:30 p.m. Soup Supper. 7:30 p.m. Worship.
A traditional worship service of confession and preparation from the Reformed Tradition of Christianity made modern. We join together to share in worship as Jesus did - first with a simple meal. We raise our unaccompanied and acapella voices in song, use the psalms to help us confess, and remind ourselves of the fundamentals of our faith through a liturgy of the Ten Commandments. We use this time to prepare ourselves for the darkness that lies ahead, and the bright light of Easter that is to come.
Maundy Thursday
10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
These services tell the powerful drama of Jesus’ final days and his ultimate confrontations with the authorities that sentence him to death. A somber service, using special musical offerings of soloists and choirs to deepen us further into reflective worship. We commune together as one body seated in our pews. We depart the service in silence.
Good Friday
12-1 p.m. Stations of the Cross Walk
Gathering with members of the community in the lower parking lot by the Sanctuary, we walk the 1 mile to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Pennsburg. Along the way, we stop to tell the story of Jesus on the day he was crucified on the cross. Once at St. Mark’s, we join other such traveling groups and share in a Community Good Friday service together.
1 p.m. Community Good Friday Service
A stirring and heartfelt worship with many churches in the community leading and attending the service. A community choir offers special music. A local pastor offers the word on this somber day when we sit with darkness.
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7 p.m. Tenebrae Service with St. Mark’s Lutheran, Pennsburg
A stirring and emotional worship service of the Seven Last Sentences of Jesus. Traditional hymns, choir anthems, and contemporary songs are woven throughout the rich and powerful scripture readings. As we closer approach Jesus’ death, our sanctuary is dimmed until in darkness. The bell tolls. We leave in silence.
Easter
6:30 a.m. Easter Sunrise/Dawn
Sponsored by our Outdoor Ministries Committee, we gather for worship of praise and wonder as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death! We worship outside, at our Meditation Wall, where benches quickly fill and attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. The New Goshenhoppen Brass Choir provides exclamatory music as we sing together. Communion is taken by intinction- coming forward to the altar and being served the bread and the wine together.
8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Traditional Easter Services
Our usual Sunday morning worship services are injected with a spirit of hope, resilience, and excitement! The New Goshenhoppen Brass Choir joins with organ and voice to create a triumphant cry that our Savior Lives! We commune together as one body seated in our pews. The ultimate service of thanksgiving for God’s gift of everlasting life!
Children and Youth Easter/Spring Program
9:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Our children and youth lead us in music and drama as they perform an Easter play that shares the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. We sing hymns together and a donation is taken to support Outdoor Ministries' camp scholarships.
Memorial Sunday
The Sunday before Memorial Day - 8:00 a.m and 10:30 a.m.
A traditional New Goshenhoppen Sunday. We remember all of the members and friends of the church who died and/or were buried in our cemetery throughout the previous year through candle lighting, flowers, and tolling of bells.
9:15 a.m. Cemetery Worship Service
In recognition of the history of Memorial Day, we gather in the name of the God of all creation to honor the sacrifice of all human lives given in service to our country. A brief service of prayers for remembrance and peace, our children are invited to lay flowers on the marked graves of veterans in our cemetery.
Summer Worship in the Park
10:30 a.m. Sundays in July and August
Our 10:30 a.m. worship travels outside and across the street to the New Goshenhoppen Park! Enjoy the outdoor elements of earth and sky under our covered pavilion and band shell where worship is held. Bring lawn chairs if you like and a love of worshiping our Creator God surrounded by nature and sounds of the community.
Community Summer Worship in the Park
Our regular 10:30 a.m. service gets infused with the addition of local churches sharing in worship together. A service of boisterous song, deepening in community relationship, and shared worship leadership. We partake in communion via intinction together as the community of Christ. A Community Orchestra joins together to aid this celebratory service. An offering is collected to support a local community organization. Following the service we all join together in our park’s Dining Hall to share in a potluck luncheon and fellowship.
Pig Roast
10:30 a.m.- Second Sunday in October
A New Goshenhoppen tradition that originated to celebrate the hard working committees, teams, and groups. With 10:30 a.m. worship outside in the New Gosh Park, we often welcome a guest preacher as we waft the delicious smells of pork, having been roasted all night. The New Goshenhoppen Orchestra accompanies our worship service. After worship we gather in our park’s Dining Hall to enjoy the pig and the many non-meat potluck sides.
Just Peace Sunday
12:30 p.m. at the Peace Pole
Honoring the efforts of International Peace Day, we celebrate Just Peace Sunday with a brief worship service of prayer, music, and a call to peace. Once a fixture at Mensch Mill Conference and Retreat Center, our Peace Pole is located at the bottom of the church parking lot, near the entrance to the Meditation Wall.
Harvest Home Sunday
8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Worship Services
Celebrated in September to thank God for the harvest, we gather for a celebration of thanksgiving for food, abundance, and sharing our bounty with others. A special offering is taken in order to provide community neighbors in need with gift cards to local grocery stores.
All Saints Day
8:00 and 10:30 a.m. on the 1st Sunday in November
In honor of all of the saints who have come before us, who are with us now, and who are yet to come, we gather to remember those who have passed from this life unto life eternal. A solemn service with candle lighting and communion via intinction.
Community Thanksgiving Service
Wednesday before Thanksgiving at 7:00 p.m.
In a service of exuberance and praise giving, we join local churches to thank God for the abundance in our lives and community. Local churches rotate as host of this special occasion with a different pastor offering the message each year and replete with a community choir.