20 MORE religions and faith practices 109

Robyn Lebron

scriptures should not be limited by past interpretations but should
be pursued with the expectation of new insights into God’s help for
living today. UCC’s slogan, “
‘† ‹• •–‹ŽŽ •’‡ƒ‹‰ǡ ” is meant to
suggest that the Bible is not the sole source of divine instruction and
that scripture must be interpreted in today’s context.14
As Christians and members of United Church of Christ,
they consider themselves a diverse group of people. They are persons of
various ages, races, gender identities, accomplishments and goals,
abilities, sexual orientations, theological and political beliefs,
socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. In diversity, they look for
strength and a way to understand the inclusiveness of God. Each
individual is a child of God, and they welcome all people to join in
their common mission through participation and leadership in this
communion of faith.15

Basic Worship Service
The church comes together in a church meeting as “the body of Christ.”
They teach that we all come as we are—the good, the bad, the person
with a deep and certain faith, the person with just a little faith, the old,
the young—and we bring our gifts and abilities. As we are all different
like the parts of a body, we all have our different functions to perform
and our different talents and abilities to share with the whole church.
The main worship service is held each Sunday. It includes prayer, Bible
reading, singing by both choir and congregation, and a sermon, usually
by the minister. Worship is sometimes followed by a coffee hour, where
members have an opportunity to meet and greet guests. Special worship
services are held on Ash Wednesday (sacrificial meal), Maundy Thursday
(communion), Independence Day, and A Moravian Love Feast (preChristmas), and Christmas Eve (candlelight service).16

The Sacrament: The broken bread and poured wine

represent the
crucified and risen Christ. The wheat gathered to bake one loaf, and the
grapes pressed to make one cup remind participants that they are one
body in Christ, while the breaking and pouring announce the costliness
of Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. The minister presides
at the table, normally assisted by elders or deacons. In most United
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