Our Worship Styles
Many Paths, One Destination
Because no two believers travel an identical journey of faith, Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church adapts and embraces new approaches to meet the needs of its diverse members at any point along their journeys. Ultimately, we believe that the purpose of the worship service is to provide an environment to help people feel the presence, grace, and power of God in being part of the body of Christ. We think that God loves to help us grow and that He sees a variety of worship styles as a means to inspire spiritual development and service to Him. He has led us to create two Sunday worship styles: traditional and blended.
Traditional Worship Service . Sunday . 9:00–10:00am
Those who grew up in a mainline or Presbyterian church will find that our first of three Sunday worship services continues to capture the essence of traditional practices. Although more formal than our blended and contemporary offerings, the 9:00am service includes a a special children's sermon, once a month from September through May.
If you know by rote the words to Holy, Holy, Holy, or Great Is Thy Faithfulness, or To God Be the Glory, this is the worship service that will sing to your soul. Our Chancel Choir leads the musical worship throughout the traditional service except during summer hiatus in July and August. During those months, our director of music ministries schedules special vocal and instrumental substitutions for the choir.
| Traditional Worship Traits |
Su 9:00–10:00am |
|---|---|
| Location | Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church sanctuary 975 C Avenue, Coronado, CA Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to the community |
| Appeals to | adults |
| Opportunities for Kids | Noah's Nursery for infants Sunday School for kindergarten–grade 6 Sunday AM for grades 7–12 |
| Pastor | The Reverend Dr. David H. McElrath in business attire or clerical robe |
| Worship Program | Traditional Worship Service Bulletin example» |
| Sermon | consistent with 10:30am |
| Special Sermons | an additional 10-minute Children's Sermon, Jan–Dec |
| Sacraments | Holy Communion, second Sunday monthly |
| Music | traditional Christian hymns accompanied by organ and piano and the Chancel Choir occasional special vocal / instrumental performances |
| Prayer | the pastor leads the congregation in prayer the congregation recites the Lord's Prayer and the Prayer of Confession in unison |
| Lay Participation | a lay reader provides either Old or New Testament background to the sermon |
| Attire | eclectic, comfortable but respectful everything from business suits to Tommy Bahama leisure wear |
Children's Sermon . First Sunday Monthly . 9:00–9:10am
Anyone who's experienced a Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church Children's Sermon won't be surprised to know that our Pastor David entered the ministry as a children's pastor. He loves kids, and kids eagerly return the affection!
Armed with captivating props and occasional take-home treats, Pastor David invites the children in attendance to gather on the padded treads of the chancel, where he approaches the kids at their own level. The thoughtful dialog that Pastor David coaxes usually results in rib-tickling verbal gems similar to those found in Art Linkletter's or Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things video reruns. Pastor David closes the sermon with a short prayer that the children recite tandemly, phrase by phrase. Adult leaders then accompany the children on their way to their Sunday School classes at the Center for Christian Education.
| Children's Sermon |
Second Su monthly 9:00–9:10am |
|---|---|
| Location | Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church sanctuary 975 C Avenue, Coronado, CA Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to all children in the community, ages 3–11 |
| Appeals to | all ages |
| Format | Children place the item of their choice into a box that they present to the Reverend Dr. David H. McElrath. Pastor David extemporaneously develops a homily based upon the item he finds in the box. Past items have included a harmonica, a magnifying glass, and a balloon. After the sermon, children leave the sanctuary for their respective Sunday School classes. |
Coffee Connection . Sunday . 10:00–10:30am
Each Sunday, our Board of Deacons welcome congregations of both the first and second Sunday worship services to the Garden Room in the Christian Center for Education, where members, guests, and visitors of all ages sip complimetary freshly brewed coffee and fruit juice, nibble pastries, and connect with one another in friendly fellowship. Download a Campus Map
Blended Worship Service . Sunday . 10:30–11:30am
The Blended Worship Service began its outreach at the beginning of September 2008 and will continue to evolve in order to meet the needs and desires of the families it draws. What previously was a second traditional morning worship service now combines elements of both traditional worship and contemporary praise worship.
The timing of this service is perfect for adult leaders of the children's Sunday School classes who want to worship with their own children in a sanctuary setting. It also allows teens to worship together in a relaxed and welcoming environment following the conclusion of their own weekly youth group called Sunday AM.
| Blended Worship Traits |
Su 10:30–11:30am |
|---|---|
| Location | Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church sanctuary 975 C Avenue, Coronado, CA Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to the community |
| Appeals to | families leaders of 9:00am Sunday School and the leaders' children youth (teens) |
| Opportunities for Kids | Sunday School for kindergarten–grade 6 |
| Pastor | The Reverend Dr. David H. McElrath in business attire |
| Worship Program | Blended Worship Service Bulletin example» |
| Sermon | consistent with 9:00am |
| Special Sermons | an additional 15-minute Children's Sermon every week |
| Sacraments | Holy Communion, second Sunday monthly |
| Music | the worship team leads the congregation in both contemporary and traditional worship lyrics, projected on screen |
| Prayer | pastor solicits prayer requests congregation prays silently |
| Lay Participation | youth help serve the sacrament of Holy Communion no lay scriptural reader |
| Attire | eclectic, comfortable but respectful more casual attire than business suits |
Holy Communion . Second Sunday Monthly . All Worship Services
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' " Matthew 26:26–28 (NIV)
Christians refer to Holy Communion variously as the Breaking of Bread, the Divine Meal, the Eucharist, the Holy Meal, koinonia, the Lord's Feast, and the Lord's Supper.
The Presbyterian denomination prefers the term Holy Communion and considers it to be the second of two sacraments (rites) that Christ ordained to be a means of divine grace or symbol of a spiritual reality. The first sacrament is baptism. Thus, Presbyterians follow early church traditions, acknowledging three primal elements of life—water, bread, and wine—as the fundamental symbols of offering life to God. Being washed with the water of baptism, we receive new life in Christ. And, in eating the bread and drinking wine from the cup offered by God, our memory of His promises are made present by the Holy Spirit.
Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church offers the sacrament of Holy Communion at all three worship services, on the second Sunday of every month except October. During this month, we offer communion on the first Sunday to observe World Communion Sunday.
Participation in communion does not require church membership—all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior are welcome to partake. Our Board of Deacons prepares the Holy Communion table for service, and our Worship and Sacrament Committee trains church deacons and / or elders to distribute individual servings of grape juice and bread, including a gluten-free variety, among the congregation.
At the Traditional and Blended worship services, communicants partake of the bread together, symbolizing that they are one body in Christ. They partake of the cup individually, symbolizing that they are grafted into the body of Christ one at a time.
| Holy Communion |
second Su monthly except October 9:00am 10:30am |
|---|---|
| Location | Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church sanctuary 975 C Avenue, Coronado, CA Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to the community, church membership not required |
| Service | The Reverend Dr. David H. McElrath |
| Lay Participation | ruling elders of the church assist at the morning worship services, youth assist at the evening service |