Worship

On every Lord’s Day two worship services are held in each local church. They take place mostly in the morning and afternoon.

The liturgy in these services is based on biblical practice and principle. The result is that the opening blessing and greeting are taken from the Word. The songs that are sung are taken either from the Psalms or from other parts of Scripture that have been put to music. The prayers contain praise to God, confession of sin, pleas for pardon and blessing, as well as requests for help, healing and guidance. The heart of the service centers around the reading and proclamation of God’s Word. An offering is held and is either for the work done by the deacons among the needy or for some other worthy cause in God’s church and kingdom. The service concludes with a closing benediction which is also taken from the Word.

In one of the services, usually the afternoon service, the Heidelberg Catechism is used as a guideline for the preaching. This means that the minister reads the appropriate Lord’s day and has a sermon on the particular point of Scriptural teaching summarized by the Catechism.

Sacraments

The sacraments of baptism and Lord’s Supper are administered in the worship services. As soon as it is feasible, parents request to have their newborn child baptized in the assembly of God’s people. As for the Lord’s Supper, it is celebrated every two or three months. The frequency and manner of this celebration is determined by each local church council.

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