We hope that you’ll come and worship with us at our next Sunday service!  And for your first visit (or your NEXT one), there are a few things that we’d like to tell you about CTS:

Who are we?   We’re a diverse group: families and singles, straight and gay, born in the U.S. and born in countries all around the world.  One thing we have in common, though, is this:  we recognize that there are no simple answers to life, and that faith in the 21st Century requires people who can’t stand still with simple platitudes, with black-and-white answers about faith and about the role of the people of God in the world.

That said, we at CTS identify ourselves as “a progressive, sacramental community.”  What does this mean?

To be progressive is to say that we feel called to go beyond pat answers to live and love in today’s world, and that, as Christians, we have an obligation to each other and to the world at large to share God’s love.  This means we worry about social and economic justice, peace, human rights, and the dignity of all people, and this sometimes means exploring positions that make us reach beyond the commonplace, to look for new ways to help Christ’s light to the world.

Sacramental means we see God in the world.  Our Lord was an incarnate Lord – he was fully human as well as fully God.  We share in that oneness of spirit and world most strongly in the weekly Eucharist and in our baptism.

And we are a community.  You can’t be a Christian alone – being part of a community of faith is what sustains us.  We look to each other – our brothers and sisters in Christ – to support us in times of trial and to celebrate with us in moments of joy.  For us at CTS, the individual is part of a network of relationships which, all together, all joined around the altar, is a web…

Openness to all:  As a sacramental community, we try very hard to take seriously our Lord’s example – God’s love is not meant just for some, it’s for everyone.  Jesus had this peculiar habit of opening his arms to those who were excluded, who didn’t “fit in,” who others turned their back on.  We’ve probably all felt that way at some time or another.  But our mandate is to look beyond exclusion to inclusion and to welcome all.  We’ve tried to do that in many ways.  For example, CTS was the first Lutheran church in Montgomery County to subscribe to the principle of Reconciling in Christ, in which we affirm our commitment to be an open and accepting community to gays and lesbians.  We work to open our doors to brothers and sisters from other countries, from Africa and Latin America.  And we work to extend our community to those in great need, the homeless, the unemployed, those who are suffering.

Worship:  Worship is at the core of our relationship with God, and we at CTS see the liturgy (which literally means, “the work of the people”) as our communal response of gratitude for God’s love in Christ.  We cherish the great traditions of the church catholic, and we also like to bring in new styles and ways of worshipping God.  This means that you’ll see the full gamut of worship at CTS, from formal services with incense and processions, to contemporary services with jazz or rock music, to African services with music from Liberia or Uganda.

The Preaching:  At CTS you will hear preaching that is thought-provoking and which touches your heart.  Like most liturgical churches, we follow the Revised Common Lectionary, which takes us through the Bible in three years.  Our pastor draws on the weekly lessons for the core of his message.  At times challenging and provocative and at other consoling and encouraging, Pastor Bastien has a lively, stimulating style of communicating the message and challenging us to apply the word of God to our daily lives.

Dress: We don’t have a dress code, so please dress comfortably.  We welcome YOU, not your clothes.  You may see a few suits and ties (well, you may…but you may not!).  Most people dress in the same attire they would wear if they were visiting friends or one of the local restaurants.

Children:  We enjoy and welcome children at Worship.  There is a children's sermon during the Eucharist where they may want to come up to the front at Pastor’s invitation to join the other children for a special short sermon.  Between the early and late services we also have Sunday School at about 9:50.  Children will have no problem finding their group and fitting in.

Please note that children are important to the life of our church family.  Children are always welcome to stay with you during worship.  We recognize noisy children and crying babies for what they are -- gifts from God and signs of new life, for which we give thanks.  If you wish that your child be in an optional adult supervised Nursery, please just mention this to an usher.

Things you may note during the worship service:  A few things about your participation in the worship service:

• When entering our church, a greeter or usher will hand you a bulletin which will describe the order of worship for the day. You may sit where you wish, but please be sure that you can turn to any regular attendee who will be glad to help you with any questions.
• At the Offering, you will see that we all go up to the front, to the altar – the usher will guide you, and you can just follow the person who leads you out of your row.  Most make a little bow before the altar and, if you choose, you may leave an offering in one of the baskets held by the acolytes.  The acolyte also holds a can, and offerings placed there go to the World Hunger Fund.  Two larger baskets at the sides of the altar are for food donations, which all go to Gaithersburg HELP to feed those in need.  We go up to the front because this procession of the community to the altar states symbolically that we offer not just our money, but our whole selves to God.
• Likewise, at the time of communion we also go forward and around the altar – again, the usher will guide you.  We thus join all the saints, living and dead, who surround the altar and share in the precious body and blood of Christ.
• You’ll see some congregants making the sign of the cross.  Others don’t.  Those who make the sign of the cross are symbolically reminding themselves and the rest of us of their baptism, and it is a quiet way to mark the sacrifice our Lord made for us on our very person.
• Finally, there is a certain juggling that we ask of ourselves.  The outline of the day’s service is in the bulletin handed to you by the usher, and you will want to refer to that to see where we are, what hymns we’re singing, and what comes next.  The service is also fully outlined in the “red book,” that is, the Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship or ELW, the new worship book introduced by the ELCA for Advent in December, 2006.  The hymns also come from one this book, or an occasional one may be photocopied in your bulletin.  If you visit us in the summer, you get to avoid some of this – we use a single booklet for that season!

To see the full array of our worship services, click on Worship.

Communion:  If you come to the 8:30 service, the Eucharist is normally part of the worship service on the first Sunday of every month and on special days of celebration.  The 11:00 service is a Eucharist or Communion service every week.  This Sacrament connects us to Jesus' sacrifice for us, as we join each other around the Lord’s Table with all the saints, living and dead.  All who have been baptized are welcomed to participate.  You can also choose not to participate, to sit back, enjoy the music and quietly reflect upon your life.

Handicapped parking is available and clearly marked. An easy access ramp is provided on the side (south) door.

We invite you to coffee and refreshments fellowship time following worship service.

What else is going on at CTS?

• A strong and vibrant Youth Program, which meets on Sundays and in monthly mid-week koinonia (fellowship) gatherings, as well as retreats and participation in synod-wide events;
• CTS Book Club, a monthly book discussion group that focuses on thoughtful and provocative new works in religion, science, and society, as well as occasional classics;
• Film Buffs, a monthly gathering to see and talk about a current film;
• Gap Fillers, our own jazz band, which performs for occasional worship services, including a Jazz Vespers that the group composed;
• Seminar, a discussion group that studies a single author for a year in Saturday morning sessions;
• Adult Forum, the “adult Sunday School,” with an ongoing array of topics, especially the study of selected books of the Bible and their implications for our lives today, as well as current events and other timely topics;
• Music and singing, with the chance to sing in our seasonal choirs or perform on an instrument at Sunday worship services;
• Outreach to the world, including our relationship with our Liberian sister congregation, St. Matthew Parish in Red Light, Paynesville, Liberia; as well as our growing ties to the Holy Land Ecumenical Foundation in Israel and Palestine and our support of the Equal Exchange movement;
• Many, many service and volunteer opportunities – with Gaithersburg HELP (our local food pantry); McKenna’s Wagon downtown, the MS Walk and the Walk for the Homeless, Thanksgiving Baskets, cooking for the Rockville Homeless Shelter, etc., etc.

• And, to top it off, our parish is a “You want to do it, let’s do it!” kind of place – with members proposing service projects and other activities that others pick up on

Come join us, get involved, and become part of this community of seekers!