Worship at Oak Island EPC

At our church, you will find worship that is focused on what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.  Centered around the God who has made himself known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; our worship service emphasizes biblical preaching, that understands the Scripture to be the Word of God.  Our music is centered on the praise of God, in both our congregational singing and in the singing of the choir.  Our worship is often described as traditional, but that does not mean "stuffy."  While worship is not the only activity of the church, we see it as the most important thing we do.  Worship is where God comes to meet us - in the preaching of the Word, in the praises of his people, and at the Table of the Lord, where Christ comes to meet us.


Sunday Morning Worship


At Oak Island EPC, we love to worship God by gathering each Sunday to actively participate in services that are regulated by the Word and which are full of the best hymns and songs of praise from two millennia of Christendom. Our corporate worship is about the edified mind and the reverent heart celebrating God’s sovereign grace in life’s joy and sorrow. Our church is committed to expository preaching and we love to begin each Lord’s Day together with the household of faith.


Worship services are conducted within a traditionally Reformed framework that emphasizes congregational participation.  As informed by our historic roots in the Protestant Reformation, we employ an order of worship that ensures that the key elements of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and proclamation are present each week.  The service typically lasts between sixty and seventy minutes, with the Lord’s Supper being celebrated on the first Sunday of each month.  Baptisms, missionary commissionings, officer commissionings, and other special elements are periodically included.  There is no formal dress code, but members and guests are encouraged to dress in a way that shows reverence to God and assists fellow worshipers in focusing their attention on Him.  For a detailed explanation of the elements of our Sunday service, as well as suggestions for how to prepare for corporate worship, please click here.   



Worship Theology


The late Hughes O. Old wrote: "We worship God because God created us to worship him. Worship is at the center of our existence, at the heart of our reason for being. God created us to be his image--an image that would reflect his glory. In fact the whole creation was brought into existence to reflect the divine glory.  The psalmist tells us that 'the heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork' (Psalm 19:1). "[1]


At Oak Island EPC, we view worship as a dialogue.  God has chosen to reveal himself to us in a saving way through his word, and we respond in the faith and obedience he prescribes in that same word.  Worship is an opportunity for us to not only joyfully give God his due, but to grow in our restored relationship with him through the work of Christ.  We do so not only with the brothers and sisters of our local congregation but in a committed way with all the members of our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and with all who confess Christ throughout the world.  For an official statement of our denomination’s doctrinal position on religious worship and the Sabbath day from the Westminster Confession of Faith, please click here and select Chapter 21. 



God-centered:  Here we come to encounter God -- Father, Son & Holy Spirit

Scriptural:  Our worship is centered around the proclamation of God's Word.

Participatory:  We share in prayers, hymns and songs of praise, and confess our faith.

Challenging:  We acknowledge our need of forgiveness, and the grace that comes from Christ.

Excellence:  Our worship is for glorifying God; not for the entertainment of the congregation.



[1] Hughes Oliphant Old, Worship Reformed According to Scripture (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), p. 1.




Worship In All of Life


The worship of God extends well beyond the corporate gatherings of His people.  Our entire lives are to be offered as living sacrifices of spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).  We should therefore worship God individually, with our families and friends, and in small group gatherings whenever the Lord provides opportunity.  Worship on such occasions may be very simple, including just a brief prayer or expression of praise, or it may be more extensive, including Scripture readings, confession of sin, singing, and prayer.  In all circumstances we should seek to glorify God and give Him praise. (1 Corinthians 10:31).