Special Services

One Hope Ecumenical Worship

This diverse and ever-shifting ecumenical effort to broaden and deepen Christ's love in the Pierre & Ft. Pierre, SD, communities currently unites in three distinct ministries: One Hope Lenten Services, One Hope Worship in Griffin Park, and One Hope Vacation Bible School. FCUCC works jointly with First United Methodist, Wesleyan Lakota Chapel, Resurrection Lutheran, and First Baptist Church to help connect this Christ-centered community. We always welcome new faith communities to consider joining us.

Sundays in Advent

The church year begins in Advent, as we usher in hope, peace, joy, and love with candle-lighting, special music, and sacred prophetic texts. These services are joyful and contemplative, weaving together story, song, and prayer for the sake of drawing attention to the holy within our hearts. In the bustle of the season, we carve space for spiritual renewal.

We also value the gift of special music, and Advent is a beautiful season to re-engage the many musical talents in our congregation during service. If you'd like to add your voice to our worship in this way, respond with this form!

Christmas Eve

On Dec. 24th each year, we gather for a sacred Christmas Eve service. We share anew the familiar story of Christ's birth, we enjoy a children's story, we adorn the sanctuary with Poinsettia plants in honor of loved ones, we sing beloved Christmas hymns, and we close with a reflective Silent Night as we watch the light of our collective candles grow. This worship invites us to consider the true gift of Christmas within our souls. We love hosting community members, visiting family, and newcomers for this special evening.

Ash Wednesday

This marks the beginning of Lent, an introspective season of prayer. It is a gift to enter the ancient tradition of walking with Jesus Christ with even more intentionality than usual during the season leading up to Holy Week. We begin the season with the mark of ashes. They’re placed on our hands or heads, but are meant to soften our hearts. Ashes recall in us those vulnerable spaces in need of transformation. And they serve as a reminder of the healing balm that comes to us from the one who fashioned us, fault lines and all, from the very dust of the earth.

Palm Processional

Holy Week begins triumphantly, as the children march around the sanctuary waving palms. We sing together Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, bearing witness to that day long ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. This is a well-received worship, after the long wait of Lent. It also serves as a reminder of how quickly our hearts can turn from praise to denial of God's work in our lives, a journey we reflect upon in our Tenebrae service.

Maundy Thursday Tenebrae

Each year during Holy Week, we host a Tenebrae service of reflection and remembrance, commemorating both the Last Supper and the Passion Story that follows Jesus’ path to the cross as written in the Gospel of Matthew. We begin the night with 12 candles lit to represent the 12 disciples, and by the end of the evening, only the Christ candle remains. This spiritual journey invites us to feel the full extent of Jesus Christ's love for his disciples, including us! Several lay readers embrace the role of disciple for this memorable and moving service.

Easter

The culmination of Lent is the annual Easter Service, in which we truly celebrate the gift of new life! At our core, we are Easter people, watching for signs of resurrection all around. Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed! Easter is the highlight of our worship year, because it reminds us to notice what shimmers within the storms of life. We are surrounded by love, we are guided by shared faith, and we are inspired by hope that exists for us, because God is still at work renewing all of creation.

New Member Reception

We love the chance to celebrate those who have chosen a faith home among us. Our vision of Christ's body is an ever-growing and changing community of people who believe in and choose to live into Christ's faith, hope, and love. We share the gift of new member vows with any and all who desire to call this a spiritual home. If you are interested in joining our church, we host new member Sunday once or twice a year. Our process of joining is simple, spiritual, and relational.

Confirmation

In an act of affirming the vows made at baptism, our youth enter a two-year discernment and formation process we call confirmation. Throughout those two years, our youth engage sacred stories, service projects, mentor relationships, and worship leadership. The journey culminates in the creation of a personal statement of faith, which is celebrated on Confirmation Sunday. If you have a young person in your life that would enjoy this discernment process, contact Jennifer Evans. It is a highlight for our congregation to walk alongside our young people as they pursue spirituality that is distinctively their own path AND a part of the fabric of our church.

Baptisms

We in the United Church of Christ offer Christ's gift of full inclusion into the life of the church through the act of baptism at any age. It is common for infants and children to receive this gift, although we delight in adult baptism as well. Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me, for to such belongs the realm of God." If you'd like to enter into covenant with this spiritual home, we invite you to speak to the pastor about baptism! Our congregation also makes vows to those being baptized, a promise to be supportive and encouraging as the baptized individual grows in faith.

Weddings

Weddings are such a joyous occasion, and we’d love to help you coordinate a wedding at our church! We are an open congregation, and no matter your religious affiliation or identity, we honor all commitments to fidelity and life-long love. As an act of affirming the significance of the sacred vows made in marriage, pre-marital counseling is a gift in the process of a couple's preparations. Contact the church office to schedule your special day and the 3 preparatory conversations that lay a solid foundation for a healthy relationship. The pastor also offers pre-marital counseling for couples who have alternative plans for their big day and would value resources for sustained marital health.

Service of Healing and Anointing

On the 5th Sunday of the month, we engage in an ancient ritual of healing and blessing by offering the anointing of holy waters. Come, and receive the blessing of the Lord. God offers promises of spiritual healing, assurances that God IS with you. Restore to us the joy of your redeeming presence, and uphold us with a strong spirit. Amen! Together we embrace this reminder that no matter our struggle, we are not left to ourselves; we have the eternal promises of God to sustain us.