You can join us for worship each Sunday at 9:30 AM, PST, from wherever you are! Come in person to 667 E. 1st Ave. in Chico, California, or hop online.
During in-person worship, You will be greeted by smiling greeters at the Welcome Table and asked if you would like to write your name on a nametag. This is totally optional. The Welcome Table has brochures about the church, newsletters, and signups for whatever events are going on at the time.
As you enter the church, you will be handed a bulletin by our ushers. If you have any questions about seating, they are happy to answer. There is no assigned seating. The bulletin will help you follow along with the order of worship, scriptures, and "call and response" parts of the service. We offer communion to everyone regardless of membership status, faith, spirituality, or background. We offer wine and grape juice in both a shared cup, as well as individual serving cups. The bread is gluten-free bread, and you have the option to receive a verbal blessing instead of taking communion. Coffee hour takes place after worship, plus seasonal classes and children's music.
Holy Week is an observation of Jesus's death and resurrection, starting with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ending with his resurrection on Easter Sunday. On Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter), we process into worship with palm fronds (which –fun fact– are later burned to make ashes for Ash Wednesday). We like to make a whole event out of it, and process in with whatever horse is on hand; usually a mini-horse, but we've even used a big, stuffed horse on roller blades! Next is Maundy Thursday, a gathering in commemoration of the Last Supper. Maundy Thursday serves as a preparation for Good Friday, the day that commemorates Jesus' crucifixion which takes place the next day. On Saturday is our annual Easter Vigil, followed by Easter Sunday, where we proclaim, "Alleluia, Christ is risen!" Easter includes an Easter egg hunt for toddlers and grade schoolers, each with age-appropriate egg-hunting areas. Worship includes jubilant choir music with flowers that deck out the sanctuary, making Easter Sunday arguably our most uplifting and colorful service of the year.
Lent is a 40-day period which begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday. The number 40 is significant because after his baptism, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting, praying, and communing with God in preparation for his public ministry. The season of Lent is a time of reflection and reconciliation, deepening one's faith, and growing spiritually as Jesus did. On Ash Wednesday, we mark our foreheads with ash in the shape of a cross. This is called the "Imposition of Ashes," and serves as a reminder that we are human; remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
We are so blessed to partner with churches of different faiths. Each Lent and Advent season, we host ecumenical soup suppers lead by faith leathers of other Chico congregations including Bethel AME, Trinity United Methodist Church, First Christian Church, Chico First Baptist, the U.U. Fellowship, Congregation Beth Israel, and St. John's Episcopal Church. Evenings open with soup and bread in the fellowship hall, followed by worship in the sanctuary. Our partners are also participants of the Chico Interfaith Pride Service, an annual, multi-congregational service advocating for the inclusion of queer people of all faiths.
The season of Advent lasts 4 weeks and leads up to Christmas. We love Advent. Each year, we host our Advent Workshop where anybody in Chico and the surrounding areas can make wreaths and other Christmas crafts, bring the kids for children's activities, hear live music, and partake in warm drinks. We also decorate the church and put up our Christmas tree in the sanctuary! Each year, we host a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with handbells and choir playing and singing in the glow of the candlelight, as well as a small, pajama-friendly Christmas morning service.
In observation of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and ecology, we celebrate Blessing of the Animals one Sunday in October. Pets are invited to church to be blessed before the service and process into worship. Well behaved pets can hang out in the sanctuary during worship, or play on the grass during the service. Pets are family, and it's important to have a day to show our love for them, too!