WORSHIP SERVICES

Both our traditional and contemporary worship services offer Christ-centered worship experiences which are scripturally based. Each service provides opportunities for individual and corporate prayer, God’s Word proclaimed through Bible reading and the Pastor’s sermon. Children attend the beginning of worship, share in the Children’s Message with the pastor, and are invited to attend Junior Worship if they wish. We share Communion on the first Sunday of every month. 


During the summer months, our schedule changes to one worship service at 10:00 a.m. It has been our practice to alternate formats between our Traditional and Living Water services during this time. 


  LIVING WATER SERVICE 9:00 am Sept-June

Our Living Water Worship service, a contemporary format, offers a more casual alternative to our Traditional Worship experience. Accompanying the spoken word, our musical worship of God is done primarily through contemporary Christian music, led by our singers and a full band. This service is led by our Pastor, the lay-reader, and the Living Water Worship Team. Every other month, our young adult/youth worship team, Grace Like Rain, gifts us with their musical leadership. The Living Water service is held in the sanctuary.  


TRADITIONAL SERVICE 11:00 am Sept-June

Our Traditonal worship service offers worship which honors our heritage as United Methodist Christians. Musical elements include traditional and contemporary hymns accompanied by the organ, organ and instrumental music and our Chancel Choir glorifying God through the presentation of their weekly anthem. Our Vesper Bells, Crusader and Cherub choirs also share music with the congregation on a monthly basis. Liturgical elements include a Call to Worship, Communal prayers of confession and words of assurance, and the Doxology. We are sent forth with a benediction of God’s presence and blessing for another week.

MUSIC

BIG BEAVER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH enjoys a strong, vital, and multi-faceted music program. All of the participants, with the exception of the two music directors, are volunteers who donate their time and talent for the love of music, and the glory of God. All are welcome to participate. 


CHANCEL CHOIR

Members of the Chancel Choir make a serious commitment to God of our time and our talents. We sing each week, September through June, as a part of our worship service. In December and in the spring we prepare special cantatas, which we present during our worship services.


LIVING WATER PRAISE TEAM

The Living Water Worship Team provides musical leadership for our 9:00 am contemporary worship service, as well as various special services throughout the year. The worship team includes singers and a full band, including keyboard, synthesizer, drums, guitar, bass guitar, trumpet and flute. This team-led worship experience is dependent on the gifts and graces of our singers and instrumentalists as well as people proficient in the use of sound equipment and computers. All are welcome to be a part of this team experience that allows for our worship of God through praising Jesus Christ. There are opportunities for service by providing help with sound and projection, jobs which rotate on a weekly basis. The words for songs are compiled during the week and finalized after the Wednesday rehearsal. Our projection software package easily allows for changes prior to the service on Sunday morning.


GRACE LIKE RAIN 

Grace Like Rain is our youth/young adult worship team which provides musical leadership for the Living Water contemporary service on an every-other month basis. This team is comprised of high school, college-aged, and beyond college young adults. Grace Like Rain provides an opportunity for young people to share their musical gifts with Contemporary Christian music and a full band in a way that works with their schedules. Grace Like Rain rehearses on the Wednesday evening and Saturday morning prior to their scheduled Sunday.


PRAISE BAND

Our multi-generational Praise Band offers an enjoyable opportunity for a friendly group of instrumentalists of all ages. Even those who haven’t touched their instrument in years, come together to perform music for God’s glory. The group is open to all players who are willing to attend the rehearsals and learn the music. We perform for worship services four or five times during the year.


VESPER BELLS

Members of the Vesper Bells are a friendly team of people who practice hard, and enjoy one another’s company while making a joyful noise to please our Lord. They perform for our services once a month. 


CRUSADER CHOIR

Crusader Choir members (grades 3-6) rehearse every week during WOW, our church’s after-school program for kids, lasting from October through March. This choir sings for a worship service once each month until January when its members begin to learn the songs and staging of the children’s spring musical.


CHERUB CHOIR

Cherub Choir members (grades K-2) rehearse each week during our church’s Wednesday after-school WOW program, from October through March. Cherubs sing for a worship service each month. Loving parents bring their children each week to be part of this group. The children bring their boisterous good spirits and willing hearts to each rehearsal and to the task of learning to sing together for God’s glory.

NURSERY

The Nursery is available for children from birth through age 3, on Sunday mornings for both worship services and Sunday school. Children are welcome to attend the Nursery to be cared for by our professional Nursery caregiver. Under her supervision, a team of dedicated volunteers engage the children in a variety of fun and stimulating activities, while their parents attend Sunday school and worship services.


We always love to see new little faces join us each week!

SPECIAL SERVICES

Big Beaver United Methodist Church hosts special worship services and Christian presentations of many sorts. Oftentimes these consist of musical or dramatic events put on by the children and members of the church. Frequently these are presented by very special invited guests, such as the African Childrens' Choir or the Detroit Mosaic Youth Theater. These events always lead the congregation on a journey of exploration, whether it is a deeper and more personal understanding of a familiar bible story, or a look into a religious, musical, or cultural topic that is outside our everyday experience.

SUNDAY SERVANTS

Acolytes (Need Volunteers)

Young people who bring in the "light of Christ" to our traditional services, by lighting the altar candles.


Coffee Hour Hosts

Folks who prepare the refreshments that are offered in the family center between services on Sunday.


Communion Servers

Volunteers who ensure that each person who attends worship at Big Beaver United Methodist Church is presented the opportunity to partake of the communion elements when this sacrament is offered.


Greeters

Friendly folks who make sure to make visitors and regular attendees feel welcome when they walk in the front door to attend services.


Jr. Worship Leaders

Volunteers who lead the younger kids into an age-appropriate setting, while their parents attend worship services on Sunday mornings.


Lay Readers

Persons who lead the congregation in reading scripture passages, prayers, and announcements, prior to the introduction of the pastor during the worship service.


Nursery Caregivers

Volunteers who sit with the infants and toddlers, under professional supervision, while their parents attend worship services.


Projectionists

Highly organized and attentive volunteers who manage the text and images that get projected for the benefit of the congregation during Sunday services.


Sound Techs

Extremely perceptive and detail-oriented volunteers who manage the amplification and recording of the microphones, musical instruments, and pre-recorded sources of sound for the congregation's enjoyment and enlightenment during Sunday services.


Ushers

Folks who assist the congregation in finding a seat, obtaining a bulletin, attending communion, and other activities in which personal direction is helpful.


Welcome Center Hosts

Friendly and well-informed folks who provide a one-stop shop for visitors who have any kind of question at all about BBUMC.