Ministries at VHC

 

Worship Ministry

At Virginia-Highland Church, we worship every Sunday at 11 AM. We celebrate commununion every Sunday during this service, which also includes prayers, a corporate confession, musical selections, scripture readings, and a sermon on one of the scriptures for the day. Our worship service generally lasts approximately one hour, until about 12:00 PM.

Worship at Virginia-Highland Church uses the traditional liturgies found in the Reformed and Protestant traditions. This style of worship is often called "liturgical" or "high church," and some visitors are surprised to find such formal worship in a baptist church.

One of the hallmarks of worship in both the baptist and UCC traditions is diversity. Although most baptist churches in America were influenced heavily by frontier religion; others followed a more traditional, formal style of worship. Our church identifies itself with the latter tradition, which is sometimes called the "Charleston" or "Furman" tradition. People raised in less formal traditions are often initially skeptical of this form of liturgical worship; but we preserve the historical worship of the Church for several reasons.

One reason is that worship is an act of Christian discipline. Worshipping in an environment that follows different rhythms and symbols from those found in our daily lives is a way of reminding ourselves that we are called out from the world.

In addition, worship shapes us to remember the things that are truly important. Liturgical worship appeals to all of the senses, and serves as a mnemonic device for the historic teachings of Christianity and our Christian obligations. Although some people associate liturgical worship with "empty," rote recitation; in reality the diversity of readings and responses actually encourages meditative reflection.

Finally, we use traditional worship at Virginia-Highland because it is traditional. Paul Duke describes the liturgy as a river that flows down from the Early Church. By observing the historic traditions of the Church we stand in the same waters in which our grandparents and their grandparents stood. It should be noted, though, that freedom and innovation are also baptist distinctives.

The Christian liturgy has never been static; and we are constantly working to adapt our worship in ways that make it meaningful to our present situation. This is particularly true on the issue of inclusive language, an area where we seek to preserve a tradition of faithfulness while overcoming one of patriarchy.

 

Outreach Ministry

Deepen Your Faith Through Service
We strive to follow Christ’s example of service and transformation by working to help those in need around us and to make our world a better place. We do this work through mission teams such as our Green Team, Equality Team, Neighbors in Need team, and newly forming Peace and Justice team. These teams work to make our church and community more environmentally conscious, to raise awareness of issues of sexuality and gender equality, to feed and clothe those in our neighborhood who lack basic necessities, and to address local, national, and global issues such as war, hunger, and oppression. We also share the good news about our values and our community through our participation in community events such as Atlanta Pride and Virginia-Highland Summerfest. In doing these things, we live out the good news of God’s love for all people and God’s call for us as Christians to transform our world. And we need you to help us reach out! Contact Anna Hall, Director of Community Outreach, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let her know your passion for changing the world. She will help you become a part of God’s mission at Virginia-Highland Church.

 

Education Ministry

We have many opportunities available for children and adults to learn about progressive Christianity and the values we embrace.

Adult Religious Education: Virginia-Highland Church offers a variety of classes and series at 9:30 AM on Sunday mornings and at other times throughout the week.

Coffee and Questions: Progressive Christian discussion groups are held in coffee shops around the metro area.

Children's Sunday School: A Children's Sunday School is available from 9:30 AM until the end of worship at 12:00 PM.

Children's Ministry
Children are welcome in the nursery and children's classroom from 9:30 AM until the end of worship. Our children's minister provides a mix of play, crafts, and lessons in Christian topics that is suitable for all ages. We generally have a small but mixed age group that has a lot of fun. We'd love to have your kids join us.