Lord’s Day Morning & Evening Worship
The centerpiece of church life at Antioch is Lord’s Day morning and evening worship at 9:30 AM and 5 PM every Sunday. Our regular pattern is to be seated about five-to-ten minutes before each service while our pianist plays a musical prelude. Immediately before the start of the service, one of our pastors welcomes the congregation, shares brief announcements, and reads a scriptural meditation to prepare us for worship.
Though the two services have slight differences in liturgical order, certain elements are common to both: a call to worship; several prayers; the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; an offering; confession (of sin or of faith); assurance of pardon; the reading and preaching of God’s Word; and a benediction. On the first Lord’s Day of each month, we observe the Lord’s Supper in our morning service and take up a special diaconal offering. On the third Lord’s Day of each month, we observe the Lord’s Supper in our evening service. Whenever there is a fifth Sunday in a month, we join with several sister congregations throughout Spartanburg County to worship together in the evening and share a fellowship meal (usually at another church that is better suited to accommodate the crowd).
For more information about our approach to corporate worship, please click here.
Prayer Meetings & CateKids
If corporate worship is the centerpiece of church life at Antioch, then corporate prayer is the engine of the Church’s ministry. Each Wednesday at 6 PM, we gather together for the express purpose of prayer. After a brief sharing of new or updated requests (including reports of how the Lord has answered specific past items of prayer), one of our pastors or pastoral interns gives a brief devotion. Following the devotion, we pray through three categories of items: Adoration & Thanksgiving (15 mins); Confession (15 mins) in which we ask for God to pardon our corporate sins and sanctify us unto greater godliness; and Petitions & Supplications for particular needs (25 mins). A prayer guide is made available each week. Typically, our Wednesday prayer meeting runs to 7:10 PM, at which point we conclude our prayer time and then enjoy fellowship together before heading our separate ways.
Every other week, men, women, and children pray together using brief, scriptural, and heavenly minded prayers. On alternate weeks, non-communing children are invited to attend our CateKids program (when it is running), during which time they receive catechetical instruction using the Westminster Shorter Catechism and learn how to pray more effectively in a group setting. CateKids is divided into two groups by age. Each group is taught and supervised by at least two adults.
Each Lord’s Day (excepting the first Lord’s Day of the month) at 4:30 PM, immediately preceding the evening worship service, we gather together for a time of focused Kingdom-oriented prayer. Whereas we frequently and appropriately bring personal and health-related petitions before the Lord in our Wednesday evening prayer meetings, our Kingdom Prayer time is focused especially on requests related to the ministry of Christ’s church at Antioch and around the world. This meeting lasts roughly 20 minutes before we break to prepare for corporate worship.
Fellowship & Hospitality
Each Lord’s Day, we share a time of fellowship and refreshments (coffee, tea, and snacks) between the conclusion of the morning worship service and the beginning of our Christian Education hour. Antioch desires to practice and to cultivate hospitality within the membership of the church – both among members and toward visitors. Each week, at least one member household is prepared to host another family (or two) at home for lunch. Once a month – on the first Lord’s Day of the month – we host a fellowship meal at Antioch following the Christian Education hour. We frequently host social gatherings at the Church campus and in our homes.
Christian Education
Each week, we sit for our Christian Education—or, Sunday School—hour following a brief time of fellowship and refreshment after the morning worship service. For more information about our Christian Education program and current schedule, please click here.
