Worship Experience

The Setting

We worship in the sanctuary for both the contemporary and traditional services, which last an hour each. The building seats about 500 in the rows of pews, which face the alter at the front of the church. You may enter the sanctuary through either the rear doors or the front west side door, where greeters are available to assist you. They give each person a program that includes the worship order and music selection.

The Seating

You are welcome to sit anywhere you like. Most of the time, there is no reserved seating. However, if a baptism or children's choir performance is scheduled, the first couple of pews may be reserved, but a small sign would be posted if this were the case.

The Singing 

Singing at the traditional & contemporary worship services vary. Traditional service includes traditional hymns led by the talented 20+ person Chancellor choir and accompanied by an organist. The songs can be easily found in Hymnals located in every pew.

The Contemporary service is led by a Praise Band that includes drums, electric and acoustic guitar, vocalists and a number of other accompanying instruments. They lead the congregation in praise music that is popular on the radio. The words for the songs are found on large video screens at the front of the church.

The Prayers

The pastors lead the congregation in prayers that give thanks and praise to God as well as ask for his forgiveness and presence in our lives. It is easy to follow along. The programs include the words or gives page numbers so you can find them in the Hymnals located in the pews.

The Sermon 

The pastor reads a short passage from the Bible and then gives a sermon to help explain how God is trying to direct us to live according to his Word. You may bring your Bible or use one in the pews if you wish to follow along. The pastor helps us understand how to apply God's Word in our lives and motivates us to change.  The sermon is the same at both the Contemporary and Traditional Services.

The Lord's Supper (Communion)

On the first Sunday of the month, everyone present is welcome to share in communion. You do not need to be Methodist or a regular church-goer to participate.

The pastor leads the congregation in prayer and then invites everyone to come to the alter to receive communion. The ushers excuse the congregation--row by row--to walk to the front of the church and then kneel at the communion rail.  The pastor and alter servers bring loaves of bread to each person kneeling so everyone can take a small piece. An alter server follows with a cup of grape juice so each person can dip their portion of bread in the juice.   The bread symbolizes Jesus' body and the juice symbolizes Jesus' blood.  Everyone eats their piece of bread, receives a blessing from the pastor, and then is excused to their seat at the same time. The process continues until each row has come to the alter for communion.

The Offering

The ushers pass a plate down each row for everyone to put an offering in the plate, so we can return some of our fruits to the Lord. Some people put envelopes in the plate with their offering, others drop in dollars or checks. You do not need to put anything in the plate if you do not feel led.

What to Wear

There is no dress code for church.  Wear what you feel comfortable in to either service.  If you feel comfortable blending in with the crowd, then skirts, pants, or jeans and a nice shirt will do for the Contemporary Service's "come-as-you-are" approach to worship.  While the attire in the Traditional Service reflects the more formal worship style.   

The People

Everyone is welcome! The congregation at Southside United Methodist Church is diverse in age and income. Many of those who attend live in the neighborhoods located from south bank of downtown to Mandarin to the Southside, but people come from every part of Jacksonville.

The contemporary service is younger than the traditional service if you averaged the age of those who attend. Many families with children under 18 years of age prefer the lively contemporary service, and those who prefer a more formal setting and reverent hymns attend the traditional service. 

Sunday School 

Sunday School gives everyone a chance to meet and learn more about God's Word, regardless as to which service they attend. There a number of Sunday School Classes offered.  Drop in the Welcome to Southside Class for more information about the church.  Greeters can help you find the rooms.

The Children's Experience

Visit the What About My Children page for information before you visit and our Children's Ministries pages if you are interested in all the children's happenings.