Service Times & What to Expect

The pandemic pushed us into new ways of being in community with each other. We'd love to see you in the sanctuary or on Zoom!

If you would like to worship in person, all you need to do is show up. We are mask-friendly; we don't require masks as long as the community risk level for covid spread in Philadelphia is medium or lower, but we welcome you to wear a mask for your own comfort and peace of mind. Pastors and worship leaders will be unmasked while speaking and we are singing in worship. We do not have childcare at this time but continue to work on that.

If you would like to join us on Zoom, please email chestnuthillunited@gmail.com for the worship link. Please let us know who you are and how you found us so we can welcome you into our space!

Parking and entrance

We have a small parking lot, with an entrance alongside the white house adjacent to the church (there are signs). There is street parking on Germantown Avenue in front of the church on Sundays. The entrance is at the ramped red doors at the church tower.

What you’ll see when you enter

We worship in the round - the pews are arranged in four quadrants all facing the center. We may baptize a child in the center, dancers may fill the space as they bring in the Advent wreath, the bread and cup are placed in the center during communion. During our annual “Blessing of the Animals” Sunday (the first Sunday in October), you may find dogs and cats and guinea pigs and hermit crabs waiting in line to be blessed. All kinds of things happen in our midst!

Clothes, coffee, shoes, knitting, etc.

We come to reflect, explore, question, worship, celebrate, share, learn and journey. Some of us look pretty spiffy. Some of us come in our jeans or shorts (and still look spiffy!). One of our kids came for three months in pajamas. Don’t be surprised if you see someone in barefeet. (Moses said something about taking off shoes and sacred ground.)

We welcome you to bring coffee, tea, snacks, or whatever makes you comfortable. If you're a crafter, you're welcome to knit, crochet, or do whatever occupies your hands to help your ears focus.

Kids

We love our kids. We don’t just tolerate their presence - we welcome and celebrate it! It's not uncommon for a child to ask a question or sit at the preacher's feet in the middle of a sermon! We are happy to have infants and toddlers in our midst - cooing and singing and squirming and exploring. There is a craft table in the sanctuary for kids who like to be active. One of the pastors spends time talking with kids during the service. Our children have something to learn from the church, it’s true. And we have so much to learn from them. We currently do not have childcare or Sunday school, but we are working on it.

Communion

In the spirit of Jesus, who shared a meal with the ones he loved, we celebrate Communion once a month - usually on the last Sunday of each month. It is an open table - all are welcome. And we mean all. We form circles of 10 - 12 people in the center of the room (and will bring communion to anyone in the pew who is unable to come forward). We pass the bread to one another. The cup is brought to each person - it is grape juice - and we dip the bread in the cup. Because we don’t all move to take communion at once, it is never clear who is taking communion and who is not - we want people to feel comfortable either way. Every year or so the pastors gather our younger school-aged children for a Communion Preparation class so they have a better understanding of what we do and why.

Accessibility

Our sanctuary is wheelchair-accessible, the entrance to the building is ramped and we have handicap-accessible parking spaces in our lot. We have one accessible restroom in the church house attached to the parking lot and next to the sanctuary.

Our services are amplified. We look forward to having individual amplification devices, but do not have them at this time.