Sunday Service
This Sunday, December 22nd, we invite you to join us for worship at 11:00 a.m in the Sanctuary. Join us in person or on YouTube.
Worshipping with kids?
Click here for an interactive worship guide or check our our Children’s Programs page.
This Week’s Worship
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SUNDAY WORSHIP
Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.
LOCATION
3115 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Every Sunday since 1780, our church has gathered to worship in the Reformed Presbyterian tradition.
If you are coming to our church for the first time, you may have some questions. If your questions aren’t answered here, don’t hesitate to contact us.
FAQs
Where should I park and where do I enter the building?
Parking is available on both sides of P Street on Sundays. These spaces may fill quickly, but there is usually ample parking on Q Street (1 block north). We are also accessible by bus: Routes 31, 32, 36, D1, D2, G1, and G2 all come within a block of GPC. The entrance to the sanctuary is up the main steps on P Street.
Persons in wheelchairs may enter the church through the ramp in the courtyard, which is located to the right of the main entrance through the iron gate. Once inside on the ground floor, turn left to find the elevator just outside the small foyer. Go to the second floor, turn left, and then pass the stairwell to reach the sanctuary.
Our sanctuary, most classrooms and restrooms are accessible to persons with disabilities. Large print bulletins with hymns, and devices to assist the hearing impaired are available just inside of the main sanctuary. Please ask an usher if you need assistance.
What is the style of worship?
Our church’s worship is formal and classical in style. Suit coats and bowties are common sights here, and our organ and choir lead us in concert-quality music. However, we understand our style to be an expression of praise to God rather than a litmus test for admittance to worship. Style is secondary to a desire to worship.
What is the worship service like?
Our Sunday morning service begins with the Call to Worship. We gather together to prepare to hear the Word of God through song and prayer. There is a special message for the children. Then one or several scriptures are read and preached upon. We then Respond to the Word through the saying of a creed, prayers for the people, offering, and song. It is also here that we occasionally enjoy the Lord’s Supper (on the first Sunday of each month), celebrate baptisms, welcome new members, and ordain officers of the church. We then sing a final song and receiving a blessing. After the service, we gather in the Georgetown Room for lunch or light refreshments. A normal Sunday service usually lasts for one hour.
Are there any classes for my children during the service?
During the worship hour, we offer two children’s worship programs. For grades PK-2, there is Young Children and Worship, and for grades 3+, there is Children’s Church. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers, as well. Sunday School classes are offered before worship during the school year. Click here for more information.
What do I have to do to worship here?
Come as you are! Here at GPC we strive to offer our best to God and neighbor. We hope that you will feel most welcomed, and that you might be spiritually nourished by the worship, prayers and thoughtful sermons. There is no requirement for worshiping with us, but if you feel called we hope that you will take advantage of some of the many opportunities for service, education, and fellowship.
Music
Mark Willey
GPC’s Director of Music
The music ministry at Georgetown Presbyterian Church is guided by a philosophy of sacred music as worship, rather than as performance. For every service, it is essential to meet the congregants where they are, and it is equally important not to leave them there, so active learning is a part of our effort for listener, and musician. Individual musical talents, both vocal and instrumental, are encouraged to contribute to the worship service.
Our service music is selected to enhance the focus of each worship service, and comes from the best of the Renaissance through living composers. The adult choir is composed of volunteers supported by a core of professional musicians. Many of our singers are college students from local schools. The choir sings every Sunday except for July and August, and presents major musical works during the Church Year. Recent presentations include the Pergolesi Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, John Rutter’s Requiem, and Karl Jenkins’ Stabat Mater. During Children’s Church, members of the Sunday School are given an opportunity to learn singing and hymnody.
They present their offerings during the year. When the sanctuary was restored in the 1950’s, careful attention was paid to its acoustical properties, resulting in a fine environment for music-making. This awareness of the importance of acoustics to great music remains part of the congregational culture. The sanctuary organ, of 31 ranks, was built by the renowned Aeolian-Skinner Company of Boston in 1957.
