Sunday Services

We hold in-person/Zoom hybrid services every Sunday at 11am ET. If this is your first time visiting us in person, detailed directions for getting here are available on our Where & When page.

For video and audio recordings of recent Sunday Sermons and Services, visit our Sunday Recordings page.

In-Person—Zoom Hybrid Service

When: In-person service begins at 11am Eastern Time every Sunday.

Where: For those attending in person, we meet in the social hall of St. Clare Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Emeth (2309 Packard Street, Ann Arbor). Look for the Blue Ocean signs—our Episcopal friends meet in the main sanctuary and we meet in what is now the social hall, but was the original sanctuary in the building. For more detail directions and where to park, visit our “Where & When” page.

About the Zoom-Hybrid Part: While many congregants worship in-person, others prefer to worship online via Zoom, including many who are part of the church from outside the local area. We structure our in-person worship so that it works for our online participants as well.

If you attend in person, you will notice a Zoom-dedicated large-screen television next to the speaker’s platform in the worship space. A selection of people who are tuning in via Zoom will be visible (by permission) as Zoom panelists on the screen. Also, a live-feed of the in-person music and speakers, and a portion of the in-person congregation, are visible to the Zoom participants on their screens.

Zoom Participants also help with elements of the service including leading the Sarum Prayer and Announcements, as well as occasionally leading Communion and giving the Closing Benediction.

Emily Swan, Caroline Kittle, Diane Sonda, Molly Morton, and David Garvey are our in-person pastors, while our translocal lay volunteers coordinate the online services.

Online—Hybrid Services

All of our Sunday services can be accessed virtually through Zoom—whether you’re attending from across the country, across town.

What’s the in-person/Zoom hybrid service like for online participants?
(available every Sunday)

Sign up for our weekly invite to receive a Sunday morning Zoom link for our 11am (Eastern Time) service. The email includes a program for the service. Feel free to log in up to 10 minutes early. We use a Zoom-Webinar platform.

A live video feed of the in-person music and speakers, as well as a portion of the in-person congregation, appear as panelists on the Zoom screen. In addition, thanks to a large screen television in our Ann Arbor sanctuary, some Zoom participants help with elements of the service including leading the Sarum Prayer, Announcements, and the Closing Benediction. After the service, online participants have the option to interact with each other (and occasionally in-person attenders) in a meet-and-greet time.

ZOOM Webinar Access

ZOOM WEBINAR INFORMATION: HOW TO CONNECT
When: Every Sunday, 11 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Please click the link below to join the webinar: 
https://zoom.us/j/802392153?pwd=ZHphYzFKRkhtWjZPTnNYd3ZrRDh0UT09
Password: 987217
Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16468769923,,802392153#  or +13126266799,,802392153#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 408 638 0968  or +1 669 900 6833  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 301 715 8592

Webinar ID: 802 392 153
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aQpLVVj3E

note: this is recurring live webinar, so while the connection details are the same each week, you will only be connected during the live service times.

What to Expect (In-Person)

What church looks like on a typical Sunday

We’re delighted you’re thinking about visiting Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor. We know that visiting a church can be a bit daunting—especially if you’re more of an introvert, have kids or just haven’t been to church in a while (or ever).  Here’s what you can expect:

Your arrival

Church starts at 11am, but because we meet in the social hall of St. Clare’s, some of us arrive early to set up. There might be some hustle and bustle when you arrive, but there are always volunteers at the door to help you find your way to the service, or answer questions about our children’s ministries.

Our people

We’re a smaller congregation with average attendance of about 120 (plus a portion of our congregation who attend remotely). There are a lot of us who live in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and others who commute in from places like Dexter, Saline and Milan. Not many of us look like one another. We’re a pretty broad range of ages, genders, backgrounds, heights, hues, careers and hairstyles. We wear what we’re most comfortable in; you should, too.

The service

As you enter the worship space in the social hall (a lovely space with lots of light, not “dank church basement”) you’ll be given an “order of service” program that will have all the readings and song lyrics for the day. The typical order of service includes a gathering statement, an opening song, the Sarum Prayer, a Scripture reading (often by an older elementary or middle school student) announcements, a sermon (about 20 minutes), a short time of silent reflection, candle-lighting and community prayers, prayer for loved ones, communion (during which two songs are sung) and a closing benediction or sending forth blessing.

Because we blend elements of several Christian traditions, you’ll probably find something familiar and something new. Our music is contemporary (in the pop-rock-folk-gospel style) and a lot of us sing with gusto while others simply listen along. We incorporate liturgical elements like simple call and response prayers. We serve communion every week; congregants walk down the center aisle to receive the (homemade) bread and then dip the bread into the cup of wine (gluten free bread and a juice option is also available, just ask when you approach).

We find this pattern engages a broad spectrum of people and ages. We aim to make worship accessible to those who are not used to it, to the elementary age kids who are in the first part of the service and the middle and high schoolers who are present for the entire service. We like to make space for out students to do a reading, help lead a simple prayer, or help out in the worship team when possible.

Our sermons are usually (but not always) given by one of our pastors, rooted in Scripture, with plenty of contemporary examples and applications.

The service begins at 11am and ends around noon.

Youth / Children

We offer Sunday School during service for nursery through 5th grade, with a middle school youth group for 6th–8th graders that meets before service at 10:30am.

The nursery is not currently staffed, but available to families for use during service, and equipped with a device for viewing service virtually. Other students (age 2 through 5th grade) begin service upstairs, then proceed to their classes after the scripture reading, returning for communion. Middle and high school students are welcome to join us for the entire service, which we aim to make accessible and engaging to adults and young people alike. Learn more about programs for kids and youth.

Service Elements

• Opening Chime as a Call to Worship
• Call to Worship Song: Come Fall On Us (Psalm 50)
• Sarum Prayer (God be in my head and in my understanding, etc.)
• Scripture Reading (usually by a school age child)
• Children age 2 through 5th grade leave for classes
• Announcements
• Sermon Content (15–20 minutes)
• Guided Meditation (2–3 minutes)
• Candle Lighting (4 candles representing community-wide prayer concerns)
• Prayer for Loved Ones (reciting first names of loved ones)
• Call & Response
• Lord’s Prayer
• Communion
• Communion Song
• Closing Song
• Benediction