Worship

Live Stream Service

Each week we Livestream our Sunday 10:30 AM service (or the 10:00am  service in the summer). To view the Sunday service on YouTube and participate in the live chat feature offered there, please click on the service date and time that appears in the upper left-hand corner of the video below.

YouTube

Sunday Worship Service, June 11th, 2023, 10:30AM

The Reformed Church of Bronxville is a welcoming, gracious, Christ-centered community of individuals who are curious about God, who long to find meaning and purpose in their lives and who seek opportunities of service for themselves and their families. “RCB” is located in the heart of Westchester. It’s a place to find spiritual rest, while at the same time explore the vast intersections of the Bible with everyday life. RCB is filled with growing and dynamic programs for all ages, but what is beyond the programming are people. People who are filled with joy and sorrow, who are experiencing life transitions. People who love to sing and serve, who juggle life with kids and work and sports and family, health and change.


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Recent Sermons and Services

Here you’ll find complete services for the last four Sundays. Sermons typically begin around the 20-minute mark.

For additional past services, please use the “Load More” button below or visit our YouTube page.

Worship Times and Service Information

Schedule

During the regular program year (the Sunday after Labor Day until Memorial Day weekend), we offer two regular Sunday services at 8:30 am and 10:30 am. Each lasts approximately an hour. On the first Sunday of the month, The Gathering contemporary worship takes place at 5:00 pm.

During the summer, we offer one Sunday service at 10:00a.m.

Early Morning Worship (does not meet June-August)

Meets September through May. This 45-minute service, averaging about 50 people, is a great option for early risers and students and families who have a busy schedule later in the day. Communion is offered every week. There is no choir, though the congregation is accompanied by organ and piano. While some choose to dress semi-formally, others prefer casual dress.

Worship with Church School- Summer service at 10am. 

Held in the Sanctuary, this is our most popular service, and is live streamed each week. Communion is held the first Sunday of every month. Most choose to dress semi-formally at this service, though many dress casually. A coffee hour follows in the Edwards Room.

During the summer, there is no Church School.  Children remain in the Sanctuary with their parents.   

Sacraments

A “sacrament” is an outward and visible sign of an inward, spiritual grace. They are ritual symbols of God’s unconditional love. We celebrate two sacraments, baptism and communion, because Jesus taught us to do these things and also did them himself.

All sacraments are celebrated publicly, as part of a worship service. Only in extraordinary cases will we arrange for a private ceremony.

Baptism

Any person of any age may receive the sacrament of baptism, which involves a public profession of faith in Christ. In the case of infants and children, parents or guardians who have been baptized themselves make those vows on the children’s behalf.

In the symbolic cleansing of sin through water and the Holy Spirit, those who are baptized receive new life in Christ and become a part of Christ’s body—not specifically members of The Reformed Church or a particular denomination but part of the church universal.

At the same time, during the liturgy our congregation promises to love, encourage and support the baptized and their family. In this way, the baptized become, at least for time, part of The Reformed Church family. In the case of children, typically at least one of the parents or guardians must be a member of The Reformed Church of Bronxville.

One Sunday per month is reserved for baptisms, and several may be baptized at the same time. We usually sprinkle water on the forehead, but some may wish for more water to be applied. Since Paul taught that there is “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5), we do not re-baptize, though we can arrange for a reaffirmation of faith.

All candidates for baptism and their families, if appropriate, are required to meet with a minister. For more information and to schedule a meeting, contact Executive Administrator Janice Sachtjen.

Communion

In Christian life, all roads lead to The Lord’s Table. As we celebrate communion, we are mysteriously joined with Christ and each other.

In the Reformed tradition, there are differing theological views of what happens during communion, which are different from other traditions. For example, the Swiss Reformer Huldrych Zwingli taught that the bread and wine are purely signs, or symbols. They aren’t the actual body and blood of Jesus. Therefore, communion is strictly a meal of remembrance.

Another reformer, John Calvin, also believed the elements are symbols, yet through our faith we spiritually feed on Jesus’ body and blood. In his view, the Holy Spirit binds us to Christ, and when we come together to celebrate communion, we mystically commune with him who has “ascended into heaven.” (You can hear this in our liturgy when we say, “we lift our hearts to the Lord.”)

For Calvin, this communion depends upon our faith. If we don’t have faith, we don’t commune with Christ, and the elements are simply a snack of bread and wine. However, even in times of doubt, or if we feel our faith flagging, that does not mean we don’t commune with Christ in the eucharist. One of the tenants of Reformed belief is “the perseverance of the saints,” meaning that the Holy Spirit continually works in us and binds us to Christ, even if we don’t feel like it’s happening.

The Reformed Church practices an open communion table: all who desire to commune with Christ are welcome to partake of the elements. Those who would prefer a blessing are welcome to come forward and a minister will pray for you. Parents can decide for themselves whether or not their children participate, but we encourage children to wait until they finish our fourth-grade About Baptism and Communion (“ABC”) class.

Weddings & Funerals

Weddings

Members of the congregation may be married by one of our ministers at The Reformed Church. Our clergy will also consider officiating weddings at an offsite location.

The pastoral staff will work with you to create a liturgy and select appropriate music. Guest clergy may participate with permission from the senior minister. We require pre-marital counseling for all engaged couples, which can be discussed with the officiant.

To being planning, contact Wedding Coordinator Janice Sachtjen.

Funerals & Memorial Services

We believe these words of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). Therefore, we refer to the Order of Christian Burial as “a service of witness to the resurrection.” The service is a time to remember and celebrate the life of the deceased as well as God’s everlasting love for us.

Members and their families may be memorialized at The Reformed Church. Non-members may be memorialized with permission of the senior minister. It is preferred that all services be open to the congregation and guests.

The pastoral staff will help determine appropriate liturgy and music for funerals (for which a coffin is present) and memorial services (which does not include a coffin and may or may not include an urn). Coffins are to be closed before the service and remain closed.

Minsters are available for interments, as well, before or after the service. This may take place at a cemetery or in our outdoor columbarium overlooking Midland Ave. and Pondfield Rd., in which niches are available.

To begin arrangements for services or to inquire about purchasing a columbarium niche, please contact Executive Administrator Janice Sachtjen.