PRAYER & WORSHIP

WHAT IS PRAYER ?
Prayer is listening to and talking with God. It is about an ever deepening relationship with God.

Why do we pray ?
God has taught us to pray in the Bible. Prayer is an important part of our Christian life, enabling us to get closer to God, and to find a greater sense of God's purpose for our lives. Many exciting things have happened in our church because prayer is central in everything we do.

How do we pray ?
As children, we may have been taught to close our eyes and put our hands together in a posture of supplication, but these are not essential. The beauty of prayer is that we can do it any place at any time.

Aspects of Prayer:
Prayers can have many aspects but the most common are:
•  Adoration: Praising God for who He is.
•  Confession: Asking forgiveness for the wrong things we may have done, and the right things we may have failed to do, and recognizing the collective failure present in our world.
•  Thanksgiving: Expressing gratitude for the many good gifts that we receive each day, that enrich our lives.
•  Supplication: Praying for others, for our nation, for our leaders, other countries, and for ourselves, that God may guide, bless, protect and lead.

Prayer takes place privately, or with family and friends. The Church has small prayer groups that meet regularly. The church does not only pray in services but in house groups, church meetings and on other occasions. Prayers are said either aloud or silently.

WHAT IS WORSHIP ?
Worship is a dialogue in which God and God's people speak with one another. We listen as God speaks to us in scripture, as the word is preached, and as Christ's presence comes close to us in Holy Communion.

We respond to God's love with our praises, our prayers, and the offering of our whole selves. When we gather for worship we desire to discern God's will, in order to apply it to our daily life.
To worship is to acknowledge God's worth in acts of praise as well as in daily life.

Why do we worship ?
God calls us to worship as a personal and collective expression of our gratitude for what He has done and a longing to know more of HIM and HIS purposes for our lives, our church and our world. Through worship, we draw closer to God and find life enriched.

How do we worship ?
A number of themes that have always been important for COP adherents in worship:

Attention to scripture: Exploring the Bible, either by preaching or through discussion.

Worship should be heartfelt and be open to God's Holy Spirit to inspire it.

Worship is a communal experience.

We should seek God's will and purpose through worship; this should then influence our daily lives and encourage us to tell others about Jesus.

The COPF conducts worship using hymn or worship songs, reading the Bible and hearing preaching upon it. Communion is celebrated once a month. We devote a special point in service, occasionally for children's programs, where drama, sketches, and dance are sometimes used to bring bible passages or messages to life.

Church worship is not only to build up those that are already Christians but also an evangelistic opportunity to proclaim the gospel to those present that have not made a commitment.

HEART OF WORSHIP SERVICE

The heart of our Church is the Sunday worship services held in every assembly in the country. Worship "in truth" connects the heart or spirit of our worship with the truth about God and his work of redemption as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and the scriptures.

Worship begins when we acknowledge and respond to God for his extended grace and mercy to us. This response is first found within our individual obedient hearts and is externally exhibited through our participation with others in the church through service pleasing to God. King David understood the importance of connecting his worship with truth when he wrote, "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may hear your name." Our true worship of God begins as an internal issue, a matter of the heart, and is rooted in the knowledge of and obedience to the revealed word of God. Our individual activities and Christian gatherings must reveal the reality of our hearts if they are to be acceptable worship of God.

The sermons seek to expose the relevance of biblical texts to modern day life with worship composed of hymns and choruses, which involves the "heart and mind", and dancing to glorify the Lord. Unity within our rich congregational diversity is becomes real. In larger and diversified assemblies, there are bilingual worship services every Sunday morning. Sunday school is offered at church, with other services in Akan, (a Ghanaian ethnic language), on Sundays in all major assemblies.

Check out the times for worship services in your area.

Our beliefs : What the Church believes in as her core values. This includes a declaration of Principle and Purpose Statement.

Believer's baptism : What is it and why people should be baptized.

Prayer & Worship : Concept of prayer and why we worship.

The Pentecost family : What is this family of believers?

The theme of the year : Scripture to meditate on throughout the year.

Church structure : How the Church is run. Includes, Trustees, Council, COPF ministries & their administrators, Pastoral Staff, oversight committees etc.

History : An account of the naissance and growth of the COP in France.

Pastoral staff : Personal perspective.

Volunteer appreciation : paying homage to volunteer workers in mission work.