Our Vision of Ministry
A Worshipping Community
Worship is the heart of our community. We gather weekly to celebrate the presence of God among us, with hymns and prayers, the reading of Scripture, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The experience of worship, ultimately, is a holy mystery. We encounter something so wonderful, so lovely, and so good, that we must go out into the world and invite others to join us.
Our practice of worship may seem strange if it's your first time participating in a liturgical community - and that's ok! Let us pray on your behalf. We sing ancient chants and pray two thousand year old prayers: with time, it will be something that you notice all of a sudden is apart of you. The liturgy is transformational. It teaches us in ways that words cannot about the mystery and grandeur of God. By joining the prayers of Saints and Angels, we move to the place where earth and heaven meet.
Walking through life together, as a community of faith that shares a common sense of value and purpose, it what makes Ware Church wonderful. We come from all walks of life, all persepctives, and we find a core commitment to our baptismal covenant to support one another and serve others.
Inwardly Supportive
Ware Church is an inwardly supportive community. This takes two main forms: time spent together in fellowship groups and time spend in pastoral moments.
Over the course of the month, we have multiple opportunities for folks to be apart of this community. We offer yoga four times per week. We have a weekly Bible study and twice a month mid-week Eucharists. We have a community breakfast each Sunday and a community lunch on the third Wednesday of the month. There is a book club, art group, and maintenance team. Everything we do, we intentionally structure to do together.
We also offer pastoral support in times of grief or loneliness. The pastoral care team visits with homebound parishioners and the prayer group is committed to holding everyone in their prayers.
Outwardly Serving
Ware Church is an outwardly serving community. We find our purpose in serving those in the wider Gloucester-Mathews area through group and individual efforts.
Ware hosts a number of ministries throughout the year that are other-focused. The ArtWalk is a twice a year event where we throw a festival for young artists in the school system and display their artwork on our campus. The Garden is a seasonal ministry where all of the produce grown is given to the Bread for Life food pantry (last year we grew over 300 pounds!). These ministries are done in groups, and are a great way to get to know other Ware parishioners.
Ware also supports a number of community organizations. GUEST, Samaritan Group, Bread for Life, the Gloucester-Mathews Health Clinic are among the groups that we help through volunteering and financial assistance.