What Is An MCC Sunday Service Like?

We meet every Sunday morning at 10.30am in Maynooth Post-Primary School on the Moyglare Road just off Maynooth Main Street. 

Regardless of what your background may be, Sunday morning worship at MCC might be different from what you are used to. Although we are very much an Irish Presbyterian church, we are considerably less formal than many traditional Presbyterian churches. If you are from a Catholic background, like many of our members, then the Sunday morning worship might seem less structured and set from what you are used to.

From week to week we have slightly different arrangements. There are three worship teams at MCC who provide the music in a rotating schedule. The music is a mix of traditional hymns with contemporary praise songs. We certainly aspire to live up to the Presbyterian reputation for raising the roof when we sing together. Corporate sung worship has always been central in our tradition and it is something we enjoy developing and experimenting with.

Alongside music, every Sunday service includes a children's address. This is a short presentation of Christian issues aimed squarely at the children- although adults often find it the most valuable part of the service! Here, our kid's address team try to use creative and imaginative approaches to sharing God's love with the children. There is a creche and two streamed Sunday school classes at MCC, JAM ("Jesus and Me": for children up to 3rd class) and SPI ("Serve, Praise, Investigate": for children from 3rd class to 6th class).

There are prayers for others, readings from the Bible and some liturgical or experiential elements that make up the service. The first Sunday of every month is a Communion service. We welcome any Christian, regardless of their background to participate in Eucharist with us.

Every Sunday we read a text from the Bible and study it in detail with the help of a sermon. Sermons at MCC are delivered by the teaching team or in some cases by guests (past guests have included the theologians Scot McKnight, Marva Dawn and the Biblical scholar Craig Blomberg). They are in depth examinations of the text in question that seek to interpret it in its original context and apply it today. They are often challenging messages but our main goal is to let the Bible speak relevantly into our lives.

The average service lasts 75 minutes, from 10.30am until 11.45am. After this we have tea and coffee. This is actually possibly the heart of our Sunday morning meeting and most people stick around to catch up with each other and chat. Newcomers to MCC are often struck by the vibrancy of the music, they are often challenged by the teaching, but this time of chatting together over tea and coffee is often the thing that strikes people the most.

Needless to say, all are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings. Whether you someone from a Reformed or Presbyterian background, a Christian from a different tradition or someone seeking while on a spiritual journey. We're a diverse, multicultural, friendly bunch of people who would love to have you come and see what we're about!