“I anoint you with this oil as a sign of the blessings of God, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”   The person so blessed is kneeling at the front of the Sanctuary of Fort Hill Church [built in 1990] as a part of a Service for Healing and Wholeness which is held quarterly by Fort Hill Church. Members and friends who wish to do so gather to pray for themselves, for their family members, for neighbors, and indeed, for people around the world who are in need of the blessings of God.

“On behalf of the Session and the Congregation of Fort Hill Church, I commission you to go to Haiti to carry medical healing and the Good News of the Gospel.”   So speaks the Minister as 10 members gather around the Communion Table at the front of the Sanctuary during a Sunday Morning Worship Service, holding hands and surrounded by members of the Session. The ministering love of the Fort Hill Medical Mission always begins a mission trip with a commissioning during a worship service at Fort  Hill Church.

Experiences of worship, varied and different, strengthen the members and friends of Fort Hill Church in numerous settings. But the most important services are on Sundays when the congregation joins to praise and thank God and to hear the reading and preaching of God’s Word.

Our Presbyterian Book of Order states:

“Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the triune God. In worship the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives. As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers ard transformed and renewed. In worship, the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God’s service in the world.”  (W-1.1001)

In the Presbyterian Church there are two Sacraments: Baptism and Holy Communion.  The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated often in our regular Sunday Morning Worship Services. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated about eight times a year in regular worship services and monthly in a service held in the activities building at Clemson Downs, a local retirement community.

Music is one of the most important parts of Presbyterian worship and is the joint responsibility of the Pastor and the Session. At Fort Hill Church we are very fortunate in having competent and gifted staff people in our music leadership roles. An adult choir, a hand bell choir, and a children’s choir provide our members with good opportunities for expressing their musical talents in the worship of God. Three instruments in our Sanctuary – a wonderful pipe organ, a beautiful grand piano, and a double keyboard harpsichord – are often supplemented by various instruments and musicians who add measurably to the quality and enjoyment of our services.

One of our Session’s ten committees, the Worship Committee, meets regularly with the pastors and the church music staff in discussion and planning for worship. It is also the sounding board for comments and suggestions from members of the congregation in regard to anything having to do with our worship experiences.  Members who have read this part of our website and who have suggestions or comments are encouraged to share these thoughts with the Pastors or with this Committee.