The Basic English Service is Now “All Nations Worship Service”

All Nations Worship service at Church of the Servant

The Basic English Service began in 2009 as an outgrowth of the ESL ministry of COS. As the BES fellowship has grown and changed since then, one question that emerged was, “Is Basic English Service the most fitting name for who we are becoming and who we sense God is calling us to be?” After a long process of discernment with fits and starts, the BES leadership team approved changing the name of the BES to All Nations Worship Service. The name All Nations seems to better capture how this service has grown to be a fellowship of believers from many nations who share their gifts for God’s glory and the enrichment of Christ’s church.

May COS continue to grow as a house of prayer for all nations.

Read the 10th Anniversary Book, laying out some of the history of the Basic English Service at COS


Church of the Servant is a diverse community of Christ’s servants, a home for God’s children, and a prism for God’s light in liturgy and life.

As children of the light, we desire to

  • participate in worship that is Reformed and liturgical, historic and modern, local and global
  • prepare people for service by nurturing their gifts and encouraging them to grow in discipleship
  • create a fellowship where the burdened and suffering will find support and comfort, where the alienated will be accepted, and where those seeking God will be shown the way
  • present Christ to others by showing God’s love in Jesus for the world and promoting justice and peace for our neighbors near and far

In obedience to this call, Church of the Servant offers a worship service in basic English. The Basic English Service is for all who come, especially those whose understanding of English prevents full participation in the larger worship service.

The All Nations Service enhances COS’s call to:

  • reach out with love, encouragement, and fellowship to people of all cultures, faiths, and language groups;
  • nurture a sense of community and belonging for all;
  • embrace those not yet enfolded in Christ’s family and invite them to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior;
  • disciple all believers in the gospel;
  • create space for the gifts of the global Church to be mutually shared and appreciated across lines of language, ethnicity, culture, and status, thereby expressing the unity-in-diversity of the Church.

Revised, Epiphany 2017