What to expect when you come…

We know that some things may keep you from accepting our invitation. Perhaps it is that “nagging” feeling of misgivings and the fear of the unknown. You may be asking yourself.

Do I really want to do this?

What do they do over there?

Will I feel out of place?

What should I wear?

Will I be expected to do something?

What if my kids misbehave?

What if they don’t like me?

What if I’m not good enough?

Let us try to answer these questions for you, so that you will be more comfortable and calm some of those “Jitters”.

Do I really want to do this?

The fact that you have received this invitation is a demonstration that someone cares about you. God cares about you. His Son, Jesus, cares about you too. You will find that there are others who care about you as well. We hope that you really do want to be around people who care about you.

What do they do over there?

The assembly is called to order by the singing of a song and announcements. When you come, you will find that the worship services are simple in nature. This is because the worship is patterned after the New Testament church’s worship.

Singing of Hymns, Psalms and Spiritual Songs. A song leader will lead the congregation in the singing of songs. We follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul as recorded in Ephesians 5:19 Everyone is encouraged to sing and songbooks are provided. If you choose not to sing, that is up to you. We know that on your first visit with us that you may not feel comfortable singing.

Praying. At an appropriate time, a man of the congregation will lead the congregation in prayer. Only the one leading the prayer speaks audibly. The rest of the congregation follows the content of the prayer being spoken, silently. At the end of the prayer, others may say “Amen”. Not everyone will say “Amen” and you are not expected to say or repeat anything out loud.

Preaching of the Word. Our minister or someone else of the congregation will present a message from the Bible. The sermons are all Biblically based. After the lesson, the congregation stands and sings an “invitation” song. This is a song encouraging anyone to express a need and to receive help.

The Lord’s Supper After the collection plate is passed, the song leader will select a song to help prepare the congregation mentally and spiritually for the Lord’s Supper. The congregation partakes of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday because that is the pattern of the New Testament worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Three men will go up to the front and stand before the congregation. The Lord’s Supper consists of two items - unleavened bread and grape juice representing the body and blood of Jesus. These emblems will be passed out to the congregation. Members of the congregation will partake of these emblems and they will also be passed to you. Whether you partake of these items or not is left up to you, as its left up to everyone to decide for themselves. If you choose not to partake, just pass them to the person next to you or to the man in the aisle.

Contribution. After an invitation song, the congregation takes time to contribute to the work of the church. Again, whether or not you wish to contribute is left up to you. The assembly is dismissed with a prayer after prayer requests have been made and people get up and mingle with one another. Every one is encouraged to stay and meet people and to talk with others. Now you know what we do when we meet to worship on Sunday.

Will I feel out of place?

We certainly hope not! You will see people just like you. Old people, children, teenagers, married people, divorced people, single people, skinny people, not so skinny people, people with lots of hair, people with less hair than others, people who are poor, people who are not so poor, people who are educated, people who are less educated. You will find a good cross-section of our community worshipping God together.

What should I wear?

When you come and visit, just as you will see a cross-section of our community, you will see a variety of clothing styles. Some men may have on suits. Some men will have on a shirt and tie. Some will be dressed in causal clothes. Women’s apparel also varies from pants to dresses. We want you to come and worship God with us. Our dress code is that we ask people to dress as they would in a public setting using common sense and good judgment.

Will I be expected to do something?

You are our guest and we want you to share in our worshipping together. You are not expected to do anything. We hope that you will participate in the worship so that worshipping God together with us may be of benefit to you.

What if my kids misbehave?

You will find that we are parent- friendly. You will also discover that your children aren’t the only children who misbehave. Children will be children. Babies will cry. Siblings will fight. Toys, money, etc. will be dropped. We understand this because we are parents too. We have a nursery for those moments when you feel that your baby or infant needs private attention. We also suggest that, perhaps, you can bring some quiet toys or books or some kind of quiet snack that they can eat when their little tummies are telling them that they are starving. See! We truly understand children and we don’t expect them to be adults.

What if they don’t like me?

We hope that when you leave you will have found your experience with us enjoyable. We hope that you will want to come back again. God loves you! Jesus loves you! We will love you too because we want to be like Jesus. So, please, put your fears aside and come worship with us this Sunday.

What if I’m not good enough?

Christians sometimes are perceived as being “holier than thou”. The truth of the matter is that Christians try to do what is right in the sight of God. Christians also understand that the Bible clearly teaches that there is no one who is righteous on their own (Romans 3:10). We are people who, with our failings, trust God to accept us in our weakness because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We rely upon the grace of God to abound and cover our sins because we have a relationship with Him that is based on The Truth revealed in His Word.

We encourage you to come and discover with us all the spiritual blessings that are found in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). There is a great song titled “Just As I Am” which reflects the call of God. Wherever you are in life, whatever your circumstance, now is the time to begin, or perhaps renew, your relationship with God.