Visiting a new church can be intimidating.
This guide helps you see some of what we do and why.
Traditional Worship?
Most people assume that only casual, spontaneous and emotional action is sincere, but this is not true. God calls for reverence in worship (Hebrews 12:28), AND He wants genuine heart worship. We are as
imperfect and broken as anyone else - we want to be honest about that, and welcome your challenges in our midst, too! But we also want to honor God visibly in our life together. We seek worship that befits the greatness of the occasion: meeting with our majestic God.
Children in Worship?
YES! We invite children of all ages to participate with us for the whole worship service. This nurtures their sense of belonging and commitment to Jesus. “Let the little children come to Me,” Jesus said! We are very understanding of the noises that little ones inevitably make in worship. It takes patience to train them to focus on and take part in worship. It is worth the effort! When needed there is space to take aside a noisy child.
Nothing for my Kids?
Our children are fed spiritually the same way we are as adults - in worshiping God together. We provide classes before or after worship as the Lord leads and provides for that. But don’t expect to drop your children off for a fun time while you do “real church.” Your kids need to see you worship God. They learn how to worship at their parents’ side. Our goal is for our children to appreciate mature worship, even if they don’t grasp it all yet. God wants us to praise Him and learn together, young and old (Psalm 148:12).
Where’s the screen?
We are committed to a service of worship and music that does not overly rely on a music leader or band, but puts the order of the service and the music in the hands of every worshiper to have for themselves. We believe this helps us all participate in the whole worship service, as the Reformers intended, instead of watching a priest or a praise band perform. Please pick up a bulletin and a hymnal and you’ll be ready to go!
I don’t know this music. What do I do?
The same thing we do when new music is introduced at church. Follow along, learn the melody quietly until you feel confident enough to sing. We know we go against the grain of most churches in music style.
This is purposeful. We believe it is better for us to search out the best that the church has sung for the last 1800 years, not just the last eight. Experience the rich treasure of singing Psalms & time-tested hymns.
Why do you kneel for confession and raise hands for some songs?
We believe God wants us to participate fully in worship, including with our bodies. We kneel to express our humility before God (Psalm 95:7). We raise our hands to express lifting our hearts and our souls to God in praise and prayer (1 Timothy 2:8; Psalm 134:2).
Do I Need to Give Money?
As a visitor, please do not feel obligated to give. We do not “pass a plate” but have an offering box near the bulletins and hymnals as you enter. We bring it forward during the service, and you can always give after the service into the same box on the communion table.
What is Communion?
Every week we eat bread and drink wine, following the direction of Jesus the night before He went to the cross. The Lord’s Supper is taken as an act of faith in Christ’s death to pay the price for our sins. It is an important way God connects with His people. If you are not a baptized Christian, so are not taking the bread and wine as they pass, use the time to consider the Scripture readings, prayers, sermon, hymns sung, etc.
Why do you have wine in communion?
We believe wine was the element Jesus used to institute Communion, and what He wants us to use today.
