Note: This church is in the planning stage. Contact us!
If you are thinking of visiting one of our scheduled home meetings, you may be wondering what the meeting will be like and what you can expect as a new-comer. No two groups will hold their meetings exactly the same way, so please consider visiting more than one to find the people and meeting style that are the best fit for you and your family. And do feel free to bring your whole family, as nearly all of our groups are open to people of all ages. A typical meeting will consist of an informal greeting time around snacks or, in some cases, a meal. The schedule will give you information about whether a full meal will be provided.
Information about goings on in the church may be shared at some point. Sometimes a need will be brought up. A place will be provided to leave an offering after the meeting. As our guest, we want to make sure you know that there is no obligation to leave money. Your presence with us is all the blessing we could ask for!
We then have a very brief message from the pastor or another church leader who is a gifted teacher or exhorter. This may be in the form of a video, over the internet, on cassette tape, read aloud or in person. A discussion will typically follow. The discussion may have something to do with the message or, more often, will be used as a chance for people to share something about what is going on in their lives. A question may go around the group to give every one a chance to say something. (If you are shy don't worry, you can certainly pass and just listen!) You may find people sharing difficulties that they face and asking for prayer. You should feel perfectly free to share as little or as much about yourself as you feel comfortable with.
There will be music of some form whether live, taped or a cappella. Again, feel free to join in the singing or just listen. In the music time, you may see people becoming quite passionate about praising and worshiping God. If this is new to you, just relax and see if you can sense the presence of God. It may feel like a surpassing peace or like waves or like goose bumps. This worship time may grow to be one of the highlights of your week, and before long you may find you want to participate in greater and greater measure!
The "ministry" time is where people begin to pray for one another, encourage one another and try to hear what God is saying. People may lay a hand on someone's head or shoulder as prayer is ministered to the person. Prayer requests already mentioned may be prayed for and new ones may come up. Prayer for healing, both physical and emotional will take place. Encouraging words will be spoken as the speaker tries to discern what God would like to say. Someone may think of a Bible verse that would help someone else. The power and love of God are present as people seek to build others up. Click here for a discussion of Spiritual Gifts that may be employed. We hope that you find yourself able to get closer to God as you watch and (if you wish) receive ministry during this time.
This, in a nutshell, is the meeting. The order may be changed from what you see here, but this should give you a good idea of what you are in for. Some groups may be longer than others. The approximate length of each meeting is given in the schedule. You can certainly feel free to leave early if the group is going over time of if you need to be somewhere. Families with children are welcome at all of the groups in our church, unless otherwise noted on the schedule. Enjoy, soak it up and, please, come back for more. Maybe God is saying that you belong with us!