Our Worship Goals
With our worship, we want to praise and honour God, encourage one another, and share the good news of love, forgiveness, and purpose found in Jesus.. We work hard to connect faith with everyday life. Our worship times involve singing, prayer, readings from the Bible, communion, and a message from our minister.
The tone
Our services are very simple, with almost no ritual. Each week, we hand out a guide that outlines what's going to happen, and in what order. This makes it very easy to follow the service in an easy, no-surprises way.
Though we want our worship to honour God and show Him great respect, we don't think reverence must be solemn. Our times together are a celebration of our relationship with a Father who loves us and works in our lives in a way we can see! But our worship runs the full range of human emotion as we respond to the needs in our church family. Dress is casual. Though most of us wear everyday clothes, people are welcome to dress up if they want. When it comes to worship, it's what's on the inside that counts.
Though we want our worship to honour God and show Him great respect, we don't think reverence must be solemn. Our times together are a celebration of our relationship with a Father who loves us and works in our lives in a way we can see! But our worship runs the full range of human emotion as we respond to the needs in our church family. Dress is casual. Though most of us wear everyday clothes, people are welcome to dress up if they want. When it comes to worship, it's what's on the inside that counts.
Prayer
Prayer is the spiritual engine of the church. It powers our relationship with God. Prayer is the language of love that binds our hearts and lives together in times of joy, sorrow, need, and thanksgiving. Our worship always includes
prayers led by a member of the congregation.
Since prayer is essential to who we are and what we do, we often pray for specific needs during our services, or spontaneously when we learn of situations we want to take before our loving Father.
prayers led by a member of the congregation.
Since prayer is essential to who we are and what we do, we often pray for specific needs during our services, or spontaneously when we learn of situations we want to take before our loving Father.
The music
Though we include traditional hymns in our mix, most of our music is contemporary. We use a variety of styles, project the words on a large screen, and often use Christian music videos which reinforce the message of the songs with wonderful imagery. Right now we sing to mostly professionally recorded music with the help of a worship leader. Once our congregation includes committed, consistent members with musical talent, they'll be given the opportunity to honour God and bless the church with their music.
bible readings
As Bible-believing, Bible-living Christians, we want to know the Word of God. That's why we always read from the Scriptures in our worship services. We often encourage people to share passages meaningful to them. Our members use many translations but we emphasize the modern versions that make the Bible more understandable.
Communion
We share the Lord's Supper each Sunday as a reminder of how Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and to encourage each other to live the Christian life. Communion is open to anyone who wants to share with us the bread that symbolizes the body of Christ, and the cup that reminds us of His blood, shed for each of us. The bread and juice are passed on trays. Anyone who chooses not to participate can pass them along.
The Message
The most common complaint about church is that it's boring, especially the sermons. To avoid that, we work hard to let God speak to us about every aspect of modern life. Our worship topics and Bible messages keep a strong focus on practical application. Our minister, Rick Gamble, presents messages that are engaging, challenging and encouraging, with a focus on love, hope and meaningful change made possible through the transforming power of God's presence in our lives. We believe God knows and wants what's best for us.
The Money
Though an offering is taken Sunday morning, visitors are not expected to contribute. We see the giving of money to support the work of God as a natural part of our Christian responsibility, but the money is never emphasized. We encourage people to give their hearts and loyalty to God. The rest takes care of itself.
A Word of Caution
Through our worship, we try to help people deepen their relationship with God and each other in a meaningful way. We seek a healthy balance by appealing to the mind, heart and will. Though our services are structured with a weekly theme, they’re not highly regimented, and we're responsive to the needs of the group, supporting each other in tough times and celebrating when good things happen.
We’re not a traditional church with hymns and pews, and we don’t embrace charismatic theology that emphasizes tongues and prophecy. We strive for worship that’s intimate, natural, heartfelt, and God-centred.
The best way to judge it is to experience it, so come and check us out. You’ll get a warm, pressure-free welcome from people who’ll accept you as you are. Likewise, please don’t expect us to be perfect examples of Christianity, because we’re not. We’re just followers of Christ, sharing Jesus and the journey.
We’re not a traditional church with hymns and pews, and we don’t embrace charismatic theology that emphasizes tongues and prophecy. We strive for worship that’s intimate, natural, heartfelt, and God-centred.
The best way to judge it is to experience it, so come and check us out. You’ll get a warm, pressure-free welcome from people who’ll accept you as you are. Likewise, please don’t expect us to be perfect examples of Christianity, because we’re not. We’re just followers of Christ, sharing Jesus and the journey.
