A Walk Through Sunday Worship
What to expect when you visit New life
when you arrive
You will be greeted at the door with a warm smile and a helpful person to answer any questions you might have about the church, the nursery, the restrooms, children’s worship, etc. You will be offered information about the church, and our weekly newsletter.
You can drop your small children off at the nursery, or keep them with you in service if it makes you more comfortable on your first visits. (However, we do ask if they become disruptive that you step out for a few minutes to settle them down – we are parents too and know how difficult it can be for a small child to cooperate for an entire service).
When service starts
The service will open with our band leading us in praise and worship, followed by a time of greeting and meeting one another.
This is a great chance to meet someone.
Children’s church is dismissed at the start the sermon, if it is communion Sunday, the kids are brought back in to receive communion with their families at the parent's discretion.
How do I dress?
You will find that we have people who dress casually, and others who prefer to dress up a little… either one is completely fine and acceptable as these things do not matter as much as God’s work in the heart.
Baptism, Communion & Membership
Communion
Communion is offered the first Sunday of the month, and also a few other times during the year. You do not need to be a member of New Life to participate, but we do ask that you wait until you are a fully committed believer in Jesus as your savior before you participate.
We leave it to the parents discretion as to whether or not their children are old enough to understand, and spiritually ready to participate. We find this age to be around age 8-10 for most children. Here is a helpful article here to guide you.
Water Baptism
Water baptism is offered a few times during the year and is announced about 4 weeks prior to the next offering. The first step is attending a class about water baptism and preparing for your baptism day. This is a big day, we call it a spiritual monument, that you will remember for your life.
If you were baptized as a child and did not understand what you were doing, we recommend being baptized again. If you are a parent with a child who wants to be baptized, again we leave it up to you as to whether they understand what it means to follow Jesus and if they are able to count the cost of discipleship, as Jesus said. Our general guideline is waiting until your child is about age 10-12.
Church Membership
After you attend New Life for awhile, you may be ready to take the next step, so we offer church membership. It is a one session class about the meaning of membership at New Life. It is a great way to show the church that you are not just "checking us out", but are you ready join arms with others in our mission by serving in an area of your choice. We do not teach that membership effects or improves your salvation, but rather is a commitment to a church body for as long as God has you there.
Church membership is offered twice a year for new attenders, and is announced in our weekly bulletin.
Just so you know...
We will not ask you to sign up or volunteer on your visit with us, and contributing in the offering is not expected of our visitors. The message is often introduced with a video clip or a story. The message is Bible based and communicated with the goal of practical application. After the message, you will be given a chance during our reflective worship song to pray and seek God’s help. Often times there is an opportunity at the end of service or after everyone is dismissed for a pastor or leader to pray with you about anything going on in your life.