What to Expect
We know it’s not easy visiting a new church for the first time. No one enjoys feeling like a non-member visiting a country club. Do I belong here? Am I really welcome? Will the people be distant and surly, or obnoxiously over-friendly? Will I be conspicuous? Will it be easy to leave if I don’t enjoy it? Will they hound me for money? Will my kids enjoy it? How should I dress? Am I welcome even if I’m not sure of what I believe?
As the pastors of The Potter’s House, we want your visit to be an enjoyable experience; stress-free, relaxing, engaging, meaningful. We’ve designed our worship gatherings to be ‘user-friendly’ whatever people’s background – including those who have never been to church before. Since our worship gatherings are just now beginning, everyone is essentially a first timer. Here’s a brief primer of what to expect.
Unless you really want to dress up, we’d suggest leaving your tie and high heels at home. Wear whatever you would like; there’s no dress code.
When you arrive at Grace Church (341 Washington Street, downtown TC), park behind the church. We’ll have some yellow signs on the streets as well as one on near the alley you drive through to get to the parking to help you find your way.
When you walk up the steps through the large doors, you’ll find a friendly face or two to say hello, and answer any questions you may have. You’ll be handed a bulletin that outlines the order of the worship service. The bulletin also includes upcoming events of interest, or other pertinent info we’d like to share with you. Please join our mailing list and enjoy a cup of fair-trade organic coffee or some water. Feel free to arrive a little early and hang out and meet folks. Right about 5:00 pm, the service begins.
The worship service is designed both to be accessible and inviting to those who are exploring the Christian faith, as well as being conducive to the spiritual growth of even the most veteran followers of Jesus. The worship service is experiential and participatory in nature, emphasizing and embodying the relationship between those present and God, but it’s not so overly intrusive that you can’t sit back and just take it in at your own speed. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to stand, introduce yourself, and tell us why you’ve come, or other horrifying stuff like that. Total anonymity is fine.
The service begins with a welcome, some opening words, music, a prayer, and a reading. The reading may be a piece of poetry, a religious passage from a novel, a comment by a theologian, or a passage by a medieval mystic. This first part of the service helps gather us together, preparing our hearts and minds for worship, and reminding us of the value of community.
The second part begins with readings from the Bible. We will read a few scripture passages, and then a sermon. The sermon, expounding and interpreting the scripture passages, usually spans 12-15 minutes. We do our best to make the messages interesting, enjoyable, and relevant to daily life. Some sermons may be more narrative while others may be more like a teaching-moment. We often include interesting quotes from contemporary people, songs, or movies. If we do our job well, you’ll hear solid Christian theology in intelligent, understandable, relevant terms. And hopefully, you’ll laugh at times and maybe feel a tug at your heart too.
A side note… Our focus in preaching is always on Christian discipleship and spiritual formation. Through our preaching, we strive to help those seeking a relationship with Jesus and those who already consider themselves disciples to continue to grow spiritually, grapple with suffering, experience healing, and reflect theologically on contemporary issues (especially ecology, science, issues of social justice, and world religions). Since you are probably at least slightly curious about, or wholly committed to, wrestling with the most important questions of life, morality, meaning, and purpose, we try not to belittle you, or your intelligence, with flashy motivational speaker-type seminars, hard-sell late night TV infomercial promises of instantaneous miracle cures, or advice on how to get along with difficult co-workers. We are committed to helping people grow spiritually, encounter God’s presence, discover the scriptures, and find nurture and encouragement for their faith journey.
This second part of the service concludes with a time for prayer in which we not only give thanks for the good things God has done in our lives, but we may share our joys and concerns that we may pray together as a community, as well as having a brief time for silent prayer.
The third part of the worship service is the celebration of communion. Communion (also known as the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper) is a remembrance of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Recalling both the meals Jesus shared with all sorts of people and the intimate last supper he shared with his closest disciples, communion is the pivotal expression of knowing and experiencing Jesus. Everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of religious background or beliefs. If you choose not to participate, which is fine, just sit back and enjoy the music.
The fourth part reminds us that we must go back into the world, to work for peace and justice, to help the down-trodden, and to serve others.
The service will conclude about 6:00 (believe it or not, the time will fly). Afterwards, we hope you’ll come up and introduce yourself to us. You’re invited to stay around, meet some folks, enjoy some more coffee. As much as church is about God and worship, it’s also about building relationships and community. We hope everyone feels welcome at The Potter’s House.
One thing you may notice is that we do pass the offering basket, but we don’t want anyone to feel any pressure to give. So please feel free to write a little note on paper provided in the pews and place it in the basket instead. You can put down a prayer request, your thoughts on the service or your contact information.
We welcome and encourage children of all ages to participate in worship. However, for infants or toddlers who just want to play or raise their voices in praise, we do have a professionally-staffed nursery available. Its a wonderful room with lots of great fun toys and a pager system so you’re only just a small buzz away from responding to your child’s needs.
Well, that’s about it. We hope you’ll stop by to share in one of these Sunday evening gatherings. And if you do, please say hello to us.
