Expect to be greeted by some of our members when you walk in the door. They will provide you with a bulletin outlining the worship service, along with some additional literature that will explain more about our congregation and its ministries. They will also be available to direct you around the building if you need assistance. If you arrive early, feel free to make your way into the gym and enjoy some complimentary tea, coffee, or hot chocolate!
Music-
New Hope's worship service begins with several songs of praise. Our musicians lead us to sing portions of Scripture set to music, traditional hymns, and contemporary compositions. You will see and hear both acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, a keyboard, and occasionally violins and woodwind instruments. Our sound is eclectic, in the hope that most everyone who worships with us will find some form of musical expression with which they identify, while at the same time being enriched by styles with which they are not as familiar.
Collection -
We take a collection in every service. Our church is not centrally funded and the finances are the responsibility of church members. If you do not wish to contribute, just let the basket pass by. There is also a second collection taken the fourth Sunday of every month. This collection is designated to our Mercy Ministry, which helps meet the financial needs of families within New Hope and the community.
Preaching -
Each week, one of our pastors will read a portion of Scripture, explain its meaning and significance, and show how it applies to our lives. More important than what the pastor will do, though, is what God will do during the sermon. God has promised to use this fairly humble means - preaching - to teach us about Himself, to change our hearts for the better, and to lead us to what He calls "abundant life." Therefore, listen to the sermon with great expectation that God will speak to you, even as the pastor is speaking. Most sermons are around 30 minutes in length.
The Lord's Supper -
We celebrate Communion or the Lord's Supper the second and fourth Sunday of each month. In keeping with the teaching of the Scriptures and the tradition of the early church, we use wine in our observance of this sacrament. However, if your conscience will not permit you to drink wine, or if you do not wish for minors in your household to receive wine, please know that we also provide grape juice in the cups along the outer ring of the communion tray. If none of these remain when the tray arrives in front of you, please speak with one of the deacons serving, and he will see to your needs.
Children -
We believe that God loves to hear the praises of children, and that children are entitled to join their parents before God's throne for worship and prayer. Therefore, we ask that all children who are preschool age and older sit with their parents during the first part of our worship service. This allows kids to learn and participate in our songs of praise, creeds, and times of prayer. Infants and toddlers may be left in the nursery for the entire worship service, although you are certainly welcome to keep these little ones with you in the gym, if you so choose.
We also realize, though, that listening quietly to a sermon is beyond the abilities of most young children. In order to keep children and parents from being needlessly frustrated, we provide a program called Children's Fellowship during the sermon. Children's Fellowship is for preschoolers through 3rd graders. There are three separate classes: preschoolers, kindergarten-1st graders, and 2nd-3rd graders. Volunteer teachers instruct the children using a curriculum based on the First Catechism, a booklet of questions and answers designed to teach children the basics of our faith and prepare them both to participate fully in worship and to follow Jesus in life.
Kids are dismissed for Children's Fellowship right before the start of the sermon. Teachers and ushers will be available to see your children to their classrooms so that you can remain in the service. Of course, if you prefer to escort your children to their classrooms, feel free to do so. The infant and toddler nurseries and the classrooms for preschoolers through 1st graders are located on the first floor, while the 2nd and 3rd graders meet upstairs. Children stay in their classrooms until the end of the worship service, except on weeks when we observe the Lord's Supper. On these Sundays (the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month), the children are brought back into the gym after the sermon so that they can watch and learn about this sacrament.