What to Expect: Worship Assemblies
Our Sunday morning worship assembly is the largest and most important of our regular church gatherings. This is the time and the place for our entire church family to come together in the presence of God to offer him praise and to encourage one another. Dress any way you’d like and sit anywhere you want. We begin at 10:15 Sunday mornings and are almost always finished before 11:30.
Lord’s Supper – We share the communion meal every week. Like the very first believers, we celebrate Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection every Sunday. The bread and the cup remind us of his body and blood that were offered for us at Calvary. But we also remember it as a thanksgiving feast. We joyfully celebrate our resurrection lives in Christ at his table. We acknowledge the unity we share in him. And as we eat and drink, we renew our love for one another and for God. Jesus’ invitation to his table is extended to all, so you are more than welcome to join us.
Scripture Reading and Preaching – GCR is a Bible-centered church, so you’re going to hear lots of Scripture during our assemblies: the whole Bible, not just the New Testament. There will also be a sermon that lasts about 25-minutes. Our preacher doesn’t wear any special titles or robes, he’s just the one we’ve commissioned to spend time in prayer and study each week so he might bring us the Word of God. We believe the Scriptures are transformative, giving us life and hope and shaping us into the image of Jesus.
Singing – We sing a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary songs because we love to join together in praising God with our voices. One thing you’ll notice immediately is that we use musical instruments with some songs and we use only our voices for others. This is our individual congregation’s choice, to foster an atmosphere in which everyone is moved to participate in worship. We think this upholds and communicates our “church as body” beliefs, as all our unique voices and abilities are brought together to form one united praise. We don’t make a big deal out of this. It’s our preference. And we’re good with that.
Praying – One of our greatest privileges is to talk directly to God. We believe that God is with us at all times, but he joins us in a special way when we assemble in Jesus’ name. So, we bring him our praise, thanksgiving, expressions of love, and petitions on behalf of others in prayer. We believe that God hears and answers our prayers in powerful and amazing ways. And we would be especially honored to pray for you.
Open Invitation – At the close of the sermon, you will usually be given an opportunity to respond to the message, through self-reflection and private prayer, or by accepting a personal challenge from the Word. More often, we’ll offer an invitation to be prayed over by our shepherds and ministers. It is a time for confession and repentance or re-dedication to Christ. You can become a Christian or share a prayer request. It is a time when we practice together mutual love and concern and the bearing of one another’s burdens.
Offering – Each Sunday, we give to God out of the financial resources he has given us. This is another way we express our thanks and love. The gift is sacrificial and from the heart, offered cheerfully as worship and service. The money is used by the church to carry out God’s mission here in Midland and around the world. If you’re our guest, you are not expected to contribute.
Children – We offer a fully-staffed nursery during our Sunday morning assemblies for babies up to 2 years old. Any member can point you to the place where a friendly provider will welcome your child. Following the service, you may pick up your child at the same site. For children, 3 years old-Kindergarten, we have Children’s Worship. Those kids are dismissed from the large assembly right after the communion meal for an age-specific time of worship and study.