Schedule of Services
Sunday
8:30AM |
Worship Practice |
9:30AM |
Christian Education All Ages |
10:15AM |
Preparing for Worship |
10:30AM |
Sunday Morning Worship Kids Power Hour Ages 4-10 KPH 1st & 3rd Sundays |
12:30PM |
Elim Drama Company 1st & 3rd Sundays |
5:00PM |
Evening Worship Service |
5:00PM |
Youth Service |
5:30PM |
Pastoral Interns |
6:30PM |
Young Married/Singles 1st and 3rd Sundays |
Monday
(Prayer & Fasting Day)
7:00PM |
Men's Ministry Coffee Time Last Monday of the Month |
Tuesday
5:00PM |
|
6:30PM |
|
| Homeschool Gathering Last Tuesday of Every Month |
Wednesday
6:00PM |
|
7:00PM |
Thursday
5:00PM |
Sign Language / Interpreters Practice |
5:00PM |
Elim Road Team Practice (1st & 3rd Thursdays) |
7:00PM |
Run & Gun with Pastor (candy always provided, loads of fun & you learn! |
We know that visiting a church for the first time can be awkward....
Several thoughts could be running through your mind: Will I be met with smiles and handshakes or will I just be another face? Do I have to dress up, or can I wear my jeans? Will they freak out at my tats? What is the music like? What about the kids?
When you arrive for Sunday School (9:30 AM start time) or the Worship Service (10:30 AM start time), you will be greeted on the steps, at the
door, inside the sanctuary or, more likely, all three locations by friendly loving people who are genuinely glad to see you! Folks will be comfortably dressed in things ranging from button downs and khakis to jeans and a Tee. Yes, some women may wear fancy dresses, or one or two men may wear a tie, but that is a choice, not a requirement. It's not so much the clothes as it is just to have you there. You will be given a copy of the bulletin which has announcements and important info about Elim, a weekly schedule of church events and even a place for sermon notes if you like.
We do our time of tithing a little different. No baskets or buckets or bags on sticks are passed through. As we begin our "Meet and Greet" people will come up with their Tithes or offerings and put them in two baskets sitting on the altar. Visitors should not feel pressured to "put a buck in the basket" The tithe is God's and should go to your home church in whose ministry you are a regular participant.
Sunday School or Worship Service?
If you come for Sunday School, you will find an intera
ctive and thought provoking adult class and an engaging, challenging Youth Group for the 11-18 crowd. Our Children's class is for 4-10 and is fun for the little people. Should you decide to make the Worship service your first stop, people will be milling about talking and chatting and catching up. If you have young ones with you (ages 0-3) it is likely that someone will mention the nursery service, if you would like to use that. You may also ask anyone and they will be happy to point you in the right direction. The service will start at or near 10:30 AM. Come in, find a seat, relax and just be yourself!
How long will I sit there? Is there a lot of standing and sitting or kneeling?
Once we get started, after some greetings and prayer, we will have a time of upbeat "Contemporary" praise and worship lead by the almost-but-not-quite, semi-regionally famous, Elim Worship Team. Normally, people stand during this,
but there is no rule that says you HAVE to. Really...I checked. Our interpreter for the deaf will be off to the side interpreting and there will be seats reserved up front for the deaf. This will last anywhere from 20 minutes to a bit more depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
After worship and the offering, we all do a "Meet and Greet" where everyone who didn't get to say hi earlier on can (and usually will) do so now. Following this will be some brief announcements and then the message.
Pastor will preach for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Now, before your eyes bug out at this please trust me it won't seem that long. You will be challenged, educated, quite possibly made to laugh and who knows, if you are from Texas you might even be a participant!
There are times Pastor's sermons can be very interactive, have no fear - This is normal behavior! Upon completion of the service people will hang out and chat for a while. Later, at 5:00 PM we will get together again for a shorter evening service with the Youth Group and adults in different classes.
Do I have to give you my name, address and checking account?
Before church begins, you will be asked to fill out our visitor book. This is not so that we can stalk you. It is so that we can send you a thank you note and a couple letters. This is voluntary. If you don't want to, you don't have to. We won't ask you to leave. We won't look at you funny. When you do give your address, we promise to honor your privacy and respect that you have trusted us with the information. Nope, we don't want your checking account number and we haven't started taking VISA.
You didn't mention Communion? Do you have it?
We hold Communion (also called The Lord's Supper or The Eucharist) once a month as a reminder of what Jesus did for us. If you are a Christian and you know what Communion is all about, we invite you participate with us as a family. If you are from a different faith community or do not feel comfortable taking communion, please do not feel pressured or obligated to do so.
And Afterwards?
We will be sending you a survey to send back to us (Postage paid!!). You will also get a letter from the Pastor. Please fill the survey out with complete candor and send it to us. The survey has no place to put your name for a reason. If you choose to remain anonymous, we want you to feel free to do so. We want nothing more than to be a blessing to all who come. We have been told that when people come they feel like family and that they feel genuinely accepted here. Those are wonderful compliments to us and it is what we strive to accomplish. Family, genuine love of one another, open arms and hearts - these are what we are about.
Family Fellowship
Every month, we get together as a family and break bread...and chips, chili, lasagne, desserts, salads, burgers, hotdogs and just about anything else we can eat! We call this monthly food-fest "Family Fellowship" and we love to have our visitors stay and eat with us. The best part is, you don't have to bring anything but yourselves!
