Visiting a new church for the first time can be very intimidating. We’d like to help you out by telling you a little bit about what to expect to help relieve some of that anxiety and give you a picture of what a typical Sunday looks like at Real Life. Our desire is that you will find a safe place to be real, ask questions, and grow toward God.
First Things
Services start at 10:05 on Sundays, and most are streamed on YouTube if you aren’t able to be there in person. If you are coming in person (and we love to see your radiant face), there’s plenty of parking with handicap access, and Sunday parking is always free!
Come as you are. We regularly have teenagers in pajama pants, adults in jeans, skirts, shorts, and once in a while even someone wearing a tie. You are welcome to bring your coffee, your kids’ half-eaten breakfast, and your whole, real-self to Real Life Community.
When you first arrive in the building, you will typically be greeted by a kind face. You will then find a pot of coffee, hot water for tea and hot chocolate drinkers, and snacks in case you didn’t have time for breakfast. These items are open for everyone and you are welcome to bring them into our sanctuary as well. The greeter will be happy to answer any questions and make sure you know where to go.
Kids
If you have kids, know that they are very welcome! We believe these small humans are super important and all are encouraged to participate in our service! We have a nursery for the smallest ones through age 3 and most Sundays we have a short Kids’ breakout for those 3 years old through 5th grade. (You can choose where your 3 year old goes as each kid is different.) You will sign them in so we know who will pick them up after the service.
All kids (unless they ‘re in the nursery) start in the sanctuary with our church family. Together we read Scripture and pray. Before the sermon we gather the kids and say a blessing over them before sending them to learn about God on their own level. The kids return for the end of the service so we can all receive communion together. Sometimes we also have Family Worship where the kids stay throughout the service and learn how we worship together in “big church”. We have toys and activities in the sanctuary they can use during service.
Seating and Dress
We invite you to come as yourself. You will see folks dressed in anything from “business casual” to jeans or shorts. When you enter our sanctuary you will find the green cushioned chairs arranged in a mixture of front-facing rows and tables and chairs for families with children. You are welcome to sit anywhere you like. You will typically find a Communication Card on the table or in the seat backs. This card is an easy way for us to get better acquainted; you can ask for any kind of information or assistance or simply let us know what you think.
The Service
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The service usually begins with a welcome and we read a passage of scripture (usually a Psalm). We then participate together in a Community Question where everyone is welcome to share their answer to the question posed by our Worship Host. We then say a blessing over our kids.
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At Real Life we have a Preaching Team, which means you will often hear a different voice each week. After the Kids’ Blessing one of our preaching team members will read scripture and share a message for about 20-30 minutes. Sometimes these messages are the traditional “sermon,” but most often we invite everyone to participate (to their comfort level) as we engage the Bible as well as different stories and ideas. Our response to the message and what we learn together is often to receive God’s grace through communion.
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Following the message each week, our kids come back in around 11:15 and we celebrate communion together. Communion (also known as the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper) is a Christian celebration of the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At Real Life we celebrate with an open table; this means we believe it is God’s table and all who desire to receive grace from God are welcome to participate. You do not have to be a member or a regular attender to receive.
Here’s how it works: The leader will bless the elements (that’s the word we use to describe the bread and cup of juice) and then they will invite you to come and receive. If you wish to come forward, you cup your hands and we place the gluten free cracker in your hand. This bread or cracker represents the body of Christ broken for us. You then dip the cracker in the cup of grape juice which represents Jesus’ blood, spilled for us. If you aren’t able to come forward, we are always happy to serve you where you are. Those who aren’t ready to receive the elements are welcome to stay in their seat and observe. We close this time with prayer.
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At Real Life we don’t "pass the plate”. We have a Giving Box at the back of the sanctuary and in our foyer, as well as a link to Give Online, where everyone is invited to give as they are able. The Giving Boxes are also a place where you can place your Communication Card. As our guest, your gift to us is simply your presence. No one is required to give.
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We believe that the ways we do life together and engage in our community are important expressions of what we believe. After participating in worship together, we take a few minutes to make sure everyone is aware of the ways to engage in the next few weeks.
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We end each service with our Sending Song & Benediction. The benediction is a blessing that the Pastor pronounces over the people to send them into the world to do God’s loving work.
This usually happens around 11:30.
After the Service
We play music after the service and encourage people to take time to get to know others. This is a great time for guests to meet our Pastor and staff. This is also the time where those with small kids will make their way back to the nursery to pick up their kids, and maybe meet other parents.
We believe that all we do on Sunday morning, from sharing our lives over a cup of coffee to the songs, scripture, communion, and everything in between, is an act of worship. And all of those things prepare and refresh us to continue to worship in our actions and thoughts all week. We believe God uses these moments when we are gathered to shape us so that we might grow more and more into the image of God, our Creator. We invite you to join us on the journey!