| What can I expect my first time at Seaside? We know it can be a little unnerving to step into a new thing, especially when you're not exactly sure about the details that matter to you. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the church to give you a picture of what Seaside looks like week to week and hopefully address issues important to you. What kind of people make up Seaside? What you'll encounter when you attend Seaside is a diverse biblical community where people seek to know and love God, live in community with others and transform the world by serving our broader community as we think Christ would. Practically speaking, that means the some of us are just checking out Christianity for the first time, while others have been in church their whole lives. Seaside members span all different ethnicities, ages and backgrounds. Everyone is welcome. What if I'm not used to going to church? You are the reason we are starting Seaside. Seaside wants to be a comfortable place for those who are curious about God but have never felt comfortable in church. We want Seaside to be a place where you can learn, apply and wrestle with who God is and what He wants for you. It's okay if you don't have it all figured out yet. What will the worship service be like? The Seaside, at it roots, is a place where we keep it very simple. It's relaxed but focused. We don't need to be flashy or put on big productions for people to meet God. We believe that Jesus is enough. No matter where or when you attend, we follow a basic pattern of meeting together that is traced back to the early Church. We teach from the Bible. We pray, meditate, sing and reflect. We respond by taking communion together. The goal through it all is to love God and know him better by making God's unchanging truth accessible without watering it down. So what does all that mean in real terms you ask? We Sing. We spend some time singing together. (a means of worshiping God) Before you panic about singing in front of others, you need to know a few things. First, if you don’t want to sing, you don’t have to. Second, you don’t need to know the songs because the words are projected on a screen in front of the room for everyone to see. Worshipping God means more than just vocalizing some lyrics, raising your hands, or really doing anything externally. We believe that who we are in Christ defines us, as we hope it will define you. Our life's response to that work is Worship. Singing as worship is just another way for our community to gather and declare aloud to Him, and in turn to one another, how great He is. We Pray. This is our opportunity to, as a community of folks gathered together, to take part in corporate prayer - simply to have a conversation with God, talking about life, our worries, our joys, and our questions about everything that we are thinking about. Again, no need to panic. You will not be asked to pray out loud. We Teach. We listen to a message that is derived from a passage from the Bible. You may or may not be familiar with this passage, you don’t need to be. But we do know that it is highly likely that you will be “challenged” by what you hear, whether you are already a following Christ or not. We reflect and respond to the scriptures by taking Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper. Anyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ is invited to join us in this reminder of Christ’s precious sacrifice for us. We provide opportunities for you to get more “personal” attention after the main gathering. You can meet a Pastor if you want to talk with one. You can have someone pray privately with you about your specific needs.
Will you ask me for money? What about my kids? |
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