What to Expect
Gathering to worship on Sunday is a highlight here at Christ Redeemer, and we hope you'll come and join us! We know that visiting a church for the first time might seem a little intimidating. Here's what to expect at a Sunday gathering of Christ Redeemer.
How Should I Dress?
Dress comfortably and be yourself. Most people at Christ Redeemer dress casually. You’re welcome to wear jeans, if that's what you're comfortable in, or even shorts in the summer months. In the end, don't make dress an issue, because we don't.
What Do I Do When I Arrive?
When you walk in the front doors a friendly person will greet you, direct you to grab a Gathering Guide, answer any questions that you might have, and guide you to the worship center. If you have children, ages 1 - 11, who would like to participate in children's classes, our greeters will guide you to our kids' area and help your children check-in at their age-appropriate classroom. If, however, you prefer to bring your children with you into the worship service, please do so; children are always welcome.
What Happens During the Gathering?
The gathering guide you receive will give you an idea of what to expect during our worship service. In this time we will sing together, pray, read Scripture, listen to a sermon and partake of the Lord's Supper (Communion).
Congregational Singing
At Christ Redeemer, we love to sing together! We love to sing doctrinally rich songs, whether older hymns (sometimes sung to a new tune) or newer songs. You can therefore expect a mix of old and new songs that are gospel-centered and lend themselves to congregational singing.
Prayer
The Bible describes the church as a house of prayer. In our gathering, you can expect the service to be punctuated by times of prayer. One such time is the "pastoral prayer,” when one of our elders spends an extended time praying for the members and mission of our church, other churches in our area, and the spread of the gospel to the nations.
Scripture Reading
Another consistent element of our service is the public reading of Scripture. We encourage you to look up the passage in your Bible if you’ve brought one or follow along with the printed text on the screen. We begin and end our service with God’s word, and before the sermon you will hear the passage of scripture from which the pastor will preach.
Preaching
The preaching at Christ Redeemer will typically be expositional, which simply means that we preach through books of the Bible. Our aim is to dig deeply into each passage in order to understand what God is teaching us and how it applies to our lives. Our sermon series typically alternate between Old and New Testaments, but all sermons are Gospel-centered, since Jesus is the focal point of every book of the Bible.
Lord’s Supper
We observe the Lord’s Supper weekly in order to remember Christ’s atoning death and our identity as members of one body. This is also a time for repentance and renewal. We invite people to take time for personal reflection and prayer before partaking of the Supper itself.
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