As friendly as most churches hope to be, it still can be a little frightening visiting a church for the first time. We've done our best to make the Elm City Vineyard as "user-friendly" as possible, whatever your background – whether you're a longtime church attendee or this is your first time giving it a try. And if church is a new thing for you, you should know you're not alone; a healthy percentage of the people you'll see if you visit were not regular church attendees before joining in with us.
So, here's a quick primer to help you get acquainted with our ECV Worship Gatherings:
Basic Info: We meet on Sundays at 4pm (ok, more like 4:05) at First and Summerfield UMC (On the corner of College and Elm Street in New Haven, CT)
Parking: There is street parking on Elm St. in front of the church. If that is full, there is plenty of street parking on College street (free on Sundays). Also, there is free parking at the Yale Temple Street Parking Lot - located between Wall and Elm Streets)
Kids: We have Nursery care and Sunday School for children ages 6 months - 14 years old. We have designed special programs just for them that happen concurrently with the main 4:00 worship gathering. The children (0 - 8th grade) meet downstairs in the
Fellowship Hall after the first 2 songs of the worship gathering. Your kids are welcome to join you in the main worship gathering as well.
What to Expect:
One of the first things you'll notice is that everyone is dressed comfortably, most often quite casually.
- Kickoff - We begin with a song or two and then provide a brief moment to meet one another. Next we share some announcements about things that are happening at ECV. (Children are dismissed to kids' ministry at this time.)
- Teaching - Each week a member of our teaching team will give a 35 minute talk. The talks offer practical insights and are punctuated by personal stories. There's also an opportunity to interact with the week's teacher directly after the worship gathering. (Recent talks can be found here.)
- Response: After the message, we respond to what God may be doing and saying through:
- Communion: We offer an invitation to communion each week (see below for more info about this). The Sacrament of Communion (also called the Eucharist or Lord's Supper) is an opportunity to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Communion at ECV is open to anyone (regardless of church background) who desires to put Jesus at the center of his or her life.
- Music: We enter into a time of worship of God in song led by some gifted musicians. Vineyard music is known for being contemporary and dynamic so, for instance, we have a band rather than a choir and an organ. Each music set is chosen from eclectic traditions, including rock, folk, gospel and hymns. Some people may physically express their praise through raised hands, movement, and loud singing and shouts – others are still and quiet. In this time of response, people often discover God responds back. Some feel a sense of joy or peace, others cry, and some feel God grabbing their attention about something brought up in the service. You may find yourself worshipping in one style one week and another the next. The same might be true for how God responds to you. This diversity is reflective of our pursuit of a living and dynamic God.
- Prayer: Each week a team prays for our church service, asking what God might have in store for the service. After the teaching, the team leader will share his or her particular impressions of what God may want to do in terms of healing and encouragement. Then, people who feel these pointers might apply to them are invited to receive prayer at the front of the room during the worship time. Anyone else is also invited to receive prayer.
- Wrap-Up: We'll wrap-up around 5:45. Though please feel encouraged to hang around, eat some food, and meet some people.
| “I had been suffering from this nervous tic for something like seven years… So I had someone pray for me during prayer ministry a couple of times… I remember the feeling of my neck relaxing and my shoulders lowering nearly instantaneously. Since then, the pain in my neck has gone, I’ve had far fewer headaches, and I’m a lot less anxious in general.” |
A Note About Offering: During our Announcement time, we do take an offering, though our hope is that our visitors will feel free not to give, but will regard themselves as our guests.
