WHAT TO EXPECT AT OUR WORSHIP GATHERING
PROFILE: We meet each Sunday morning at 1437 Front Royal Pike, Winchester (directions). Our service formally begins at 10:30am and ends before 12:00 pm. Though we are not a large church, you'll find a diverse group of people with a beautiful blend of generations. Our members are very warm and friendly; but we encourage you to be bold and introduce yourself.
WORD-SATURATED WORSHIP
We love gathering together to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). When we come to the Sunday morning worship service, we come as participants, not consumers. We come to do something; namely, we come to worship God. During our time together, we endeavor to ensure that all eyes are on God. As a result, He does something in us. At the heart of our meeting is the conviction that God breathes life into his people through his Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). That is why we speak of our time together as Word-Saturated Worship; where we read the Word, pray the Word, sing the Word, preach the Word, and see the Word (through baptism and communion).
WE READ AND PRAY THE WORD
We want to hear from God and communicate back to Him (Romans 10:17). Thus, we read His Word and pray. Our normal practice is to read two passages of Scripture that support the theme of the sermon text, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. After each of these Scripture readings, one of our men prays on behalf of all who are present. His prayer will align closely with the Scripture just read, will be carefully thought through, and will be sincerely offered from his heart and ours. In these prayers, we thank God for the truths we read, confess our failure to obey them, and praise God for His grace to us through the sacrifice of Christ.
WE SING THE WORD
We believe that the songs we sing together should give us a rich vocabulary for life and worship before God. Whether they come from the sixteenth century or the twenty-first, we want to sing songs that are God-exalting, Gospel-centered, Word-saturated, and theologically-rich (Colossians 3:16-17). Congregational singing is a beautiful thing as it emphasizes God's people gathering to praise Him with one voice. We enlist singers and instrumentalists to provide leadership so that the voice of the congregation—as a whole—is the primary instrument of praise.
WE PREACH THE WORD
We believe that God is most glorified and the body is most edified by expository preaching (2 Tim. 4:1-2). By expository, we mean that the point of the text is the point of the sermon. The intent of the sermon is to explain the unalterable meaning of the text and press its eternal implication upon the hearts of those who hear. When the meaning of the Scripture becomes clear, its power is unleashed to transform lives. Sermons usually last around fifty minutes and are packed with material for reflection and application. On a regular basis, we are teaching through books of the Bible, alternating between different genres in the Bible. All preaching is driven by the Gospel, the Bible’s main message of God saving sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
WE RESPOND TO THE WORD
We respond to the preaching of the Word by singing a song that flows out of the theme of the sermon and then taking our seats for a brief moment of silent prayer. This is a special time to consider what the Lord has just said to us through His Word, to thank Him for His truth, and to surrender ourselves, by His grace, to obey what He has said (James 1:19-25; Psalm 1:2). Elders are available after the worship service for questions, discussion, counsel, and prayer.
WE FELLOWSHIP AROUND THE WORD
After the service, in particular, we encourage people to stay for a while to discuss what we all just heard from the Scriptures, sharing with one another what we learned and how we might respond. We also gather in Community Groups. At the heart of each of these meetings is a desire to connect with other Christians for fellowship, study, and prayer. Our study of the Word is an extension of our corporate worship on Sunday. The leader will lead a group discussion that explores the theological implications and practical application of the text that was preached.