We know – it’s not easy visiting a church for the first time. Sometimes you feel like a nonmember visiting a private club. 
Do I belong here?
Am I really welcome?
Will the people be unfriendly, or too friendly?
Will I be conspicuous?
Will it be easy to leave if I don't enjoy it?
Will they ask me for money?
Will my kids enjoy it?
How should I dress?
Am I welcome if I don’t believe?
We
want to make your visit an enjoyable, easy and stress-free experience.
We designed First Pres. to be "user-friendly" for people, whatever
their background, including those who have never been to church before.
If any of us were visiting a new church for the first time, we’d like
to know what to expect, so here’s a brief overview.
When you arrive at First Pres.
for either our 8:30 or 11:00 am services, you´ll notice that the
majority of our parking is located behind the church building (towards
Studebacker Hall on the Ball State campus off New York Ave.). You are welcome to park either in front or back of
the church. Enter the
church through any door. If you enter from the rear of the building,
you’ll want to take the stairs or the elevator to
the 2nd floor.
When
you arrive, there should be some friendly people (we
call them "greeters") to say hello, answer any questions you have, and
direct you to the sanctuary. If you have infants or toddlers, the
greeters will help you locate our safe, clean and fun nursery. We will register your child there and let you know about our
security so you’ll know your kids are safe and well cared for.
You’ll
notice that most people generally dress in a business-casual or
business-dress manner.
When
you come in the sanctuary, you’ll be given a copy of " The Bulletin"
which has the week’s announcements and an easy to follow guide to the
day’s service. During the service, we ask everyone to sign in with our
“Friendship Register.” Giving us your contact information helps our
leaders keep you informed about things happening at First Pres. We
don’t share visitor information with any other organizations and
promise not to harass you with a million mailings and phone calls.
The
service focuses on a theme each week. We use prayers, songs, a sermon to
worship God. All of the song lyrics, prayers and Bible texts are
printed on giant screens in the front of the Sanctuary.
If you have children ages 4 to 2nd grade, we have small groups for them that meet during the sermon time
of the service. Watch for a Pastor to invite the children to come
forward. They will exit as a group and be looked after by caring adults
who have been screened and trained. They will all return to you in the
service during the final hymn. Children 3rd grade and older will remain in worship with their parents.
During
the service we take up a financial offering each week. We don’t expect
for you to put anything in the offering plate. Rather we view the
service as a gift to you. It’s the duty and privilege of our members to
support the ministry of the church. However, nobody will stop you from
giving if you feel like it.
The service ends close about 60 minutes after it begins (and believe it or not, the time will fly).
After
the service, you’ll pick up your kids from the nursery, and then we
hope you’ll stay around, meet some people and enjoy some coffee,
cookies, and snacks. Church is about God and worship, but it’s also
about community and friendship, so we hope people really experience
warmth and friendliness at First Pres.
Thanks for your interest! |
