Gatherings
Sunday Mornings
10 AM
Student Ministries
(High School)
Sunday Nights, 6:00pm
Prayer
Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:30am
Women's Bible Study
1st and 3rd Sunday Nights, 6:00pm
Men's Bible Study
2nd and 4th Sunday Nights, 6:00pm
Wednesday Nights
6:00pm
FAQ
Maybe you've never visited our church or any church, for that matter. We seek to be an open, loving and Christ-centered community of faith. While this FAQ page isn't meant to be like a dating service profile, we hope it gives you a little snapshot of what we're about. We do hope you'll join us.
- What can I expect if I show up on Sunday morning?
Our Environment
Our worship environment is casual, and we are the same. On rare occasions, a man will wear a suit or a woman a dress, but most people are more dressed down. Feel free to come as you are and feel at home.Our Welcome
You'll find that our community is a very welcoming and open one. When you walk in the door, you'll be greeted by someone from our church who will hand you a worship folder with information about the worship gathering. If you have any questions at all, these are great people to ask - its their job! Being a greeter is also a great way to meet people. If you're new or new-er, contact our Hospitality Coordinator or the worship committee to get on the list!Our Worship Style
We take great joy in not being able to label our worship as "traditional" or "contemporary", but practice what could best be described as "eclectic". Our music draws on a distinct Church of God musical tradition, the musical tradition of the Church throughout the ages and from contemporary songwriters. We almost always are led by a worship team with a worship leader. However, if you're more traditional in taste, don't let that scare you - we enjoy "rocking out" to the classic hymns as much as we do newer-style music. We hope you'll find our worship style to be edifying to your spiritual walk.
Our worship services usually consist of a time of greeting one another, announcements, singing, reading Scripture, responsive readings, an offering, and prayer. The last Sunday of each month, we celebrate Altogether Sundays, where we add the celebration of communion and a time of snacks and fellowship after the service, in addition to inviting our kids to join us.Our Messages
We usually have a teaching from the Bible, or a message, at the center of our services. Pastor Mark or others give the message on Sunday mornings.
Our messages talk about how to understand ourselves, eachother, God and our world better by learning from the Bible. Often, these messages challenge us to live our lives in a way that honors God more fully. - What are your shared beleifs about people, God & the world?
• We believe that the Christian life starts with a decision to believe in the God of Creation and the God of the cross.
• We believe that deciding to follow Christ is a new beginning, in which our old ways of life die away and we trust the Holy Spirit to help make us more like Christ each day.
• We believe that the content of the Bible is our rule of faith and the guidelines for our faith walk, and that it is sufficient for us to know God.
• We believe that the Holy Spirit brings each believer a feeling of peace and assurance based on the salvific work of Christ
• We believe that a holy life is lived out of the overflow of blessings we receive from the Holy Spirit
• We believe that the Holy Spirit works in our hearts day by day: filling, cleansing, consecrating, calling and convincing us. • We believe that the our faith community is part of the global body of Christ, the Church.• We believe that communion, baptism, foot washing, infant dedication and weddings are key moments in our community of faith which exemplify the grace of Christ in a tangible way.
For more information on our affiliation with the Church of God in North America, click here.
Information taken from Meet Us at the Cross by Oral and Laura Withrow.
- What kind of people make up your church?
We're a community made up of all kinds of people, and we're not just saying that! We have men and women, seniors and babies, rich and poor, different races, people born in other countries, baptized and not yet baptized, good singers and bad ones, people who are handy and people who aren't, good cooks and bad ones, people who are organized and people who aren't, people who like Pepsi and people who like Coke, people who prefer Starbucks and people who prefer Pam's Coffee House.Some real strengths of our community are togetherness, prayer support, worship, caring leaders, a downtown location, a desire to reach out to those in need being non-judgmental and being generous.
- Is there a place for me in your community?
Absolutely! You can get started by worshipping with us at either of our weekly gatherings and giving us a chance to get to know you. If you have kids, they can enjoy our children's ministries. Whether you're male or female, there's a bible study or small group for you to be a part of. If you have certain gifts, you are welcome to volunteer for helping out in various capacities, like childrens ministries, youth ministries or a worship team. We want you to feel fully enfolded into our community! - Who can I contact for more information?>
You can visit our contact page or use these emails:Pastor Mark Hilbelink, Associate Pastor - mark@1chog.org
Dave Bramen, Prayer Coordinator - prayer@1chog.org
Steve Greenway, Leadership Board Chairman - leadership@1chog.org