At the end of each Worship Gathering, we ask people with needs or questions to meet with a member of the staff. Yesterday, a lady who was with us for the second time had a few questions. Maybe others may have the same questions and just never made it to the front to ask them. For their benefit, here are the answers.
Why don't you do communion each service?
Different denominations and different local fellowships have varying approaches to communion, or the Lord's Supper. We believe that it is an important symbol and act of obedience reserved for born-again, Scripturally baptized believers. Since our Sunday mornings are intended primarily to engage outsiders, not insiders, there are many people here who would not understand exactly what was happening, and why we are asking them to not participate. So, instead of Sunday morning, we usually celebrate the Lord's Supper on Sunday evening every two or three months, at a special service where it is the primary focus. We also serve the Lord's Supper in Community Groups or in other small groups as requested.
Why is there no cross in the Worship Center?
Actually, there is often a cross as an element in the projection graphics, but there is no permanent cross in the furniture of the room. If an outsider needs a physical symbol to identify who we are and what we believe, we are failing as a fellowship. Insiders already know, and try to be a living symbol of the presence of Jesus to everyone around them.
Why don't we have pew Bibles? Why isn't everyone bringing their Bible?
Scripture references are always included in the projection show that supports each message. And remember, we are trying to engage outsiders on Sunday morning. Often, people coming to our Worship Gatherings are not familiar with the Bible and trying to find a passage may be a distraction for them. Projecting them means no one is distracted away from the message. Also, Pastor Ken sometimes uses more than one translation version, so there is no confusion between alternate wordings of the passages he uses.
Hal Hunter
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I have had the opportunity to answer some questions about our church, too. My neighbor was asking about what we believe and if we are still Baptist. She thought when we changed our name that we changed our faith or religion too. She was brought up in the Southern Baptist traditional church and I have met several people who believe even if we are not changing our faith we are watering it down by taking Baptist out of our name. I shared with her that I was brought up in church as well but had a negative experience in a Baptist church as a young teenager. It didn't stop me from going to church all together but it did make me wary of Baptist churches, fearful even. As I get older I realize that this was/is a pretty common experience and appreciate that taking the word Baptist out of the first impression could and does help those that are wary be more open to hearing God's word in our church, to visiting our church and being treated with love and acceptance instead of expecting judgement and fear. This neighbor did agree that the world is changing and that if we are not willing to accept that some traditions do not translate to God's love for unbelievers then church as a whole will keep going away. We can not and would not change the truth. We can decide how we make ourselves known as believers, as a place of worship, as followers of Christ. I have been blessed to watch our Pastor follow the Lord in changing only how we share the truth in order to have the opportunity to share it with a world who doesn't know Him. The thing that keeps people away from Him so many times is our unwillingness as Christians to accept flaw and difference when we claim to love a God who made us different and accepts and loves each of us where we are. We get to choose Him and let Him perfect our flaws not choose others and perfect their flaws for Him.
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