Statesboro New Covenant Church

What are services like?
Visiting a church for the first time can be intimidating. You often don’t know what to expect or what is expected of you. You may have questions but don’t know who to ask or you may be afraid the questions you have seem silly. They’re not. Others have the same questions as you. To make your visit here more comfortable and less complicated- here is our attempt to answer some frequently asked questions: 1) What should I wear? At New Covenant Church you’ll see all styles of dress. Anything from suit and ties and dresses to jeans and shorts with t-shirts. So the answer to this question is very simple- choose an outfit you already own that you feel comfortable in, and join us. 2) What time should I arrive? That’s a great question. If you have children, I suggest coming 10 minutes early. It takes a little time to make your way through the building to check your child into the Kidzone or Nursery area- so coming early will help you avoid feeling rushed. Our goal is for you to feel comfortable and welcomed here, so in getting here a few minutes early you can choose where you want to sit and get acclimated and adjusted to the room before the service begins. There will be free coffee available in the coffee bar for you to enjoy as you read the bulletin while you wait for the service to begin. 3) What will we do? What can I expect? The service follows a fairly typical schedule. We will start off by singing some songs (a blend that all ages can enjoy), then have a short greeting time, followed by receiving an offering (you are not required to participate during this time unless you choose to. Our offerings support the variety of ministries we offer in the church, community and around the world), then I’ll share a message (my intent being to share hope), and we end in prayer and singing one more song. 4) Will you embarrass me? I certainly hope not. I personally don’t like to be embarrassed when I visit somewhere new, so my goal is to create an environment that is comfortable for everyone. You WILL NOT be singled out as a visitor and asked to stand. We don’t even make you fill out card if you choose not to do so. However, we do offer a pretty nice guest gift for those that will give us their contact information. 5) How long will the service last? From start to finish it generally lasts about an hour and a half. The service moves pretty quickly and we don’t think you will get bored. We have a nursery for babies and will dismiss the elementary children about 30 minutes into the service(after worship) to go to Kidzone. 6) Do you have something for children? Absolutely. Birth through pre-kindergarten have a nursery class that begins just before the service. Kindergarten through 5th grade have their own activities designed especially for them and are dismissed at the end of the music segment. They will enjoy a church experience that will engage them at their level. Of course, we don’t keep you from bringing children with you in the worship service if that is more comfortable on a first visit- but we have found that they prefer and truly do enjoy the service designed for them. 7) Will my children be safe? We have a registration system, that we call check-in, in which your child is given a name tag and you have a corresponding tag. This parent tag is used to pick your child up from either the nursery or the Kidzone elementary ministry. This way no one can take your child but you. We strive to have a healthy teacher-student ratio and each of our teachers have passed a background check. We follow every necessary step to insure your child’s safety. 8) Do I have to come back? What am I signing up when I come on Sunday? There’s no obligation beyond Sunday. It’s a “free look”. Promise. Being honest, we do ask you to fill out a contact card and, if you do, we will follow up with you. And I hope you do. I love seeing who God brought to us as visitors. I love meeting visitors. But, even if you fill out a card, we allow you to tell us how you want to be contacted. Phone, email, social media, or visit — or none — you tell us. We won’t put any unfair pressure on you to ever come again. We hope you will come back, and we’d love if Sunday triggered that desire in you, but that’s your call — not ours. Don’t mark a church off your list unless it was obvious why you’re doing so. Sometimes it takes several visits before you know if a church is right for you. 9) How can I meet people? We suggest that you hang around for about 10 minutes after service. Some of the most dedicated volunteers and the staff stay around and visit for a while. You will get a chance to interact on a deeper level and ask questions. You can learn a lot about the church by watching how people interact with each other. 10) Can I get involved? Of course, and please do. Check the bulletin for activities and jump right in. Sign up for a class or attend a LIFE group. A church should be selected based on more than whether you liked a worship service. That’s certainly part of it, but where can God use you and your family best? Where will you best grow? I hope that you have found this helpful. Keep in mind that this was written for New Covenant Church- but I suspect most answers will be the same for other Churches you may visit. And I’m nearly positive that most pastors would prefer you to ask rather than not visit at all. So if you don’t know, ask. Please. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] Maybe we can even add your question and its answer to this list for the benefit of others.