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First time in a
church?
Going to a church service for the first
time can be an exciting, but also
“nail-biting” experience. Here are a few
tips to make you feel at home right
away.
Parking:
At Wayside, we recommend you come at
about 10:50 AM and park at the signs
that say “visitors”. This puts you right
next to the main entrance and those
spaces are put there to make your life
easier. If those are taken, park
anywhere in the parking lot. If you come
late, try the rear lot, and finally you
may park on the driveway as well.
Use your Usher:
When you go to the front door, you may
find people in conversation. One of the
people is likely an Usher or a greeter.
Go to the person who is handing out
sheets of paper, called “bulletins”.
This greeter or usher is a volunteer who
is there to help people feel
comfortable, especially new people, so
use them. Ask them any questions that
you like, and if you are uncertain where
to sit, jut ask them to help you. Please
sit to one side of the pew, so that more
people can fit.
Turn off your Cell phone:
Give yourself the gift of release and
turn off your cell phone. A cell phone
ringing in a worship service (while it
sometimes happens) is very disruptive.
If you forget, just turn it off as soon
as you hear it go off. Do not answer the
phone. If it is important just step
outside and return when you can.
Children:
Wayside UMC provides childcare for the
very young and Sunday School for older
children. The nursery is down the long
hallway at the rear of the sanctuary.
Pam Mate is on staff and is a paid
worker, supported by other parents as
needed.
Generally, parents bring their children
with them for the first twenty minutes
of the worship service. There is a time
when the children come from the
sanctuary and the nursery for a
“children’s time” This is a five minute
time dedicated to the children. After
the children have come up (parents are
welcome to come up as well- recommended
for shy kids), they will be dismissed to
the rear of the room to go to Sunday
School Volunteers. The children will do
arts and crafts or hear stories from the
Bible.
Don’t worry if your child makes some
noise during the service. This happens
all the time and is not a big deal. If
you want, you can simply get up move out
of the service until your child is
settled.
The bulletin:
You will be handed a sheet of paper
folded in half. If there are sheets
inside, just read those as you are
waiting, and then put them aside. The
bulletin is an order of what will be
happening in the service. It gives you
assistance in know when to stand or sit
(this by the way, is always optional).
You will notice that there are sometimes
numbers off to the right. These are the
page numbers for the blue book of songs
found in the pockets in front of you.
Just turn to that number (you can mark
these ahead of time if you like) and
participate as you feel comfortable.
Prayer cards:
If you come with an urgent need, you can
find a blue slip of paper, which says
“prayer requests”. Just fill it out and
give it to an usher. They generally pick
these up during the first song (called
hymns sometimes). You can even request a
meeting with the pastor.
Message:
Our pastor teaches from the bible
through many means, including
participation from the congregation. You
are encouraged to take notes during the
message to assist your memory. You will
not be pushed to participate in anything
which makes you uncomfortable.
Registration:
Do not be afraid to sign in at the
registration. You information will not
be shared outside a few people who will
simply take time to write you a notes or
drop off a gift. You are not obligated
to sign in, but it helps the church
leaders to identify and help you feel
comfortable and well served.
Communion:
The first Sunday of each month we serve
Holy Communion. You will hear the pastor
say that there is an open communion at
this church. This means that anyone may
participate. If you are coming with a
sincere and seeking heart before God,
you may be ready for communion. You may
also choose not to participate. If you
feel trapped in your Pew (long benches),
then just get up with other people and
stand off to the side while they go up
front. Wait to sit, when they have
returned. It is fine to not participate
if you choose.
If you come up, you may kneel or stand
at the front (wait for the ushers to
tell you when to go). You will be
offered a plate of bread and a loaf of
bread. Take a piece of bread and eat it
(this is a sign and symbol of Jesus’
sacrifice for you. It is also a reminder
that you are connected with God and with
each other person in the room through
the Spirit of God). You will then be
offered a very small cup of juice. You
may drink that right away. The server
will dismiss your whole group at once
and you will simply return to where you
were sitting before.
Coffee:
There is coffee and food served after
the worship celebration in the smaller
building, known as Tucker Hall.
A Map of the church:
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 Sun.
school
Youth room
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Tucker
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Sanctuary
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Enter
Here
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