Sunday Services
Sunday Service Time: 10:00am
What To Expect
WELCOME
Thanks for your interest in our Sunday meetings or “services” (church term), which are open to anyone and everyone! Typical Sunday services include time before and after for us to get to know each other (church term: fellowship), a band to lift our spirits and get us focused on Jesus (church term: worship), and someone sharing a helpful, challenging message (church term: sermon).
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People from all different backgrounds, countries, and life stories love coming here—kids too—and there’s usually anywhere from 100-150 people at each service. It’s a laid back, accepting environment, perfect for learning about Jesus and the amazing life He has for us.
THE BASICS
The formal part of Sunday services lasts about 120 minutes. Lots of people come early and stay late.
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If you’re worried about what to wear, don’t be! Come however you feel comfortable – whether shorts and sandals or shirt and tie, it’s all good.
As you’re coming in, a greeter will welcome you with a smile. Ushers are available to help you get your children signed in for Kids Church (if you’ve brought children) and help you to a seat. You can also visit the Welcome Table if you have any questions.
How Our Sunday Services Go
Normally everyone starts out together in the main auditorium. In the summer, though, if you’re bringing children please ask when you sign them in whether they should go directly to Kids Church.
MUSIC
Things get started in the main auditorium with some live music to celebrate and remember what God has done for us. It’s not exactly a quiet affair, with electric guitars, drums and lots of other instruments, but we keep the volume safe.
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If you’ve been to other similar churches, you’ll recognize songs from artists like Hillsong, Jesus Culture, Elevation, Passion, etc. (You can YouTube them if you’d like samples.) There’s also lots of modern contemporary songs, as well as some traditional hymns.
Regardless of the song, it’s always about taking our focus off all the distractions of life and putting it on God.
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KIDS (AGES 0-12)
Our number one priority with kids is to keep them all safe. With that in mind, children who will be attending Kids Church (church term: Sunday School) need to be checked in when you arrive at the church.
The check-in kiosk is found in the Church Foyer. You’ll need to let us know about allergies, medical conditions, and other important information. Assisted check-in is available from 30 minutes prior to the service start time through to the start of the service. (If you want a head start on first-time check-in, just click the “Kids Form” button below.)
To find where to take your children, be sure to pick up the brochure, “Harvest City Kids Sunday School – What You Need to Know” when you sign your child in (or view/download it below). It includes a map of the Sunday School classrooms.
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Activity bags are available at the sign-in kiosk for children who remain with their parents in the service. There is no nursing room available at this time (so sorry).
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We have trained teachers for every age from kindergarten up elementary aged kids. The kids are grouped according to age to keep the content relevant, so you can rest assured they’re having fun and learning.
GREETINGS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND GIVING
There’s usually a couple minutes after the music ends for people to say hi to each other, followed by a few minutes of announcements to let everyone know what’s going on in the The City Of Restoration community. During the announcements, we give people opportunity to give to the church and its outreach programs, but there’s absolutely, positively no obligation for you to do so.
THE MESSAGE
Next up is the speaker for the day. Most Sundays the speaker is one of the pastors or leaders at The City Of Restoration, but we mix guests in, too. Our goal is Sunday messages that are solid and biblical, yet very relevant, clear and understandable whether you have church experience or not. We usually put the Bible quotes up on the screen, so it’s okay if you don’t have your own Bible (if you’d like a great free one for your phone, click HERE).
We think the people speaking are pretty engaging because they’re really authentic (sometimes to a fault) and God honours that by giving them an extra dose of inspiration.
PRAYER & MEETING THE PASTOR
At the end of the message there’s usually an option to have someone pray for you if you’d like (altar call). You shouldn’t feel pressured at all, but if you want to respond to what was spoken in the message or if you have any need whatsoever, come on up. Over and over again we’ve seen God’s faithfulness to answer prayer. You don’t have to be specific about what you need prayer for if you don’t want to.
You are always more than welcome to come and talk to the speaker or any other leaders if you have questions or would just like to chat.
AFTER SUNDAY SERVICES
When the meeting is over, feel free to strike up a conversation with someone around you, stop by the information tables, come schmooze over refreshments in the Church Foyer (when available), or head for the Welcome Table in that foyer for answers to questions.
It can be intimidating coming to a big church, but we trust you’ll find The City Of Restoration community warm and friendly as you get to know us better.