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I know – it’s not easy visiting a new church for the first time. You might feel like a fish out of water. Do I belong here? Am I really welcome? Will the people be unfriendly? Or too friendly? Will I be conspicuous? Will it be easy to leave if I feel uncomfortable? Will they ask me for money? Will my kids enjoy it? How should I dress? Am I welcome if I’m not yet a Christian?
As pastor, I want to make visiting MPC an enjoyable experience – easy, stress free, and encouraging. We want Mitchelton Presbyterian Church to be an easy church to become part of, even if you’ve never been to church before. In fact, almost half the people you’ll meet in our 10.30 service are new to MPC in the last few years, and quite a number have had no church background, so they’ll know how you feel. When I’m visiting a new church for the first time, I like to know what to expect, so here’s a brief overview. |
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When you arrive at MPC (on Ruby Road, just a couple of blocks west of Brookside shopping centre) for the 10.30am service, you’ll sometimes find the parking lot is pretty full, with people leaving from the earlier service, and others arriving. We encourage our regulars to park around the corner in Blackwood St, or in the Railway car-park (also in Blackwood St) so there will be plenty of room for newcomers in our own parking lot� but sometimes we forget! Parking along Ruby Rd is not recommended – road rules say you should be at least 3 metres from the centre line of the road. Take care!
No matter which service you come to, at the front door, you should meet members of our welcoming team, who’ll say hello and hand out the weekly bulletin and a welcome pack to first-timers. We have newcomers every week, and it’s easy to miss a new face in the crowd, so please introduce yourself. The welcome team can answer any questions you have, and direct you to the auditorium. If you have children, they’ll be keen to find out about ‘kidzbiz’, which runs alongside both our morning services. Our usual routine is that kids share in the first part of the service, and leave during the announcement time. They’ll be told when it’s time to go. There’s a baby care room at the back of the auditorium on the Ruby Rd side, and a toddlers creche area near the disabled toilets on the railway side.
If you have highschoolers, we have plenty for them to be involved in. Apart from Youthchurch (5.00pm) there are Youth Growth Groups that meet weekly as well as an active and exciting social program. See Stu Hoadley for more info.) Our weekly bulletin contains the week’s announcements, as well as an outline of the bible talk, with some space to take notes if you like. There’s also a green, tear off slip, which is an easy way for us to get better acquainted; you can ask for any kind of information or assistance, make comments, and leave us your contact details. If you’re looking for a church home, or simply want to know more about mpc, indicate on the form, drop the form in the green box at the door, and we’ll get in touch.
Our 9.00am service aims to start right on time, and runs for around 55 minutes. The 10.30am service may sometimes start a little behind schedule… feel free to grab a coffee and join in morning tea with the early service crowd if you arrive early. We encourage people to use these few minutes before formalities begin to chat – and especially to say hi to anyone new. We strongly believe “church” is about gathering for fellowship and encouragement!
All our services are designed to be simple and straightforward. Our 9.00am service is a little more traditional, while our 10.30am service is contemporary. Each service features songs, prayer, announcements, a bible reading and a talk. Our goal is to keep everything pretty much in plain English. If you haven�t been to church much, and you�re not comfortable singing, feel free to just listen. All our music, whether modern or old, is to designed to ‘let the word of Christ dwell in us richly as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to God.’ (Colossians 3:16) In other words, we sing songs that say what the bible says, and focus on Jesus.
That’s the goal of the weekly Bible talk too. We work through whole books of the bible, one section at a time. That means you won’t find the preacher choosing favourite “hobby horse” passages. It means we tackle the tough bits of the bible as well as the popular bits, and that issues are handled in the same proportion as they come up in the bible. At all times, though, our focal point is Jesus, because we’re convinced that �all the scriptures� testify about Him. (Luke 24:27)
Our mid-week ‘Growth Groups’ are a vital part of church life. If you’re wanting to get to know people and really feel part of the MPC community, being part of a group is an essential starting point. Groups meet for two hours on a weeknight, and preview the passage for the following Sunday. It’s a great way to dig deeper into God’s word. As well as discussion time, there’s time for prayer and supper. Growth Groups are encouraged to organise social events through the year. If you’re a newcomer, the best news of all is that groups dissolve at the end each year, and new groups re-form at the beginning of the February school term. In other words, if you’ve just arrived, you can soon be part of a brand new group. Derek Hanna (derek@mpc.org.au) can help you find a group through the year.
One thing you may notice is that when we pass the collection plate, we’ll encourage visitors and newcomers to feel free not to contribute. Our financial support comes completely from our committed regular attenders, but if you’re still looking for a church, or if you’re simply investigating the Christian faith, we want you to be our guest. There’s no pressure to give. During the collection time, it’s a great opportunity to say hi to the people sitting around you. Everyone’s naturally shy – so why not take the initiative and introduce yourself?
After the service, we hope you’ll stay around, meet some people and enjoy some morning tea.
That’s about it. People often tell me they feel comfortable and “at home” at MPC. I hope that’s your experience too. Please take the opportunity to introduce yourself to me – I’d love to meet you, and help you take your first steps at Mitchelton Presbyterian Church.
Phil Campbell
Ministry Team