Location, Directions & Time
We currently meet at the gorgeous and sun-filled Guilford Community Center (proper name is the Nathaniel Greene Community Center) at 32 Church Street/Rte. 77 in Guilford from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Our long-term goal is to lease or purchase a permanent location that can be either a dual-use or mixed-use facility that would be an asset to the community at large.
Directions:
From I-95, take Exit 58/Rte. 77. Turn south off exit ramp, cross the Post Road/Rte. 1 (Rte. 77 then becomes Church Street) and look for our sign 1/2 mile on the right.
What to Expect:
As for any “dress code,” well, we’re pretty casual - so no need to dress formally unless you prefer that. The important thing to know is that when it comes to what God cares about (our heads and hearts), well-worn jeans are as good as a tailored linen suit.
When you arrive, you can get a hot cup of coffee or something from our water/juice bar and grab a seat. Instrumental music will be being played, but we don’t expect it to be a hushed quiet in the sanctuary area, so feel free to greet folks you know - or those you’d like to meet!
We spend the first half hour with all the kids and adults together in a wonderful format one might describe as “prayerful singing.”
We typically call it “worship” because the lyrics of the songs often describe God’s personality and nature as revealed through history, the Bible, and in the day-to-day experiences of contemporary song writers. For example, some songs might describe what it’s like for us trying to wrap our minds around someone as infinitely big, but as intimately personal as the Creator. Some people find this style of worship can be a surprisingly rich way of connecting with God - a kind of communion. Apparently, that was the plan from the beginning: The prophet Isaiah wrote, “God inhabits the praises of his people.”
Don’t be alarmed if you see some people bowing their heads, kneeling, raising their hands or even fighting tears; these are all legitimate, responses when humanity and divinity intersect. (You know, if sane people paint their half-naked bodies and scream during a UConn basketball game, some kind of reaction in the presence of the Almighty is not so surprising.)
If you have children from infant to age two, we offer supervised care for the whole service, so you can drop them off first if you’d rather not have them in for the first part of the service with you.
After the singing, we dismiss the children to their Sunday School classes (more on that below), and have a couple-minute break for the kids to transition and for the remaining congregation to greet one another or get something to drink from the coffee and juice bar.
Next, the sermon, is typically part of a study progression through a particular book, letter or biography from the Bible. We are acutely aware, however, that we are not “preaching to the choir” (we don’t even have a choir!). What we mean is that while some of us are already committed Christians who have been trying to be a student of Jesus for some time, others of us are skeptical agnostics; others are curious and open, but certainly not committed, and many are new enough to Christianity that the Bible still is imposing and bit confusing. Therefore, we try hard to make the sermons free of religious language, simple in their thrust, culturally astute, and not just informational, but (please God!) actually inspirational.
At the end of the service, we celebrate Holy Communion and/or conclude with a benediction and final song of blessing.
On the Sundays we celebrate Communion, we also offer personal prayer
by a team of trained, mature Christians immediately after the service. They
will pray with/for you for any kind of need, or if you want to authentically
respond to something you felt during the service. The prayer teams exercise
strict confidentiality; your care and dignity is our priority.
Regarding Holy Communion - also know as “the Eucharist” by our Catholic and Episcopal
family - we celebrate that ancient and profound sacrament on the first and third Sundays of the month.Are there restrictions on who can take Holy Communion? No and yes. We let anyone come to the “Lord’s Table” regardless of religious standing, denominational affiliation, age, etc. We do ask, however, that each person understands that the Apostle Paul said we are “proclaiming the Lord’s death” (1Cor. 11:26) - and resurrection - when we do this, so Communion is for those who are willing to do that, or those who want to be willing to do that.
Children/Youth
At our Sunday service, we offer childcare for infants through age two during the whole
service. So, you can have your child with you during the worship portion of the service,or s/he is in the squirmy stage, you can drop your child off in the Nursery and come on it to enjoy the worship.
For children age three to sixth grade, we offer three Sunday School classes that begin at 11:00, just after worship: Pre-K to kindergarten; first grade to third grade; fourth grade to sixth grade. We use a rotation of lead teachers with one assistant for reasons of classroom effectiveness, safety and accountability.
Philosophically, our goal is to teach the kids to love life, love themselves, love others, and love Jesus. The teaching teams see themselves more as mentors or shepherds for the kids, not just educators.
We also strive to make the classroom experience more fun than regular school, so we look for ways to involve their five senses, encourage participation (this side of controlled chaos) and, of course, serve the all-important snack.
Junior/Senior High
Our hope is to challenge our students to love each other, to know and love God, and to adopt a lifestyle of being Christ's ambassadors. And we'll try any group meetings and experiences to encourage that.