We understand that visiting a new church can be a bit unnerving. Let us give you a little more info on how things will be so you can plan your visit.
LOCATION
There are a number of buildings in the Evie Garrett Dennis Campus (4800 Telluride St). The best way to enter is to come in on the West parking lot via Telluride. From there you can find the entrance to Building 1
WHERE TO GO
When you come inside you will be greeted by our welcome crew. New visitors get a welcome bag with some gifts and info about the church. The welcome crew and ushers can help point you to our different ministry areas, but just in case:
The sanctuary is the first right turn when you enter | The children’s ministry area will be on your left (4k – 5th grade) | Middle and High School classes are up the stairs immediately on your left
In the sanctuary, our ushers can help you find a seat and answer any questions you may have. The info carts for our various ministries (women’s ministry, men’s ministry, book store, etc) are lined up on the wall to the left. We also serve coffee, tea, donuts and an occasional other treat.
There is a nursery/cry room available in a room adjacent to the sanctuary. You can leave your little ones (3 and under) with the nursery staff, or go in the cry room with them. We stream the live feed of the service there so you won’t miss a thing.
Opening Worship & Praise music – We generally begin our service by worshiping our Lord Jesus through song and music. Our worship team – led by Steve McGee – leads us in 3-5 contemporary Christian songs (and the occasional hymn) and in a time of prayer and preparation to hear God’s Word.
Announcements – love them or hate them we gotta have them. We take a couple of minutes to highlight important events in the life of the church.
Connection Time – Before the sermon, we take 4-5 minutes to greet friends, explore serving opportunities, connect with the pastoral team (and grab another treat & coffee).
Sermon – lead pastor Matthew Dionne or one of the assistant pastors or teaching elders will share an EXPOSITORY message taken from the pages of Scripture. We teach through the Bible verse by verse and chapter by chapter. We are led by the Holy Spirit as we teach God’s Word and help you to apply it in your life. *in case you are wondering, the sermons tend to run between 30-45 minutes – not that anyone is counting*
Closing Worship & Praise music – after the sermon is done we end our time together by going out in song as the worship team leads us in 1-2 closing songs and prays a blessing over our coming week.
ORDER OF THINGS
ATMOSPHERE
We value a casual atmosphere where all feel welcome. If you want to wear a suit and tie, or your best Sunday dress and hat – more power to you. Just know that unless you come on Easter or Christmas the pastors will probably be wearing jeans or slacks and a nice sweater or collared shirt. We put on ZERO pretense – we know that we are ALL sinners saved by God’s grace. We like to be joyful, have fun and try not to take ourselves too seriously. What we do take very seriously is the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, and His command to love and share His Good News.
Order in Worship – we are not a “liturgical” church – so there is no set calendar of preaching and order of service, however we know that our God is a God of order and not chaos (1 Corinthians 14:40). This is why we aim to do all things in a well and decent order and yet be flexible to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We do not encourage ecstatic expressions, prophecies or displays within our regular church service however we do not either forbid any genuine outworking of the Holy Spirit. Our pastors and leaders are equipped to discern and prepared to address any situations that may arise. In all things, first and foremost, Christ must be glorified and God must be obeyed.
All-in-all, the brothers and sisters in Christ that are gathered here every Sunday morning are some of the most warm, loving and genuine people you will ever meet. We never claim to be perfect, but we do love well. I hope you will get a chance to get to know us.
A QUICK WORD ON GIVING...
An uncomfortable subject – I know. Here’s how we handle it:
- God DOESN’T NEED or want your money – He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and is the source of EVERY good thing we have (James 1:17)
- God will provide us with every thing that we need to carry out His ministry (Philippians 4:19)
However……
- God does require you to be obedient to Him in your finances (Malachi 3:10)
- God desires that giving is an act of joyful obedience – not compulsion (2 Corinthians 8:12)
For these reasons we DO NOT pass a collection plate. Your giving is between you and the Lord. However much and wherever He is calling you to give – obey Him, but we will not pressure you or beg you for money.
If you consider Calvary GVR to be your church, and God is calling you to support the ministry, we have options for how to give:
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- There are wooden boxes at the back of the sanctuary with envelopes and pens for cash or check donations.
- Give Online or set up a recurring donation Secure Donation Site