What s it like here for new people?

Transcription

1 What s it like here for new people? A handy pocket guide to life at Beaverton Foursquare Church

2 Shall we start with a map?

3 A map is a good thing. It helps you find your way around a big place like our church, so you ll find one of the entire campus on the next two pages. Hopefully, you ll feel more at home just knowing where things are. It s a good first step in making the transition from visitor to family, but it s really only a first step. So, now that you ve made it through the front door, and know where a few things are, we invite you to explore our church starting with this handy pocket guide.

4 Our College House borders the north end of the main parking lot. 1 2 Campus Map Key = Main Floor = Upstairs = Downstairs Stairs Visitor s Parking (hint: this is for you, at least the first few times you come.) Walker Road 1. Prayer Room 2. Shepherd s Room 3. Sanctuary 4. Sanctuary Upper Room 5. First Steps Center 6. Next Steps Center 7. Family Room 8. Gym 9. Multi-purpose room (coming soon) 10. Fireside Room 11. Student Ministries Building 12. Youth Ministries offices 13. RED Entrance: Newborns,

5 21 Elevator Stairs Crawlers, 1 year-olds, 3 yearolds, 1st and 2nd-graders; also first time check-ins 14. YELLOW Entrance: 2 yearolds, Pre-K and Kindergarten 15. GREEN Entrance: 4 year-olds 16. Children Ministries Building Walker Road 17. Family Discipleship Center (coming soon) 18. BLUE Entrance: 3rd through 6th grade 19. East Building Chapel 20. East Building Fellowship Hall 21. Church Office Entrance

6 Foursquare?

7 It s not unusual for new people to ask us, What s up with that word foursquare? Our movement has it s roots in the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th Century. Starting with a single Los Angeles church in the 1920s, Foursquare has grown into an international movement with 66,000 churches in more than 140 countries and territories. Our name comes from a description of Jesus fourfold Gospel ministry. The Bible teaches that Jesus is Savior, Healer, and Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. It also teaches that Jesus is our soon-coming King. He s a king whom we love, because he first loved us, and gave himself for us.

8 What s love got to do with it?

9 It s a great question to ask: Why is love so important to us? The Bible says that God is love and that anyone can know we are part of his family, when they see our love for one another. For the last 2000 years, most people have come to believe that the church is part of what God s doing in the world when Christians love others well. So we hope, and we pray, that it is our love for Jesus, his teaching, and one another that lets other people know we re really part of God s family. Being friendly to new people is a first step toward loving them, so we hope you ll find us a warm and welcoming place to worship.

10 Who do you love?

11 We love God, and we love you. At this point, you might be thinking, Wait a minute. You don t even know me. That s true, but God does, and he loves you, so how could we not love you too? Jesus teaches us to love others as he did. The Bible says Jesus is the exact representation of God, and he said of himself, If you ve seen me, you ve seen the Father. And because God is a loving Father, he s given us everything that s wonderful about himself in his Son, Jesus. They, in turn, send the Holy Spirit, who always points us to, you guessed it, Jesus. If your heart s never been captured by this God, who loves you, you can find him here.

12 If God is your Father, is this a family?

13 Yes. We believe we re a family, part of God s extended family, and we hope that it s evident when you visit. The Bible uses the language of family a lot (Father, Son, children), so we believe a healthy church should reflect that feeling more like a family and less like an organization, regardless of its size. That s why we work hard at being a loving church where everyone can feel welcome and at home. Sometimes we may miss the mark. Big families like ours can overlook folks, or occasionally take each other for granted, but even when we mess up, we re quick to say we re sorry and try to make it better.

14 Will you love me even if I don t believe?

15 Yes. By the way, that s an unqualified yes. The Bible says to taste and see that the Lord is good. So, we welcome you to do that here with us, even if you re not sure what you believe. We trust that if you come here, you ll get a chance to know who God is, especially if you see him loving you through us. We re not coy about wanting you to believe. We think what we teach is true, and want to share our faith honestly, with a standing invitation to anyone who wants to trust in Jesus Christ. That said, we ll never force anything on you. God doesn t work that way, so neither do we.

16 Okay, so why is believing, important?

17 That s a good question. The Bible is a collection of stories. Stories that tell of a God s love, which is lost, then found. Whether it s Romeo and Juliet or The Princess Bride, you ll see a theme that is established in the Bible: great sacrifice for love s sake. Here s the difference. When it comes to the Christian story, you re the one who is being pursued. And God, the Lover, doesn t ask you to do anything, except trust him that he really does love you and that he s made it right between you and him because of what Jesus did. That s it. That s what we mean when we say, believe. Believing God is the way we enter a living relationship with him.

18 What happens when, or if, I believe?

19 You become a Christian. And that might feel really crazy-amazing, or you might not feel much of anything. In short, most Christians experience this event uniquely. You are free. Free from the guilt of everything you ve ever done or said that s wrong, and free from anything wrong you may ever do or think in the future. God lives with you and in you. Yea, that s pretty crazy, right? But talk to someone who s lived in this freedom for awhile and they ll tell you God shows up and he sticks around. You re now part of a big family. God considers Christians as his adopted children. We take that seriously, and literally. We are family with all other Christians, but especially with those nearby.

20 Is that it?

21 Mostly, but here s the thing. All the stuff Christians do, like going to church, reading their Bibles, praying, and serving others, will not create or diminish your relationship with God. Period. The only thing that matters is faith in God, in other words, trusting him. But, all of those things will impact the intimacy of your relationship with God, and the rest of his family. So, while our relationship with God is secure in his love, our intimacy with him is impacted deeply by spending time doing the things listed above. This is where some folks really get twisted when they think those things make God love them more. He already loves them, as the Bible says, to the end.

22 What do I do if I want to become a Christian?

23 First, you talk to God. You could say something like this to him: God, I m sorry for the bad things I ve done and thought my sin. I believe that you love me. I believe that you sent Jesus, that he died on the Cross, was buried, and that he rose up again, alive. Please make me one of your children. The Bible says that when you are sincerely sorry for your sin, believing whole-heartedly that Jesus died for you and rose from the dead publicly acknowledging him as your savior and Lord then you re a Christian. At that point you ve begun a life of loving and following him, becoming Jesus disciple. Finally, tell someone, preferably a Chrstian you know who will help you grow spiritually. Don t know one? Talk to us. We ll help.

24 Okay, what s this about being a disciple?

25 Yea, that s a big Christian word, but it s an important one. First, it means you believe. Second, it means you spend time with God, learning about him at church and in smaller groups. You also do it by reading the Bible, especially about Jesus. This is the relationship part, where God talks to you through reading the Bible and then you pray, talking with him about anything at all. Next, you start doing the things Jesus and his first followers did. Loving people; hanging out with other disciples, in church and outside of it; serving others; telling them about Jesus; and helping them believe too. You usually do all this with people from a church you go to. We d be honored if it was ours.

26 What s it like to make your church the place I hang out?

27 It s a lot like life. We all share life in rows, circles, and paths. Think about it. Everyone s experienced things like stadiums, dinner tables, and road trips. People celebrate together in stadiums, whether it s their favorite music or a sports team. They gather with family around tables and friends will travel almost any distance, long or short, to be with those they love. Our church uses similar structures for ministry. We gather large groups in rows to celebrate Jesus. People from the church get together as God s family in circles apart from our regular services, usually in home groups, and they go in and out of the church along paths to serve those they love.

28 What s it like to be in a row?

29 The most common row here is our worship services. They can be described as simple and substantial. Relaxed and respectful. We re not trying to be cool, or manufacture energy for outdated traditions. We re just trying to be real. When we gather in large groups, whether on a regular Sunday morning or during a special time, it s all about worship and God s Word. New people will often ask: What do I wear? Clothes, please What s the music like? Good, mostly What s the preaching like? Biblical, always So, what time on Sunday? 8:00, 9:30, or 11:15 a.m.

30 What s it like to be in a circle?

31 Things slow down in our circles, where we gather in small groups. Whether it s an evening Life Group in someone s home, an early morning men s Bible study at the church. A time for more seasoned moms to mentor young mothers, or kids and youth connecting in their own small groups, the common thread is this: they re small enough and relaxed enough for people to connect with God and others, helping one another invest existing relationships with biblical meaning. In a big church like ours, these circles can really help turn friendly strangers into real family. They help make Beaverton Foursquare a place where people know they belong, and that they re loved.

32 What s it like to be on a path?

33 Around here, paths help folks move in two directions. We want to help the people in our church find avenues to share God s love among their friends, neighbors, and coworkers. And we want to make sure that anyone can find their way into our church, where we can love them. See? Paths go both ways. Most churches call this missions and outreach. That s why we call it missions and outreach.

34 What about kids and youth?

35 We believe that our kids and youth deserve the same spiritual care as adults, so we make ministry to children a priority from newborns through college-age. Even so, God has designed parents to have the most powerful influence on their children s spiritual formation. That s why we work hard to make sure that our ministry to children and young people is always home-centered and church-supported. At our Family Discipleship Center, you can learn more, and see how this approach fits into the vision of our church.

36 So, do you have a vision for the church?

37 It s pretty simple, really. We call our vision Family on mission. You ve already read a lot about why we re family, but what you might not know is that we ve been one for more than fifty years with at least five generations among us. We may not like the same music, or share a similar taste in clothes, but we love each other. We think having some folks with white hair and others with multi-colored locks is actually a really good thing.it s us embracing Jesus Great Commandment: to love God and one another. In addition, some of our family is from far away places, like Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Latin America, South Korea and Vietnam, for example. Just like the Bible says; every tribe and tongue.

38 I get the family part, but what s the mission?

39 The mission is simple too. It s all of our five generations, and people from every culture who passionately follow Jesus together sharing the Gospel in their homes, among their neighbors, and around the world. If this sounds familiar, it should. Because we re part of the larger mission that Jesus gave his church. He said to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do all that he taught us. That s called the Great Comission. Family on mission. It s a simple phrase that helps us remember that church is really about the Great Commandment and the Great Comission.

40 Intrigued? Here s what s next.

41 We have a once-a-month event called I m new. It s a small gathering designed to help you get connected to the life of our church. You get to meet some of the folks who have been part of the family for awhile, and share a little food with them. If you d like to check it out, come to the Fireside Room after the second morning service on the second Sunday of any month, usually about 10:45 or so. We d love to see you there, and personally welcome you to the church.

42 Please join us at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:15 Sunday mornings for our worship services. Children s ministries are available ages nursery through 5th grade at all services. Sixth grade meets at 9:30 or 11:15 in the East building Fellowship Hall, Junior high students meet in the gym at 9:30, and high school students meet at 11:15 in the gym. College-Age adults meet on Friday s, 6:30 pm, in our College House. Please feel welcome to park in our visitors lot just off Walker Road for your first few visits. To learn more, please visit