I had never attended church with my husband and we had been together 20+ years.After several personal invitations from our son, we attended.We instantly felt welcomed. People greeted us the moment we drove in. We received one of the best parking spots available. As we...
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I had never attended church with my husband and we had been together 20+ years.After several personal invitations from our son, we attended.We instantly felt welcomed. People greeted us the moment we drove in. We received one of the best parking spots available. As we entered, the parking attendants greeted us with huge smiles and welcomes. Under the entry awning, numerous smiling members greeted us. One of which gave us a quick little tour of the building. They had free coffee and the children's ministry was amazing, so safe and secure.I've since let my grandsons enjoy the children's ministry. One is autistic and they treat him with care and compassion.Walking into the auditorium/sanctuary, I was given a pen and a message/sermon note taking card. The card was based on the message/sermon of the week and specifically designed for taking notes. Fantastic idea!!! I have never been given a tool that was designed for better Biblical retention ever before! What an amazing idea and so thoughtful.You don't have to be a member to get Baptized. They have a prayer team to pray for you or with you. You can even attend one of their small groups.You can attend any of their many Spectacular Events for children/adults; such as the Christmas Snow Event, Easter Helicopter Drop, Glow Hunt, Mom's/Dad's Day. Your kids can even join the Youth Group which has a wonderful youth Pastor, Pastor Rusty.Lead Pastor Gary and his fellow pastors share the message in clear, relatable ways. When they quote scripture, it's displayed on large screens so that you absolutely understand what verse is being quoted and what is being said with no question.I love the music. It might be louder than "some" others, but I can literally feel the spirit filling the room.It's a tad too loud for my 80 year old father, but the perfect solution is to enjoy some coffee and watch the church musicians on the TV monitors in the cafe. When the worship musicians finish, that's your cue to go into the auditorium/sanctuary.There the ushers will help you find a seat. The Pastor is usually just coming out onto the stage at that time.This is my personal opinion, but I agree with how the music is in the church. It's modern but with Christian messages. I love my fellow "older" attendees, but most of us older folk are already believers.It's wonderful to get new "older" Christians, but the older we are, the quicker we'll be gone. We need to show the younger generations, that church can be ENJOYABLE and not so ridged and stuffy. That you can learn the teachings of the Bible in relatable, modern, understandable, enjoyable ways. We need the younger generations to understand Christianity, because we need them to continue to spread God's word when we're gone. (Again, just my opinion)We attended off/on for several months. After we attended a few weeks in a row we attended one of the "Bootcamps", which to me is kinda like a get together to figure out your best fit for getting to know your fellow church attendees while also actively serving in some way to help spread Jesus' message. The church attendees truly become your "church family".At the Bootcamp we attended, Pastor Darius took the time to speak with us on a personal level.The very next week Pastor Darius inquired how we were. My husband who rarely told personal stuff to anyone, immediately felt so comfortable with PD (Pastor Darius) that he mentioned that he wasn't feeling so great and that some tests were run. PD said a prayer for us, with us, for my husband.Unfortunately we did not receive good news. My husband had pancreatic/duodenal cancer. He passed 11 months and 20 days later.In my opinion, my husband wouldn't have made it that long, nor I through his illness; without all of the love, support and care we received from all of the church staff/family, as well as, from our new church friends/family.We started going here and have never stopped. Pastor Darius honored us by serving as the minister at my husband's memorial.HIGHLY RECOMMEND!