What to Expect
- First time guest?? Receive a gift bag with a Starbucks card & other treats as a remembrance of your first time with us! Stop by the Welcome Booth in the cafe' before or after the service.
- Worship services start promptly at 10am & are done by 11:15.
- Coffee and tea are available in our cafe' both before and after the service - feel free to grab a cup and stay for fellowship!
- Parents, if you have infants / children (up to 6th grade), we offer options for your children during the service; click this link to learn more.
- As you enter the worship center, a program (which includes the teaching outline & order of service) will be available to you.
- The service typically begins with one of our pastors opening with a warm welcome, an update, and prayer, after which our worship team leads the congregation to sing 3 songs of blended praise. After one of our pastors teaches a relevant, biblical message (about 35 minutes), the service will close with a song of reflection.
- If you dropped off any children, pick them up from their room right after the service (with the numbered card you received).
- Hang out as long as you'd like!! Meet a potential new friend by introducing yourself ... or catch up with an old one!
COVID update (Dec 2021)
As our church family prepares each week to gather in the midst of ever-changing federal, state, and local regulations for group gatherings, we continue to give careful consideration to the health and safety of our church family and community. Accordingly, we want to share some observations, and hope to proactively answer some questions.
For the next several weeks, in accordance with the practice that we established during the winter of 2020-21 and served us so well, please wear a mask unless you are at your seat (including Sunday services, children & youth ministries). We will continue to keep seats in the pod layout (with overflow seating in the café), and we will continue to livestream the Sunday worship service for those who are unable to (or are uncomfortable with) attending in person. As always, please refrain from attending if you are showing any symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, frequent cough, difficulty breathing, muscle pain, sore throat, recent loss of smell or taste, OR if you or someone you live with has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Regulations have been in flux and the governing levels creating them have not always been consistent with each other, but what is consistent to our perspective on gathering – and what makes it radically different than any other setting – is the reality that we are motivated and empowered by our loving Savior to be a beacon of light in a world full of darkness. Therefore, let us approach the gatherings of Open Arms Church with the following commitments:
1. Prayerfulness. Our access to God through our relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, affords us the greatest advantages of any people on the planet. He knows our difficulties and trials and cares for us. Psalm 119:67 reminds us that He is good and does good. Any anxiety in our hearts has an ever-present invitation to be resolved in His throne room, resulting in supernatural peace (Hebrews 4:14-16). Please continue to pray for our church, our community, our government, and our own attitudes in this process.
2. Servanthood. Our perspectives on gatherings have the potential to unveil fear and selfishness within our hearts. We may be tempted to think of the pandemic as more or less than it is and consequently be judgmental of anyone who does not share our viewpoint. Love and empathy ought to govern our attitudes toward others with whom we differ, always looking out for their interests above our own (Philippians 2:3–5). Setting aside our own opinions and preferences for the good of others is foundational to the gospel ministry.
3. Humility. Due to the variety of factors that we are facing and their widespread impact across the world, much about this situation is open to analysis and debate. While we should all be aware of the times in which we live, each of us can be tempted to render judgment above our knowledge. When considering what to share with others, whether privately or publicly, we do well to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought (e.g., Rom 12:3), and this extends to our opinions about what has been presented (e.g., social media outlets; Prov 11:12; 17:28; 18:13, 17).
4. Patience. We need to continue to exercise patience, endurance, and fluidity as we navigate these challenging times. As we move forward with a careful and community-sensitive plan, we can maintain our testimony as a church and protect those most vulnerable in our midst. The New Testament Greek word for endurance is hupomone. It means “to remain under.” God calls us to “remain under” our trials as long as He deems good for us. (Rom 5:3–5; James 1:2–12).
5. Love. One of the blessings of this difficult season has been watching how you continue to love, serve and care for one another. Please stay creative and faithful in these endeavors. Love one another (1 John 4:7), bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2), pray for one another (Eph 6:18), keep serving one another (1 Pet 4:10). Jesus said the world will know we are His disciples as they see how we love one another (John 13:34-35). We are so grateful to God for a church family who is faithful to love Him and one another.
Thank you for your patience and consideration for others as we walk through this season as a church family.
For the next several weeks, in accordance with the practice that we established during the winter of 2020-21 and served us so well, please wear a mask unless you are at your seat (including Sunday services, children & youth ministries). We will continue to keep seats in the pod layout (with overflow seating in the café), and we will continue to livestream the Sunday worship service for those who are unable to (or are uncomfortable with) attending in person. As always, please refrain from attending if you are showing any symptoms of COVID-19, such as a fever, frequent cough, difficulty breathing, muscle pain, sore throat, recent loss of smell or taste, OR if you or someone you live with has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Regulations have been in flux and the governing levels creating them have not always been consistent with each other, but what is consistent to our perspective on gathering – and what makes it radically different than any other setting – is the reality that we are motivated and empowered by our loving Savior to be a beacon of light in a world full of darkness. Therefore, let us approach the gatherings of Open Arms Church with the following commitments:
1. Prayerfulness. Our access to God through our relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ, affords us the greatest advantages of any people on the planet. He knows our difficulties and trials and cares for us. Psalm 119:67 reminds us that He is good and does good. Any anxiety in our hearts has an ever-present invitation to be resolved in His throne room, resulting in supernatural peace (Hebrews 4:14-16). Please continue to pray for our church, our community, our government, and our own attitudes in this process.
2. Servanthood. Our perspectives on gatherings have the potential to unveil fear and selfishness within our hearts. We may be tempted to think of the pandemic as more or less than it is and consequently be judgmental of anyone who does not share our viewpoint. Love and empathy ought to govern our attitudes toward others with whom we differ, always looking out for their interests above our own (Philippians 2:3–5). Setting aside our own opinions and preferences for the good of others is foundational to the gospel ministry.
3. Humility. Due to the variety of factors that we are facing and their widespread impact across the world, much about this situation is open to analysis and debate. While we should all be aware of the times in which we live, each of us can be tempted to render judgment above our knowledge. When considering what to share with others, whether privately or publicly, we do well to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought (e.g., Rom 12:3), and this extends to our opinions about what has been presented (e.g., social media outlets; Prov 11:12; 17:28; 18:13, 17).
4. Patience. We need to continue to exercise patience, endurance, and fluidity as we navigate these challenging times. As we move forward with a careful and community-sensitive plan, we can maintain our testimony as a church and protect those most vulnerable in our midst. The New Testament Greek word for endurance is hupomone. It means “to remain under.” God calls us to “remain under” our trials as long as He deems good for us. (Rom 5:3–5; James 1:2–12).
5. Love. One of the blessings of this difficult season has been watching how you continue to love, serve and care for one another. Please stay creative and faithful in these endeavors. Love one another (1 John 4:7), bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2), pray for one another (Eph 6:18), keep serving one another (1 Pet 4:10). Jesus said the world will know we are His disciples as they see how we love one another (John 13:34-35). We are so grateful to God for a church family who is faithful to love Him and one another.
Thank you for your patience and consideration for others as we walk through this season as a church family.