What to Expect

What to Expect

You can expect a warm, friendly, and casual environment. No fancy dress unless you like it

Haven Community Church incorporates timeless elements into our weekly worship services, using a variety of song, prayer and other elements that represent the best of contemporary worship.  You can join us in person at our facility in North East, MD, or watch live streaming video via the internet on your computer or mobile device.

In our order of worship, we have included elements that have been part of Christian worship that have endured through the ages. We are a non-denominational church, but our roots are in the Methodist and Free Methodist denominations from which we grew.

We encourage broad congregational participation.  For example, we include different people every week in presenting Gods word found in scripture, and have many persons applying the musical gifts God has given them.

Our Typical Order of Worship

Countdown

The countdown usually begins five minutes prior to each of our worship services and is intended to be a call to worship, and a time of preparing ourselves for worship. Various videos and music are played in order to meet the needs of people having many different musical tastes. It is our intention that the countdown not function as background music for conversation, but rather that it serve as a time to focus our hearts and minds on Almighty God.

Welcome

We view the welcome, which follows the countdown, as a time to set the tone for the worship service. In the welcome, we affirm that we are glad to be worshiping God together. We extend a special welcome to our visitors.

Congregational Singing

We consider congregational singing the most important musical expression of our church. As we sing together, we offer a witness of God at work in the world, we share the riches of our Christian experience and understanding, and we rehearse for the time when we will sing together in Heaven. Depending upon the text, we sing both to the Lord and to one another. While God’s Word tells us of God’s love for us, congregational singing is one way that we make known our love for God!

Children depart for Sunday School

God greatly values children!  Therefore, we—their church family along with their individual families—value them as precious gifts and are responsible to bring them up to love, worship, and serve the Lord.  Children’s Time is one of the ways we show how truly special they are and teach them of Jesus’ love. Since we have new children all the time, we ask you to check your child(ren) in using a kiosk outside the classrooms. You can also drop them off before the service if that is your preference.

Prayer for the People

Prayer is a very important part of our service and journey to be closer to God. We acknowledge the needs of our people and community, and lift them up to the Lord during the service, and during the week through our Prayer Group.

Annoucements

There is so much going on every week, this part of the service allows you to find an area that impacts you and your family the most. Find an area and use your God given talents.

Sermon

Preaching is a gift of God in which one called of God is inspired to interpret scripture in a practical way for the contemporary congregation.  Our pastor uses contemporary techniques that bring Gods message to people in a simple and modern way, helping each person connect to their Lord.

Prayer

As prayer is critical in our worship, we offer a second period of prayer with our prayer leaders for the worshiper to ask God into their lives at an individual level.

Worship in Giving

We believe that the giving of our tithes and offerings is a high moment of participation when we present a portion of ourselves to God in recognition of His ownership of all things.  At this time the activities of our workweek come in contact with a Holy God Who gives strength for honest labor.  The offering is not a money-raising interlude but rather an ultimate act of praise and thanksgiving.

Postlude

The postlude is a focus on music as the service comes to conclusion. It is lead by our praise team and actively involves the whole congregation.