Starting October 14th, 2018, we'll be moving to two Sunday Worship times in Midtown - 10:00a & 11:30 am.
We will have kids programs available (birth-5th grade) at the 10:00a service only.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Why a 2nd Service?
- This move is being made for the sake of mission and community. This move is about mission because another service creates more room and options to reach people looking for a church home, especially those disconnected from church. This move is for community because the size of a congregation can still feel more close-knit with two smaller services.
- This move offers more opportunities for people to serve on Sundays.
- This move allows Hope Tots & Kids volunteers to attend a Sunday Service and serve in another one.
2) What will happen to our pizza meals?
We will still have pizza meals on the 3rd Sunday of the month after both services.
3) Will kids' programs be available for both services?
No. For now, we will offer the tots' and kids' programs for one service - the 10:00a service.
4) Will the services be the same?
Yes, the service will be identical for the most part. We regularly plan for our services to run between 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
5) Why not move to a bigger location?
- We have a great relationship/partnership with our space at Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission, including our volunteer work with them, the storage space they have allotted to us, the affordable rate they charge us for rental, and the wonderful encouragement we have received from the SA ISJC Leadership.
- The building is air-conditioned, easily reachable from the E, M, or 6 train (and close to F, N, Q, R, 4 & 5 trains), and has adequate street parking for Midtown. This combination of factors is difficult to find in other locations of Midtown East.
- Since we place a high value on community, we strive to maintain a "small church" feel in this season of our church. We therefore aim for each service not to exceed 150-200 people. It's easier for people to be "seen" in a crowd of this size, and to connect with the congregation at a deeper level.
6) Why now?
The building staff at SA ISJC mentioned to us that the capacity of our space is 200 people if it’s jam-packed, considering hallway space, main room space, kids' space, and parking. In recent weeks, we’ve been at or near 200 in attendance a few times (including kids). Meanwhile, our current active roster has 265 adults and 30 kids (295 total), as we have routinely had 5-15 visitors/week the past month or so.
With more visitors coming this Fall, going to two services in October gives us the opportunity to have a regular rhythm of two services so that we're prepared for the influx of new people.
Since we routinely conducted two services from October 2015-September 2017, we’re somewhat used to this rhythm and we anticipate it will be a rather seamless transition for us.
7) What Can I Do?
- Invite someone new! We’d love to continue to see more people experience a transforming relationship with Christ and get connected to a community of faith.
- Volunteer - We try to invite as many people as we can into our service teams so that the rhythm of service is manageable and each person is chipping in.