So what's it like to come to Pleasantview Alliance Church for the first time?

Well...the most important thing to tell you is, 'Don't be afraid.' Just about everyone in our church was new at one time or another and felt the same way as you. We try to remember what that felt like so that we can do a better job of making you feel a part of what's going on.

To begin with, the main entrance of the church is in the back. There's an overhang that you can drive up to in case there is bad weather.

Speaking of weather, you may be wondering what you should wear. That's really up to you. We have some who come in their 'Sunday best' which might be a suit or sports jacket. We have others that come in polo shirts and still others that come in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. It really doesn't matter to us-we're just happy that you're coming! So, come in whatever makes you feel most comfortable.

And speaking of comfortable, we like to try to make people feel comfortable when they come so we try to go out of our way to welcome newcomers (but we DON'T make you stand up in the middle of the service so that everyone in the whole church can see that you're a new person). Don't be surprised if a number of very friendly people come up to you and start talking to you and asking you who you are, how you heard about us, what you do for work, etc. Remember, 'Don't be afraid.' They aren't trying to scam you or get you on a mailing list or sell you anything - they are genuinely interested in who you are as a person. But if at some point you do get uncomfortable, just let them know that you need to get going and they'll let you go (though, of course, we'd love to see you back again!).

Most people visit us for the first time during our Sunday morning worship service (though you are ALWAYS welcome to join us at any of our activities or meetings). We would recommend that if you have children that are 3 and under that you put them in our toddlers group or nursery. There should be someone greeting people at the door who can show you where those rooms are. You can also ask one of the ushers that are standing by the sanctuary doors.

Here's what the typical service looks like:

• We usually begin our services with a time of announcements. This is just a time to update everyone on what's going on at the church. It also allows people to get seated and prepared for worship.
  
  
• We then formally begin the time of worship with a Scripture reading or opening prayer. This generally leads into some songs, people reading the Bible, and some more prayer. There is a screen up front that has all the words or Scripture verses that you might need. If you need to turn to any Bible verses, we typically have page numbers listed on the screen or they are given to you from whoever is reading. That helps you to know where to turn in the Bibles that are in the rack in front of you.
  
  

• There is usually an offering that is taken. Since you're visiting, we don't expect you to feel obligated to support us financially, but we also know that it can be a bit embarrassing to have the plate go by with nothing to put in it. In the rack in front of you, there will be some green prayer cards. Maybe place a prayer request on that card and put it in the offering plate when it comes by. Those requests are gathered together and given out to our various prayer ministries so that we can be praying for your request throughout the week. 

• After the offering a song is usually sung where we give the 4-yr olds through Kindergarten a time to go to Children's Worship. The rest of the service, which is mostly a sermon, might be hard for kids this age to get through. So, we provide them with a time where we help them understand what all the 'big people' are doing in 'big church.' During the song, have your child walk to the back of the church (or you can bring him/her there if they are afraid to go alone) and there will be adults there to take them to this special Worship service. You can pick the kids up after the worship service. If your kids are older than Kindergarten, we recommend that they stay in the service. They can walk to the front of the church and we'll provide packets for them (includes crayons, some word searches, puzzles, etc.). Once they get their packet, they can come back to sit with you (or, again, if they are scared, don't be embarressed to come up yourself to get a packet for your child). Lots of times, kids need to be doing something in order to listen-they can't just sit and listen like adults sometimes do. So, by giving them some simple things to do during the service, we find it amazing how much of the content of the sermon they pick up.

• Which brings us to the sermon. This is the part of the service where one of our pastors explains a part of the Bible and helps us understand how it applies to our life. Again, page numbers will be given to you by the pastor so that you can follow along in your Bible from the rack. Sometimes people take notes-some people don't. That's really up to you.

• After the sermon another song is sung and then we are sent out with a blessing from the pastor.

• After the service there is a time of greeting one another. This would be a great time, if you're comfortable, to let some of the people who you shake hands with know that this is your first time at the church. We have approximately 150 people coming every Sunday morning. We really appreciate having visitors and at our Welcome Center is a gift for you. When you leave the church, its on the right near the door. Again, we aren't putting you on any mailing lists and you're not signing up for anything. It just gives us an opportunity for us to know you were here.

In all, the service takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. That might sound long, but you'd be surprised at how quickly it can go. Sometimes we have special services where we take communion or have people baptized. If you come during one of these services, you'll still be able to follow along and we'll give you direction about anything that's different from what we listed above.

And that's a typical Sunday morning service. We hope you decide to come and visit us sometime soon. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact one of our pastors or call us at 814-763-4880.