Visiting a new church can be intimidating: What should I wear? Where do I park? Where do my kids go?
We understand the many thoughts that can come from visiting a new church for the first time, so we want you to feel comfortable when you visit. We’ve compiled some questions and thoughts you might have if you are visiting for the first time below. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us and ask. We are so glad that you’ve decided to visit, and we hope that God blesses you during your time at the Harbor.
When are Services?
Worship Service on Sunday morning begin at 10:30 am. For a full listing of what goes on during the week, click here.
What Should I wear?
“Come as you are” is the often-used phrase. Don’t be surprised to see clothes ranging from a suit and tie to shorts and t-shirt. Don’t feel like you need to get “cleaned up” to come and worship. God wants you just the way you are–and so do we!
How do I get there?
We are at 55 W. King St in Downtown Shippensburg. Click here for a map of our location or to find directions from where you are.
Where should I park?
When you arrive, feel free to park in the Library’s parking lot. They are great neighbors, and we have an agreement with them to use the parking. Street parking is good also, as there are several spots directly in front of the Harbor if you can get them.
Where do my children go?
The Church is a family of all ages, so we welcome children to our worship service. We believe that children are a gift to the church, young or old it is important to us to worship together as a family. If you feel the need to step out of service with your young child, that is fine, but please return and don’t feel embarrassed by your child’s squirming. We also live stream our service to the front room of the Harbor if you would feel more comfortable worshipping in that area with your child.
Am I expected to put money in the offering?
If you are visiting with us you are welcome to give as an act of worship, but we don’t expect you to put money in the offering and you are welcome to just let it pass you by. If you have come to consider The Harbor Church of the Nazarene your church home, we’d love for you to prayerfully consider tithing regularly as an act of worship.
What is a service like?
Our Sunday morning services typically begin with a welcome and announcements, after which we will sing a song and have scripture reading before the pastor brings the message. We will worship through the giving of our tithes during the opening worship songs. After the message, we may again worship with another song or we may close with the doxology and benediction. This will look different each week and often our worshipful response will be to partake in the Lord’s supper.
If you’ve never been to worship with us, please feel free to take a look on our youtube.com page and you can get a feel for what it’s like ahead of time.
Who can participate in Communion (Lord’s Supper)?
You do not have to be a member of our church to celebrate communion with us, but it is important that you have placed your faith in Jesus OR are genuinely seeking God. Children are invited to partake at the discretion of the parents and with their parents. If we are having communion on a given week, it will typically be celebrated near the end of the service during the response time, and we will be serving grape juice. We will typically partake by means of “intinction” – where you take a piece of the bread and dip it into the cup before eating the bread and juice together.
Can I listen to a message that I missed?
Sure – Obviously we’d love to see you in person, but if you miss a week and still want to hear the sermon, you just want to listen to it again, or think it might help someone else – you can listen to them online here. Also, we recognize that many of our congregation may be at high risk for COVID and will feel safer worshiping to the livestream. We encourage you to do so until you feel comfortable returning to our sanctuary.