Van-guard (văn’gärd), noun: “The foremost or leading position in a trend or movement.”
the journey forward... exploring the emerging church... navigating spiritual formation... seeking to transform the world... ...through Christ
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Van-guard (văn’gärd), noun: “The foremost or leading position in a trend or movement.” the journey forward... exploring the emerging church... navigating spiritual formation... seeking to transform the world... ...through Christ |
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We designed the church plant to be " user-friendly" for people, whatever their background, including those who have never been to church before. If I were visiting a new church for the first time, I'd like to know what to expect, so here's a brief overview. We met in the bottom floor conference room of the Canton Women's Center. It is an excellent new facility, with a canopied entrance, a clean and safe nursery, separate classrooms for our kids, a kitchen, and a worship area with comfortable chairs and a multimedia projection and sound system for music and my PowerPoint presentations.
As you drive down Frank Avenue on Sunday morning,
you see the "Vanguard Church" sign on the
street in front of the Canton Women's Center. When you arrive at Vanguard Church
for our As you enter the building, you were met by some more friendly people who say hello, answer any questions you have, and direct you to where we keep the coffee and baked goods (I need my Starbucks!). If you have kids, we have a number of options based on the their age. Babies and toddlers can be placed in our secure nursery, or you can keep them with you. After we are done with the music in our services, the preschool and nursery kids are dismissed to their classes (that way they don't have to sit still for the "grown-up's message"). If your kids are shy, they're welcome to attend the message part of the service with you, but most kids really enjoy the kids' programs, which take place during the message and Circle Group time. Junior High and Senior High students attend the message part of the service, then a Youth Group tailored just for them takes place during the adult Circle Group time. You'll notice that everyone is dressed comfortably, in anything from "office casual" to jeans and tennis shoes. If you see some balding guy with a microphone attached to his shirt, that's probably me. If you arrive early, you're welcome to have a donut or bagel or cup of coffee and pick up information at the Info Table, or help yourself to any of the helpful booklets at the Literature Table. When you come into our large room, you'll be given a copy of "The Bulletin" which has the week's announcements and some information as to what to expect that morning. You'll also find an outline for the sermon (we usually call it "the message"), with room to make notes if you like. You'll notice the Bulletin has a tear-off slip, which is an easy way for us to get better acquainted; you can ask for any kind of information or assistance using the tear-off slip.
A prayer responding to the message will follow, and then we usually sing a song that ties together the theme of that morning. We often participate with each other in Communion (also known as the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper). This is a Christian celebration of the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If you're a committed Christian, you're welcome to share in communion with us, and if not, you can just sit back and enjoy the music, because we usually have something very different playing at that time.
I'll close the service about 65 minutes after it began (and believe it or not, the time will fly). I hope you'll come up and introduce yourself to me afterwards. One thing you may notice is that when we pass the offering basket we want you to feel welcome as our guest, so we ask anyone who is not a regular attender to feel no obligation to give. Even though we hope you'll simply be our guest on your first visit, we do hope you'll drop off your tear-off slip in the basket, so we can send you any information you request. After the service, we hope you'll stay around, meet some people and enjoy some coffee, donuts, and bagels in the Vanguard Cafe'. I hope you'll feel comfortable enough to stay for that special part of the morning. It's very laid-back; a great time just to gab and make that first connection with somebody that may become a great friend! Church is about God and worship; and it's also about community and friendship, so we hope people really experience warmth and friendliness at Vanguard Church. People constantly told me that they really felt comfortable or "at home" at Vanguard Church. They say that they like how we strike a balance of really seeking a genuine spiritual experience while remaining very personable. I'm told that people always felt "accepted" here. And, when I talk to people more privately, they often say that they really feel the presence of God here too--maybe for the first time in a long time.
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Ministry Transformation- The Emerging Church Personal Transformation- Spiritual Formation World Transformation- Social Action Interact with Bob Robinson about the emerging church, spiritual formation, or social action by e-mailing vanguard church with your comments. |
By
Bob Robinson,
Pastor-Teacher 
This
is what people experienced:
The service usually began with some upbeat music, with the words projected
via PowerPoint on a giant video screen. Then someone will offer a prayer,
and I will begin the message. I usually speak for about 30 minutes, and I
do my best to make the messages interesting, enjoyable, and relevant to daily
life. The message will be directly out of the Bible, and I will often include
interesting quotes from contemporary people, songs, or movies. I enjoy putting
together a multimedia presentation each week--I've been told that it helps my
listeners follow along when they see images that illustrate what I am saying. If I do my job
right, you'll hear solid Christian theology in intelligent, understandable,
relevant terms. And hopefully, you'll laugh at times and maybe feel a tug at
your heart too.
Speaking of music, our music is definitely a high point of the Sunday experience. The Vanguard
Band does a great job leading musically, with a contemporary feel (drums and
guitars with male and female vocalists). You'll have some new tunes to hum all
week long.
