Visit us

Sometimes people find it helpful to have as much information as possible before they come, so here is a little church walkthrough!

getting to the location

You're welcome to park in the carpark. The entrance to the building is through the carpark and then to the left, up the accessibility ramp. You might hear some music playing—that will be our musicians practicing before the service. If you come early, there will be a few of us setting everything up, but we'll still be happy to talk to you!

Our service starts at 4pm with snacks and tea/coffee. We usually stand around, get some snacks or a cuppa from the snack table, and chat. The snacks should have labels for dietary needs, sometimes people bring in baked goods from home. For tea, you can use the teabags in the box or make your own blend using the jars.

Feel free to walk up to anyone and say "Hi, I'm —, I'm new here!", or, if you hang back a bit, someone might come to talk to you! You're very welcome to share your pronouns, or not.

If you're feeling nervous about talking to people and want to avoid it, our sit-down section starts at about 4:15, so you can come in and take a seat anywhere you like then. We also encourage sitting on the floor, standing off to the side, or being in the space in whatever way feels comfortable. Sometimes people with back problems take the opportunity to lie down!

At any time during the service you are welcome to get up and get snacks, go to the bathroom, stretch your legs, or pop out for a min. I (Eidan) like to make a cup of tea once the singing has started, because I'm often too busy talking to people beforehand! Other people like to bring something to do with their hands, like crochet.

The bathrooms are both gender neutral, and the one through the big door is accessible.

the service

The sit-down part of the service starts with someone with the microphone introducing themselves. We call this person the "service leader" and we take turns doing it. They might go through some of the housekeeping that we already talked about here and run through our community announcements. Then they sometimes share a poem or lead a moment of quiet reflection.

The next part of the service is singing. There will be musicians up the front and we will sing about three songs. This is a very old Christian practice, but the songs we sing are usually quite new. You are welcome to sit or stand for the singing. Often people who stand choose to stand at the sides or back of the church so that everyone can see the words on the projector. You can sing or not sing. Sometimes people choose to sing different words to the ones provided. That's because sometimes people believe slightly different things to each other, or to the person who wrote the song. At New City Church we honour the fact that there is a great diversity in belief amongst our community.

After the singing someone will come up to give a talk. Sometimes this is more like a speech, sometimes it is more like a conversation. If it's me (Eidan) speaking, I will often ask questions or invite comments on something I've just said. That's because we believe that theology (God-talk) is the work of the community, not just one person. Feel free to participate in this, even if it's just to say "I have no idea what you are talking about". We pass around a microphone so the people on zoom can hear you. We often post recordings of our talk time online.

What we talk about depends on what series we're in in the moment—you can check our socials for the topics we are covering. We will often read the Bible as part of the talk because we believe that there is lots of God-wisdom there. Other people bring God-wisdom from other places.

After the talk the person leading the talk might lead a prayer. When someone is praying on behalf of the community, you can choose to pray with them. You can imagine that as someone talking to God while you nod in agreement behind them (That's what the "amen" means!). Sometimes people close their eyes or bow their heads to pray to help them step into the space, but others prefer to keep their eyes open or look out the window. You can also choose not to pray, and just take a moment to sit quietly. Sometimes we end with a blessing, which is a little bit like a wish for something good for you in the coming weeks.

after the service

That it is the end of "formal" service time. This means we're done talking into the microphone. People spend time talking to each other, eating more snacks, or helping to pack up. This is a great chance to make friends. Some people just say hi to a few people then head home, others keep chatting for up to an hour. Sometimes we decide to go out for dinner at the local pub.

Occasionally we have "special services" that might look different to the structure above. It might mean a Christmas party, a celebration for Trans Day of Visibility, or a "reflective" service with no talk but maybe something creative to do instead. If a change in routine is difficult for you, you can subscribe to the newsletter where I let people know if we are doing something different to normal. I'm also happy to answer any questions through the contact form.