I’m New Here
“I’m new here.” Well, so is everyone else. This is a new church, so most everyone there would say, “I’m new here.” The very first thing we’ll ask of you is simple: relax. You’re with friends. Even if you’ve never been in church before, we’re convinced you’ll fit right in. Over half the people that have joined the church since we started on February 22, 2009, hadn’t even been to a church in at least a year if ever. Trust us, you’ll feel welcomed here.
WHAT TO EXPECT
SERVICE:
Applicable, fun, laid-back. We’ll have great coffee and some morning munchies available for you – for free! The service is about an hour and a half including a relevant, engaging that can help your everyday life.
MUSIC:
It’s great! Our band plays stuff you listen to on your iPod. They also try really hard to help you see God more clearly through music.
BELIEFS:
One of our core values is “salvation over denomination.” We are focused more on the essentials of the Christian faith than the things that tend to divide people along denominational lines. Simply stated, we believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the Bible is God’s chosen means of revealing Himself to us. See Our Beliefs page for more information.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What about my kids?
We know that as a parent you to need be sure that your children are in a SAFE, fun environment. During our Sunday service, we offer age appropriate care and programs for infants through fifth grade. All of our nursery workers are screened, so you can be assured your children will receive the highest level of care. One word of caution though, they’ll be begging you to go to church every Sunday after their first visit!
What should I wear?
We’re more concerned with meeting your real life needs than with what you wear. So, dress casually and you’ll fit right in.
Where did the name essential chruch come from?
Well, there were many things that led to the name essential church. The more we prayed about what to call this new work, the more we felt God pointing us towards the name essential. Here are just a few things that led us to the name:
- Our Beliefs: We’re focused on the essentials of the faith. “On the essentials, we have unity. On the non-essentials, we have liberty.” (Augustine 354-430AD) Another way of putting this is to say that we value salvation and restoration over denomination.
- Jesus is the one that came up with the idea of creating a church because he knew that being a part of a church is an essential part of people’s lives. We agree.
- Everyone in the church is essential. In 1 Corinthians 12, the people in a church are compared to the different parts of a person’s body. The point of this analogy is that every part of the body is essential (see 1 Corinthians 12:21-22).
- When Jesus was asked what is the most essential thing to do, he responded: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:28-21)
Why do you meet at a school?
This question is almost always accompanied by a question about future building plans. I think this is because so many people associate the word ”church” with a building rather than a group of people on a mission. We love meeting in a rented space on Sundays. It keeps our facilities costs down and frees up money to be used for ministry. As a church we are able to give about 20% of the money collected at the church to support local, national, and world missions. This is because less than 20% of our budget is used to pay for facilities. We think this is a wise use of God’s money. Meeting in a school isn’t as comfy as having our own facility, but it’s worth it.
Why are you about to move out of a school and into a facility? Well, if someone wants to just give us a building…. we’re ok with that. Since that’s what happened on November 1, 2009, we’ll be moving into our own facility on January 10, 2010. Pretty much nothing about our philosophy has changed. The cost to move into a facility that is given to us is the same continuing to meet in a school. We’re not “house poor” and don’t intend to be. Only God could do something like this. God is amazing!!!
WHEN AND WHERE
We meet every Sunday at 10am for pre-service coffee and connections. Then at 10:30 there are two seperate worship services. There’s a fun and interactive one for children ages 4 through 5th grade and as well as the anything but regular worship service for the rest of us. All of this happens at 4020 Ware Neck Drive.
If you can find the Virginia Beach Amphitheater and Sportsplex on Dam Neck, then you can find essential church with ease. From the Amphitheater go west to the first stoplight which is Salem Rd. Turn North on Salem Rd and go about a 1/4 mile and you will see Essential Church on the West side of the street across from Salem Elementary School. We are located on Salem Road between Independence and Dam Neck/Elbow Rd. The physical address for those of you wanting to punch it in on your navigation system is: 4020 Ware Neck Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456.
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