Going anywhere for the first time can be an intimidating experience, especially when that ‘anywhere’ is a new church. All sorts of questions flood the mind: What will it be like? How long is the service? What’s expected of me when I get there? Do I have to dress nice? Will they tolerate my crying baby? Where does my 2nd grader go during the service? I don’t know anything about Christianity or God or anything…will I be totally lost? Hopefully this page will answer some of these kinds of questions.

THE SETTING.
The worship service is about an hour and a half long. If you get there late, don’t sweat it. Just come right in and find a seat. It is a casual environment as far as attire and such. You can wear whatever you’d like to wear. Come in shorts, a tee, and sandals; come in a business suit; roll out of bed in a hoodie and sweats. Most people fall somewhere in-between. You can feel free to bring your morning coffee or a little snack or whatever. We have amplification so you’ll be able to hear everything from anywhere, although be aware that the music tends to be loud in the very front. Also, the words for the songs we sing are up front on a screen, so if you have poor vision you may want to sit towards the front. You are encouraged to bring your own bible, but it is not necessary at all. We supply NRSV bibles if you want one, and the text for the sermon will be up on the projector screen. There is a hang out time afterwards to mingle, get to know other people at ORBCC, and such…and there’s always free coffee and other delicacies.

The worship service is designed so that everyone should feel included, welcomed, and be able to follow the service. Even people who think of themselves as far from faith, unknowledgable of Christianity, and non-fluent in ‘God-talk’ should be able to follow the service and its content. This is never perfectly accomplished, but it is a commitment of ORBCC to do its best in this regard. Please contact Matt Agresti if you have suggestions as to how ORB can improve here!

THE SERVICE.
In any given service, we’ll sing about 6 songs. If you haven’t been to ORB before, you may not know the songs. That is ok, you’ll pick them up as we sing. Most of them are taken from old hymn books and put to modern music. You can check them out here.

There is an opening welcome, a time where we sit in silence before the Lord, a communal prayer, a sermon that runs anywhere from 25-45 minutes, we’ll share in the Lord’s Supper, and hear announcements about what is going on at ORB. Depending on the service there might be different elements of worship as well, such as baby dedications, ministry commissionings, baptisms, testimonies, congregational updates, and more. Most of the elements of worship are led by volunteers from the community, as we believe that worship is the responsibility of the whole community. There is no offering plate or basket passed around, but there is a wooden box on a table in the lobby where you can give some money if you’d like. You do not have to give money to participate in ORB and its worship. However if you are regular participant at ORB, you are encouraged to so that ORB can continue to do the good work that God is calling it to…and more of it!

One note: the Lord’s Supper can be confusing, as different church traditions have different ideas and procedures involved. At ORB, everyone is welcomed and invited to partake in the Lord’s Supper. This is only because God has welcomed and invited us all to Himself in Christ. It will be explained differently on each Sunday, but the procedure is the same at each service. If you choose to take the Lord’s Supper, all you have to do is walk down the aisle towards your server, tear a piece of bread off of the loaf, dip it in the wine/juice, eat it, and go back to your seat. There is a separate rice cake and juice if you have wheat or gluten allergies. This will be explained each Sunday.

CHILDREN.
Our Sunday morning children’s ministry is called ORBits (get it? little ORBs? ORB-bits). It is lead by Holly Lu. We have a nursery set up for kids who are between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. You can drop your child off at the nursery whenever you want, but the best time is before the service begins. You’ll get a sticker to put on your kids’ back and a matching one for the diaper bag( which you’ll be asked to leave behind). You’ll also give your name and a cell phone number if there are any issues, and you’ll have an opportunity to tell the nursery staff anything that they might need to know. There is also a changing table available if you need to change your own baby’s diapers.

There are also separate classes that run for pre-school and for elementary aged kids. These kids will come in to the service with you and be dismissed and led to their classrooms after a few songs. There will be an ORBits announcement and prayer for the little ones which will make this clear. These classes are led by volunteers and parents from the community. Contact Holly Lu if you have questions about any of this. All of our volunteers, parent-volunteers, and babysitters have valid background checks performed.