Olde Providence Congregation

VISITOR FAQ

• Where is the Olde Providence site?
  We meet at 9:00am & 11:00am at 4418 Rea Road, in the Olde Providence area of South Charlotte.

  We meet at 9:00am & 11:00am at 4418 Rea Road, in the Olde Providence area of South Charlotte.

• What do I wear?
  At Hope, our overall style is casual. To our Sunday worship services, most people wear a mix of everyday casual to business casual.  Our regular attenders and members run the gamut each week which makes it easy to find your place. However, in general, traditional “church clothes” (i.e. a tie) are more formal than most people wear. We know it can be awkward visiting a church for the first time, and we want you to know that the most important thing is to be comfortable coming as yourself. We have a lot of visitors each week and we strive to be a community that is welcoming to everyone just as they are!

  At Hope, our overall style is casual. To our Sunday worship services, most people wear a mix of everyday casual to business casual.  Our regular attenders and members run the gamut each week which makes it easy to find your place. However, in general, traditional “church clothes” (i.e. a tie) are more formal than most people wear. We know it can be awkward visiting a church for the first time, and we want you to know that the most important thing is to be comfortable coming as yourself. We have a lot of visitors each week and we strive to be a community that is welcoming to everyone just as they are!

• Where should I park?
  Any of the parking spots at the church are available on Sunday morning. You may also park across the road in the shopping center.

  Any of the parking spots at the church are available on Sunday morning. You may also park across the road in the shopping center.

• What should I do when I arrive?
  The Olde Providence worship services last about an hour and 15 minutes, starting at 11am. However, punctuality is not one of our spiritual gifts! While we’re trying to encourage our members and regular attenders to arrive earlier, we want to give you fair warning that if you arrive early (or even on time) the sanctuary may feel slightly empty until the service begins or a few minutes after that. When you arrive, you’ll want to head to the far right set of double doors and turn right toward the sanctuary. You will receive a bulletin from one of our greeters, which will contain the sermon text and outline for that morning, along with announcements about upcoming events at Hope.

  The Olde Providence worship services last about an hour and 15 minutes, starting at 11am. However, punctuality is not one of our spiritual gifts! While we’re trying to encourage our members and regular attenders to arrive earlier, we want to give you fair warning that if you arrive early (or even on time) the sanctuary may feel slightly empty until the service begins or a few minutes after that.

  When you arrive, you’ll want to head to the far right set of double doors and turn right toward the sanctuary. You will receive a bulletin from one of our greeters, which will contain the sermon text and outline for that morning, along with announcements about upcoming events at Hope.

• What are your worship services like?
  Our worship style is an acoustic blend of traditional and contemporary worship music led by a small worship team. The majority of our music is traditional hymns set to more contemporary music. Almost all of our music is congregational singing. We try to put all of our songs in an easily “singable” key and put the songs lyrics on a screen. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to participate as much as they want and not have anyone feel “lost” in the service whether it’s their first or fiftieth time worshiping with us. After an initial Call to Worship, we sing several songs together then dismiss the children to Children’s Church. While the children are leaving, we take 5 minutes to say hello to one another. Our intention is not to make you feel awkward or single any one out but to give you an opportunity to at least make an initial connection with someone. Please feel free to introduce yourself to others; Hope always has lots of visitors, and many of the people sitting around you may well be attending for their 1st or 2nd time as well. After this time, we typically sing another song together and then hear a sermon. We alternate between preaching through books of the Bible and topical sermons. Our goal is to let people consider the Biblical picture of Jesus and the message of Christianity for themselves, so all of our sermons are an explanation of a biblical passage. The sermons are usually 30-35 minutes long, followed by communion (the first Sunday of each month) and one or two songs responding to the message. The entire service lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

  Our worship style is an acoustic blend of traditional and contemporary worship music led by a small worship team. The majority of our music is traditional hymns set to more contemporary music. Almost all of our music is congregational singing. We try to put all of our songs in an easily “singable” key and put the songs lyrics on a screen. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to participate as much as they want and not have anyone feel “lost” in the service whether it’s their first or fiftieth time worshiping with us.
  After an initial Call to Worship, we sing several songs together then dismiss the children to Children’s Church. While the children are leaving, we take 5 minutes to say hello to one another. Our intention is not to make you feel awkward or single any one out but to give you an opportunity to at least make an initial connection with someone. Please feel free to introduce yourself to others; Hope always has lots of visitors, and many of the people sitting around you may well be attending for their 1st or 2nd time as well.
  After this time, we typically sing another song together and then hear a sermon. We alternate between preaching through books of the Bible and topical sermons. Our goal is to let people consider the Biblical picture of Jesus and the message of Christianity for themselves, so all of our sermons are an explanation of a biblical passage. The sermons are usually 30-35 minutes long, followed by communion (the first Sunday of each month) and one or two songs responding to the message. The entire service lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

• What do I do with my children during the service?
  Children’s Ministry is currently open for children ages Infant through 5th grade at both services. In order to keep a safe child/teacher ratio in each class, our OP site is currently requiring registration for Children’s Ministry each Sunday. The link will go live on Thursday of each week, so please check here Thursday-Saturday to sign your child up for the upcoming Sunday. When you drop your child off, a leader will help you print out a name badge and receive a collection ticket. All of our volunteers go through a screening process and we follow a series of safety protocols to ensure that your child is safe while in our care and you’re able to be at ease during the worship service. You’re also welcome to keep your children with you in the worship service if you prefer. We also provide a nursing mother’s room in the hallway next to the sanctuary where you can hear the worship and sermon.

  Children’s Ministry is currently open for children ages Infant through 5th grade at both services.

  In order to keep a safe child/teacher ratio in each class, our OP site is currently requiring registration for Children’s Ministry each Sunday. The link will go live on Thursday of each week, so please check here Thursday-Saturday to sign your child up for the upcoming Sunday.

  When you drop your child off, a leader will help you print out a name badge and receive a collection ticket. All of our volunteers go through a screening process and we follow a series of safety protocols to ensure that your child is safe while in our care and you’re able to be at ease during the worship service. You’re also welcome to keep your children with you in the worship service if you prefer.

  We also provide a nursing mother’s room in the hallway next to the sanctuary where you can hear the worship and sermon.