Welcome
Willard Church of the Nazarene is a place where people can meet Jesus, engage in life-giving community, and everyone is welcome. We believe in creating a space where people can have authentic encounters with Christ, discover their gifts and use them for God's glory. Join us for our Sunday services!
When we Meet
Sundays
8:45am Prayer
9:30am Bible Studies for all ages
10:45am Worship Service
6:00 pm Prayer
9:30am Bible Studies for all ages
10:45am Worship Service
6:00 pm Prayer
Wednesdays
6:30pm Bible Studies for all ages
What does Sunday morning look like?
At 8:45am our doors open. A small group of people gather in our chapel to pray over the prayer requests that have been shared and for our upcoming time together. The Worship Team gathers to practice and other people are getting things ready for the day brewing coffee and stocking things.
More people start arriving at 9:15 am for Bible Studies. We have classes for all ages that begin at 9:30 am. We have a check in station for any children that are going to classes. Parents and children get stickers for identification.
Bible Study classes end at 10:30 am. Parents will go and pick up their kids from their classes. Babies and Toddlers can be dropped off at this time in the Nursery. They need to be checked in as well. Everyone else will start to gather in the main sanctuary.
At 10:45 am our service starts with announcements and a prayer. Our worship team then begins to play. We sing more modern and contemporary music. We are blessed to have people that lead us to focus on God during this time.
After we all sing together, we pray for our children. They are invited up to the altars to be prayed over and then we dismiss them to their classrooms. (On the months with five Sundays, we keep them in the service the entire time for that fifth Sunday).
We then have a time of prayer over prayer requests that have been shared. Our Pastor then preaches the word of God. That sermon usually lasts around 30 minutes. Our lead pastor is more textual in his preaching style as opposed to topical. That just means he generally uses one passage of scripture and lets that speak instead of a bunch of different verses to talk about some topic.
After the service is over, parents go and pick up their kids. Some people leave right away, and some people stay and fellowship for a bit. That is what a typical Sunday looks like.
What should I wear?
While serving as a youth pastor, we had a large Wednesday night group of teenagers, and many did not come to Church on Sunday. When I asked some of those that didn't come why they didn't, they said they didn't have "church clothes". That hit me.
Why would our teens feel that burden to look a certain way in order for them to be accepted. I know we had never said that in our church or taught that but somehow we had communicated that to them. Our town is over 50% low income and struggle financially. From then on, I did not dress up for church because I wanted them to know that wasn't important. I wanted them to know that God loves them and accepts them no matter what they wear. He's far more concerned over the inside then the outside.
Today, many of us dress casually. Some of us wear jeans and t-shirts. Some of us dress up a little. You are welcome either way.
Offering Plates and Bibles
If you go through our service, you will notice that we don't pass an offering plate. There is a place when you come in the doors where you can give to support the church and its ministries. We believe God calls His people to give and we see giving as an act of worship. So, you can put your tithes and offerings in those boxes, or you can even give online.
On the tables with the offering boxes, we also have free Bibles and a yearly reading plan that will take you through the Bible in a year. If you need a larger print Bible, just let a Pastor know and they will get you one.
What about Politics
You will find Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and those that are undecided in attendance. We encourage people to be involved in politics and to try an influence whatever party they are a part of to be in line with the Word of God. We also want to be people that pray for our political leaders.
We don't look to politics as our savior though. We believe the best chance our nation has is if people give their lives to Christ and look to build His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. So, that is our focus. That doesn't mean we ignore the issues of our day. We will speak to them. When we do this, the Word of God is our truth and that is what we teach. We also recognize that when we speak the truth it must be done with the same grace that has been shown and given to us.
That is what Christ demonstrated when it came to the woman caught in adultery. He first told her that He did not condemn her and then He said to go and leave your life of sin. We all have sinned and we have had our lives turn upside down by God. We want people to experience that, to be set free. So, grace and truth need to be what we speak.
Have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us using the contact page. We hope to meet you! Stop in at the connection center in the lobby if you stop out!
More people start arriving at 9:15 am for Bible Studies. We have classes for all ages that begin at 9:30 am. We have a check in station for any children that are going to classes. Parents and children get stickers for identification.
Bible Study classes end at 10:30 am. Parents will go and pick up their kids from their classes. Babies and Toddlers can be dropped off at this time in the Nursery. They need to be checked in as well. Everyone else will start to gather in the main sanctuary.
At 10:45 am our service starts with announcements and a prayer. Our worship team then begins to play. We sing more modern and contemporary music. We are blessed to have people that lead us to focus on God during this time.
After we all sing together, we pray for our children. They are invited up to the altars to be prayed over and then we dismiss them to their classrooms. (On the months with five Sundays, we keep them in the service the entire time for that fifth Sunday).
We then have a time of prayer over prayer requests that have been shared. Our Pastor then preaches the word of God. That sermon usually lasts around 30 minutes. Our lead pastor is more textual in his preaching style as opposed to topical. That just means he generally uses one passage of scripture and lets that speak instead of a bunch of different verses to talk about some topic.
After the service is over, parents go and pick up their kids. Some people leave right away, and some people stay and fellowship for a bit. That is what a typical Sunday looks like.
What should I wear?
While serving as a youth pastor, we had a large Wednesday night group of teenagers, and many did not come to Church on Sunday. When I asked some of those that didn't come why they didn't, they said they didn't have "church clothes". That hit me.
Why would our teens feel that burden to look a certain way in order for them to be accepted. I know we had never said that in our church or taught that but somehow we had communicated that to them. Our town is over 50% low income and struggle financially. From then on, I did not dress up for church because I wanted them to know that wasn't important. I wanted them to know that God loves them and accepts them no matter what they wear. He's far more concerned over the inside then the outside.
Today, many of us dress casually. Some of us wear jeans and t-shirts. Some of us dress up a little. You are welcome either way.
Offering Plates and Bibles
If you go through our service, you will notice that we don't pass an offering plate. There is a place when you come in the doors where you can give to support the church and its ministries. We believe God calls His people to give and we see giving as an act of worship. So, you can put your tithes and offerings in those boxes, or you can even give online.
On the tables with the offering boxes, we also have free Bibles and a yearly reading plan that will take you through the Bible in a year. If you need a larger print Bible, just let a Pastor know and they will get you one.
What about Politics
You will find Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and those that are undecided in attendance. We encourage people to be involved in politics and to try an influence whatever party they are a part of to be in line with the Word of God. We also want to be people that pray for our political leaders.
We don't look to politics as our savior though. We believe the best chance our nation has is if people give their lives to Christ and look to build His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. So, that is our focus. That doesn't mean we ignore the issues of our day. We will speak to them. When we do this, the Word of God is our truth and that is what we teach. We also recognize that when we speak the truth it must be done with the same grace that has been shown and given to us.
That is what Christ demonstrated when it came to the woman caught in adultery. He first told her that He did not condemn her and then He said to go and leave your life of sin. We all have sinned and we have had our lives turn upside down by God. We want people to experience that, to be set free. So, grace and truth need to be what we speak.
Have any other questions, feel free to reach out to us using the contact page. We hope to meet you! Stop in at the connection center in the lobby if you stop out!