What to expect
Relax.
That’s the first rule at BlueCross. Above all, we want you to be comfortable enough to enjoy yourself… and be yourself!
This page will hopefully answer some of the questions you might have about your first visit, and if not, feel free to get in touch.
What Not to Expect
Before all that, though, we might tell you a few things that you shouldn’t expect.
Firstly, we’re not going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. We’re not going to ask you to pray out loud, or read from the bible, or stand up and introduce yourself in the middle of the room. Nor are we going to slap a ‘visitor’ label on you or doing anything else to make you stick out in the crowd.
But we’re not going to ignore you either. You’re going to meet a lot of friendly people, and we’re going to look after you and make sure you have a memorable experience at BlueCross.
Before you arrive
What should I wear?
There’s no need to get all dressed up – think comfortable and casual.
When you arrive
Where should I sit?
There are no ‘reserved’ seats at BlueCross – so sit wherever you like. You might want to make sure you can see the screen clearly, though- we often use multimedia and other visual elements in our services.
The Service
We try to make every service a unique experience, but there are a few elements our services share in common.
Communion
Jesus instructed his disciples at the last supper to do this often – it’s a custom in which we eat broken bread and drink grape juice to remember Jesus Christ. If you wish to participate you are more than welcome, but we recognise that as a guest you might feel uncomfortable joining in – if so, that’s OK. Just pass the tray along to the next person.
Tithes and offerings
When tithes and offerings are collected, it’s an opportunity to give part of our finances back to God, and also to contribute to projects within the church, such as child sponsorship. Please don’t feel obliged to give if you don’t want to, we certainly don’t want to pressure you, so just pass the bag onto the next person when the helpers come by. However, you are welcome to give if you want to, and for this reason envelopes are provided on every seat, so you can enclose your gift and put it in the bag.
Singing
Singing is a big part of our worship experience, but we know that singing is not everybody’s thing. That’s OK! If you don’t want to sing along, you can just listen.
The Message
We believe the Bible has solutions for the issues of life, so part of our service is devoted to presenting those solutions. These messages are designed to be practical and relevant.
After the service
Stick around after the service – it’s a great time to get to know people better.
As a guest, we want to make you feel special, and say thanks for spending your time with us.