Ministries @ Gentle Shepherd
Nurture Ministry
The goal of the Nurture Ministry is as the name suggests, to nurture the members of our community with and in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. To help achieve this the Nurture Ministry is responsible for worship, holy communion, baptism, Christian education – Sunday School, and bible studies etc.,
Nurture activities and events include:
Worship Services
Our regular Worship service begins at 10.30 on Sunday morning and usually lasts for approximately 1 ½ hours. If you are joining us for the first time you will find our congregation to be warm and welcoming and our worship to be reverently informal.
Curious about what you should expect if you join in worship at Gentle Shepherd? Read on . . . .
- Our church family is exactly that – a family, which includes people of all ages, and at differing stages of spiritual growth
- If you decide to participate in the Sunday Adult Bible study come to the church at 9.30 AM and join in – the coffee is always ready
- Worship begins at 10.30 and you can expect a warm greeting at the door. If you are visiting for the first time you will be provided with a visitor’s information package, and our ushers and greeters will be pleased to answer any questions you may have about worship or facilities etc.
- Being a family, our programme caters to the needs of the children, there is a staffed nursery for infants, and about twenty minutes after worship begins children aged 4 through 12 leave the sanctuary to join in the Sunday School programme. If you prefer to keep your children with you during worship, please do so (All our workers / volunteers have been screened and approved with our “Plan to Protect Children” policy)
- Our worship services begin with a time of praise comprised of contemporary choruses and more traditional hymns. A different praise team leads each week thereby providing for the variety of music in the Lord’s family
- At various times during our worship service the Pastor and others lead in prayer. Prayers are offered in the speaker’s own thoughts and words and there is nothing to memorize
- The message is usually about forty five minutes in length and we think you will find it to be refreshingly Bible centred
- At the conclusion of the message the Pastor usually extends an invitation for those who wish to make a commitment or re-commitment, or those who want prayer to come forward and meet with the Elders. If this is new to you please do not be uneasy. If you wish to respond, just go forward and the Elders will take care of the rest
- Holy Communion or The Lord’s Supper is celebrated during worship on the first Sunday of each month. At Gentle Shepherd we maintain an “open table” meaning simply that if you profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are welcome to participate. There is no requirement that one be a member of the church. If you do not wish to participate feel free to pass the plate to the person sitting next to you
- During the worship services plates are passed to collect tithes for the expenses and ministries of the church and offerings for special purposes. As our guest you are not expected to make a donation. If you wish to do and receive a receipt, envelopes are provided
- When visiting us we invite you to leave time in your schedule to join with the other members of the family for coffee, cookies, and “catching-up” immediately following worship
Christian Education
At Gentle Shepherd we view Christian education as a life long process and so we attempt to provide meaningful learning opportunities for all age groups and for a wide variety of interests. Listed below you will find a sample of some of the opportunities available for learning and fellowship:
- Children’s Sunday School* - Sunday 11.00 AM
- Adult Sunday School (Bible study) - Sunday 9.30 AM
- Morning Prayer Meeting - Sunday 9.30 AM
- Adult Small Group - Friday 7.00 PM
- Afternoon Prayer Meeting - Monday 1.00 PM
- Evening Prayer Meeting - Thursday 7.00 PM
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