Two Sunday Services
begin Feb 16.

We will worship at 9 and 11 am.

Here are some of the questions that came our way in the survey and beyond…

1. Why are we doing this?
   In short, we are clearly outgrowing our current space in the sanctuary, parking and children’s space. Having two services is the best, most timely way we can steward this growth adequately. Because we grew by 47% in 2019, we are now regularly at our seating capacity of ~280 seats. This shift has been a matter of prayerful discussion for over 6 months.

2. Will both services be the same?
   Both services will be our same Eucharist service from beginning to end. Provided we have the necessary volunteers, we’ll have the same children’s ministry offerings in both. The only difference will be for baptisms and confirmations, which will be celebrated in the second service.

3. How are we going to stay connected?
   This is the single most important question. The answer is “smaller tables and intentional community beyond Sunday.” There is no substitute for worshipping together at the Table. But the smaller tables of fellowship, care and discipleship matter all the more now - staying engaged in all the worship, fellowship and service opportunities that are are part of our Church year and trimester discipleship approach, including small groups. You might consider reaching out to others to coordinate times of worship together, choosing to attend a different service than your usual on occasion. (ps. Invite someone to lunch after!)

4. Are there parking changes?
   Yes. If you intend to stay a little while after the first service, please park somewhere other than the main lot behind the sanctuary. For now, there should be enough spaces overall for some overlap and lingering, but this may change. We’ll keep you posted!

5. How will we handle the “workload” of 2 services?
   While we do have paid staff and childcare workers, including nursery, whose employ has been expanded, the heart of our church is to serve one another as we come together for worship. We are asking for “all hands on deck” from our members and regulars in areas of greeting, ushers, parking, and children’s ministry.

6. What do we need to do this well?
   In addition to the roles mentioned in 4. above, we are also seeking to expand our prayer ministry team and music & media teams (music slides / sound). To volunteer, please send an initial email to heather@villagegreenville.com stating your particular area of interest. To be sure, not everyone can serve in any or every way at any given time, but the norm is to share these opportunities, which are simultaneously sacrificial, enriching and always a blessing to the Lord and others.

7. Couldn’t we just add an evening service instead?
   Based on our research and discussions with other churches, an evening service does not divert much attendance from Sunday AM. At best, it would take some pressure off for a very brief amount of time, if any.

8. Will this be too much on our clergy and their families?
   This is a very kind question and we’re thankful for it. We are taking a balanced approach. Only Michael or Hannah King serve each Sunday now, and they will continue to follow this pattern to care for their toddlers. Seth & Ashley Cain will be in both services most of the time, but their middle school children will attend only one, unless they are serving or desire to stay for both.

9. Couldn’t we just plant a church out of our church instead?
   Not yet. But we do intend to plant in the future! Planting now would still not address our growth needs adequately and will require more time for training and planning. Church planting is indeed part of our overall mission and vision.

10. Can we have a “coffee hour” in between services?
    We will need to see how our parking situation plays out. It may prove difficult to have cars remaining while others are showing up. We’re working on it. If you’d be willing to help make something like this happen - or have some creative ideas - please reach out to Heather Esch (above).