Church: Grace Community Church (I-45 South Campus)
Date Visited: November 30, 2008
Pastor: Garrett Booth
Debbie's First Impression: Beautiful facility!
Butch's First Impression: Very friendly and loved the bookstore!
Were you greeted? Yes
Were the people friendly? Yes
Did you feel comfortable and welcome? We felt welcomed but not totally comfortable.
Was the facility easy to find? Yes, it is right off of I-45 and very simple to find.
Parking: Lots and lots of parking.
Dress Code: Mostly pretty casual but there were a few people that were very dressed up.
Was it easy to find your way around? Yes, and the people were friendly enough to help us find everything.
Was there easy access to information? Yes, there was fairly good signage.
Flow/Time of Service: There was a lot of praise and worship music at the beginning of the service.
Prayer time: There was time during the service once and then during the altar call at the end. It seemed sincere but was somewhat rehearsed. The time during the service was a time where the congregation was able to come down and pray with pray partners. The people asking for prayer were able to take as much time as they needed or wanted. It was pretty special to watch so I’m sure it was very special if you received prayer.
Bible Teachings: The message was very Biblically based. Great message by Pastor Booth.
Holy Spirit: We certainly felt the spirit during the worship service especially when the choir was participating.
Band: The band was great! They had a keyboard player, drums, and guitars. Most of the musicians sang as well as played an instrument.
Music: The music was wonderful. We didn’t know all of the songs as well but they were easy to learn and upbeat. They did seem to go on longer than usual.
Vocalists: This church has an AWESOME choir! They were so fun to watch – they even swayed back and forth during some of the songs. The vocalists were pretty good but the choir was more fun to watch. One of the guitar players even did the offertory by himself. He was great and did a wonderful Mercy Me song!
Coffee and Food: They had coffee at the “visitors” welcome table.
Bookstore: Great bookstore with all types of gift items and books. We spent a lot of time in here! Lots of cool stuff!
Bathrooms: Huge bathrooms but for such a big place, the bathrooms were kind of far away from each other.
Exit Greeting: Yes, we had a few folks tell us to have a great week.
Debbie's Opinion: I really enjoyed Grace! I had always wanted to visit that “big church” on I-45 and am so glad we did. They are certainly doing something right because the place was full and there were lots of young families enjoying the ministries there. They have a beautiful facility for sure and the choir was fantastic! I would love to see some of the choir members down on the stage where we could see their faces and expressions.
Butch's Opinion: Grace Community Church is doing great things in the Greater Houston area, and was a beacon of hope and shelter for the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ike. There is no doubt that this community of believers is Christ centered and Christ driven. I was so moved and impressed with the altar prayer time during the worship service not only from the perspective of those who were being prayed over, but also for the laity that were praying with the people who came to their stations. This church is seeking God’s purpose for the lives collectively and individually and with leaders/teachers like Garrett Booth. Grace will continue to impact the community it serves in very powerful and meaningful ways.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
November 23, 2008 - Memorial Drive United Methodist Church (Traditional Worship)
Debbie sang at all 3 traditional worship services today. Since this blog is about Contemporary Worship services, we will not blog about this service.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
November 16, 2008 - The Foundry (Main Campus)
We attended The Journey service at The Foundry for the 2nd time. This worship service and community are not what we are looking for.
Monday, November 10, 2008
November 9, 2008 - BridgePoint Bible Church
Church: BridgePoint Bible Church
Date Visited: November 9, 2008
Pastor: Tom Douthit
Debbie's First Impression: Very relaxing and spiritual. The artwork on the walls is very peaceful!
Butch's First Impression: WOW!!!!! We were actually greeted in parking lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Were you greeted? YES! Tom Mooney met us before we even go to the door. He recognized we were visitors and made sure he answered all our questions. He was a huge help and really made a big difference.
Were the people friendly? Yes, all of the folks we met were EXTRA nice.
Did you feel comfortable and welcome? Very!
Was the facility easy to find? Yes, it is right off of the Katy Freeway with a HUGE beautiful sign.
Parking: We were running late so we both parked in the street across from the church but there was plenty of “visitor” parking for us in the lot.
Dress Code: Casual
Was it easy to find your way around? Yes, good flow of the building.
Was there easy access to information? Yes, there is an information desk as soon as you walk in the door (after the bathrooms).
Flow/Time of Service: There was a song, then words of welcome by the minister, then 2 more songs prayers, 2 more songs, the sermon and then another song. Lots of great music!
Prayer time: LOTS of prayer time today. It was International Prayer Sunday for the Persecuted Church so there was a special time set aside for the congregation to stand and offer prayers. They were very interesting and heart felt prayers that were seriously weighing on the minds of this congregation – many about Iran and Iraq.
Bible Teachings: YES! Thank goodness since “Bible” is actually in the name of the church. We learned a lot today about Esther. Great sermon notes and a Bible is a must at this church during the lesson.
Holy Spirit: Very present! The worship experience was enhanced with lighting and shading of the windows. A very spiritual feel to the service.
Band: Great band of keyboard (grand piano actually), 2 guitars and a drummer but this week the drummer played a Cajon (a drum that you sit on). They were very good. I felt like the worship leader was holding back. He is young and clearly full of life but a little reserved in worship today.
Music: We knew and loved all the songs sung today. Great music! There were all ages of people in this service and everyone sang all the songs. Everyone enjoyed the music.
Vocalists: The vocalists were very good but not very enthusiastic. I smiled at the woman and she smiled back, but that was about it. I know they have a choir but we didn’t see them today.
Coffee and Food: We saw some coffee.
Bookstore: We didn’t see one but we didn’t walk around much today (we were late).
Bathrooms: Great bathrooms!
Exit Greeting: Tom found us again as we were exiting the worship center. He wanted to see how we liked it and if we had any questions. He is an incredible asset to that church!
Debbie's Opinion: I really enjoyed my worship experience here today. Tom Douthit is a great teacher and I left the service with a much deeper knowledge of the Bible than I had come with. I would love to go back in a few weeks and check it out again. I could see fitting in here. All ages and races were worshipping together – a true community of believers.
Butch's Opinion: I really, really enjoyed worshiping at BridgePoint. From the time we were greeted in the parking lot by Tom Mooney until we left the church I felt welcomed and at home. It was awesome seeing every spectrum of age and race worshiping together with love and enthusiasm. You can feel the Spirit of Love and Peace here and the presence of Christ was everywhere. The music was great and everyone in the congregation participates in the singing. Really Cool!!!!! That has to be sooooooooo inspiring for the Praise Team. Tom Douthit is obviously a very gifted and blessed student of the Bible and scripture. His sermon/lesson on “Taking Risks” from the Book of Esther was thought provoking and inspiring. Even being a lifelong student of scripture, I can see learning a great deal from Dave and his teachings and sermons. I am looking forward to returning to BridgePoint, and like Debbie, I could see fitting in here.
Follow up: Kathy called both of us (can’t remember her last name) on Monday night to see how we enjoyed the service. I enjoyed my conversation with her and at the end she even asked me if there was anything she could pray with me about. How cool is that?! I can’t wait to meet “Kathy” next time we go to BridgePoint. I think following up with visitors in some way is critical to learning what the church is doing right/wrong. Thanks Kathy!
Date Visited: November 9, 2008
Pastor: Tom Douthit
Debbie's First Impression: Very relaxing and spiritual. The artwork on the walls is very peaceful!
Butch's First Impression: WOW!!!!! We were actually greeted in parking lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Were you greeted? YES! Tom Mooney met us before we even go to the door. He recognized we were visitors and made sure he answered all our questions. He was a huge help and really made a big difference.
Were the people friendly? Yes, all of the folks we met were EXTRA nice.
Did you feel comfortable and welcome? Very!
Was the facility easy to find? Yes, it is right off of the Katy Freeway with a HUGE beautiful sign.
Parking: We were running late so we both parked in the street across from the church but there was plenty of “visitor” parking for us in the lot.
Dress Code: Casual
Was it easy to find your way around? Yes, good flow of the building.
Was there easy access to information? Yes, there is an information desk as soon as you walk in the door (after the bathrooms).
Flow/Time of Service: There was a song, then words of welcome by the minister, then 2 more songs prayers, 2 more songs, the sermon and then another song. Lots of great music!
Prayer time: LOTS of prayer time today. It was International Prayer Sunday for the Persecuted Church so there was a special time set aside for the congregation to stand and offer prayers. They were very interesting and heart felt prayers that were seriously weighing on the minds of this congregation – many about Iran and Iraq.
Bible Teachings: YES! Thank goodness since “Bible” is actually in the name of the church. We learned a lot today about Esther. Great sermon notes and a Bible is a must at this church during the lesson.
Holy Spirit: Very present! The worship experience was enhanced with lighting and shading of the windows. A very spiritual feel to the service.
Band: Great band of keyboard (grand piano actually), 2 guitars and a drummer but this week the drummer played a Cajon (a drum that you sit on). They were very good. I felt like the worship leader was holding back. He is young and clearly full of life but a little reserved in worship today.
Music: We knew and loved all the songs sung today. Great music! There were all ages of people in this service and everyone sang all the songs. Everyone enjoyed the music.
Vocalists: The vocalists were very good but not very enthusiastic. I smiled at the woman and she smiled back, but that was about it. I know they have a choir but we didn’t see them today.
Coffee and Food: We saw some coffee.
Bookstore: We didn’t see one but we didn’t walk around much today (we were late).
Bathrooms: Great bathrooms!
Exit Greeting: Tom found us again as we were exiting the worship center. He wanted to see how we liked it and if we had any questions. He is an incredible asset to that church!
Debbie's Opinion: I really enjoyed my worship experience here today. Tom Douthit is a great teacher and I left the service with a much deeper knowledge of the Bible than I had come with. I would love to go back in a few weeks and check it out again. I could see fitting in here. All ages and races were worshipping together – a true community of believers.
Butch's Opinion: I really, really enjoyed worshiping at BridgePoint. From the time we were greeted in the parking lot by Tom Mooney until we left the church I felt welcomed and at home. It was awesome seeing every spectrum of age and race worshiping together with love and enthusiasm. You can feel the Spirit of Love and Peace here and the presence of Christ was everywhere. The music was great and everyone in the congregation participates in the singing. Really Cool!!!!! That has to be sooooooooo inspiring for the Praise Team. Tom Douthit is obviously a very gifted and blessed student of the Bible and scripture. His sermon/lesson on “Taking Risks” from the Book of Esther was thought provoking and inspiring. Even being a lifelong student of scripture, I can see learning a great deal from Dave and his teachings and sermons. I am looking forward to returning to BridgePoint, and like Debbie, I could see fitting in here.
Follow up: Kathy called both of us (can’t remember her last name) on Monday night to see how we enjoyed the service. I enjoyed my conversation with her and at the end she even asked me if there was anything she could pray with me about. How cool is that?! I can’t wait to meet “Kathy” next time we go to BridgePoint. I think following up with visitors in some way is critical to learning what the church is doing right/wrong. Thanks Kathy!
November 2, 2008 - Memorial Drive UMC; The Journey
Church: Memorial Drive United Methodist Church – The Journey Contemporary Service
Date Visited: November 2, 2008
Pastor: Daniel Irving
Debbie's First Impression: Debbie was out of town this week.
Butch's First Impression: No first impression. I had been here before.
Were you greeted? No.
Were the people friendly? Not really.
Did you feel comfortable and welcome? I was only made to feel comfortable or welcome by the people who I knew at the church.
Was the facility easy to find? Yes.
Parking: On campus parking is an issue. You can park at MDUMC’s Connection Center and ride a shuttle to the main campus.
Dress Code: Everything from casual to business suits for men and casual or dresses for the ladies.
Was it easy to find your way around? Again, I had been here before so I didn’t have any problems. A new visitor would probably have a somewhat difficult time because there is minimal signage and people are not very aware of or overly observant of people who may not be members.
Was there easy access to information? No
Flow/Time of Service: The service begins at 11:01AM. The first 20-25 minutes is music, announcements, prayer time, children’s sermon and offertory. The sermon ran a little past 30 minutes and there was a communion service after the sermon. Total time for the service was between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Prayer time: There is community prayer time before the children’s sermon and a brief prayer before the sermon and prior to the benediction.
Bible Teachings: A scripture lesson is read. The sermon is loosely tied to the scripture reading.
Holy Spirit: There is an air of reverence and peace.
Band: The band consisted of one vocalist who played acoustic guitar, an electric guitar player, a bass player and a drummer.
Music: The instrumentalists are amazing musicians. The music was regular contemporary praise and worship music. It was neither exciting or inspiring, just “nice and safe”.
Vocalists: There was only one vocalist. I found the vocals to be uninspiring and monotonous. It was very difficult to get into the music when the vocalist is constantly singing with his eyes closed and never looks at the congregation. I also found it distracting when he forgot words to the songs and just didn’t sing or he had to turn around and look at the screen to sing the words because he either had forgotten them or didn’t know them.
Coffee and Food: Available, but if you don’t know where to look, it is difficult to find.
Bookstore: No bookstore.
Bathrooms: The bathrooms are small and not easy to find.
Exit Greeting: Daniel Irving did tell me “goodbye.”
Debbie's Opinion: Debbie was out of town.
Butch's Opinion: The worship service was well attended and obviously works for the people who attend on a regular basis. There were a large number of youth and members of the youth department staff and their families in attendance. There were also a few families with small children in attendance. Daniel Irving is a gifted young minister who has a great deal to offer. I’m sure that for some, this would be and is a fulfilling worship service.
Date Visited: November 2, 2008
Pastor: Daniel Irving
Debbie's First Impression: Debbie was out of town this week.
Butch's First Impression: No first impression. I had been here before.
Were you greeted? No.
Were the people friendly? Not really.
Did you feel comfortable and welcome? I was only made to feel comfortable or welcome by the people who I knew at the church.
Was the facility easy to find? Yes.
Parking: On campus parking is an issue. You can park at MDUMC’s Connection Center and ride a shuttle to the main campus.
Dress Code: Everything from casual to business suits for men and casual or dresses for the ladies.
Was it easy to find your way around? Again, I had been here before so I didn’t have any problems. A new visitor would probably have a somewhat difficult time because there is minimal signage and people are not very aware of or overly observant of people who may not be members.
Was there easy access to information? No
Flow/Time of Service: The service begins at 11:01AM. The first 20-25 minutes is music, announcements, prayer time, children’s sermon and offertory. The sermon ran a little past 30 minutes and there was a communion service after the sermon. Total time for the service was between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Prayer time: There is community prayer time before the children’s sermon and a brief prayer before the sermon and prior to the benediction.
Bible Teachings: A scripture lesson is read. The sermon is loosely tied to the scripture reading.
Holy Spirit: There is an air of reverence and peace.
Band: The band consisted of one vocalist who played acoustic guitar, an electric guitar player, a bass player and a drummer.
Music: The instrumentalists are amazing musicians. The music was regular contemporary praise and worship music. It was neither exciting or inspiring, just “nice and safe”.
Vocalists: There was only one vocalist. I found the vocals to be uninspiring and monotonous. It was very difficult to get into the music when the vocalist is constantly singing with his eyes closed and never looks at the congregation. I also found it distracting when he forgot words to the songs and just didn’t sing or he had to turn around and look at the screen to sing the words because he either had forgotten them or didn’t know them.
Coffee and Food: Available, but if you don’t know where to look, it is difficult to find.
Bookstore: No bookstore.
Bathrooms: The bathrooms are small and not easy to find.
Exit Greeting: Daniel Irving did tell me “goodbye.”
Debbie's Opinion: Debbie was out of town.
Butch's Opinion: The worship service was well attended and obviously works for the people who attend on a regular basis. There were a large number of youth and members of the youth department staff and their families in attendance. There were also a few families with small children in attendance. Daniel Irving is a gifted young minister who has a great deal to offer. I’m sure that for some, this would be and is a fulfilling worship service.
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