Heritage Baptist Church - Manchester, New Hampshire

Imagine redefining the word worship - removing any bad connotations to it and replacing them with this simple idea:

The teachings of Jesus drawing people together, opening doors for learning about God and serving each other and our community.

If that were the definition of worship, how different would church be?

1st Day

At Heritage, the Sunday worship gathering (called 1st Day) is the beginning of our week’s worship. We open the doors at 9:00am, and people are free to come in for some coffee and snacks while they relax around friends and family. We laugh; we talk; we even pray for one another.

At 10:00am, we have a Call to Worship - a song that reminds of our reason for gathering - and then we open the Word of God and, as one ancient Jesus follower put it: “look to Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith.” [Hebrews 12:2, ESV]

After the teaching time, we sing songs of worship, thanking God for his son Jesus and praising him for what he is doing in our lives.

Finally, we get together in small groups that discuss the teaching from the Bible. We apply it to our every day lives, and we share in each other’s journeys.

koinonia

Every 6-8 weeks, we have a special worship gathering. One of our many talented music teams leads a special worship time focused on music. Then we share a community meal, inviting others to share in what we have prepared. After this, we observe the Lord’s Table or Communion.

The word communion is a translation of the Greek word koinonia and it means “to share intimately.” It is at this special meal that we remember Jesus as our Lord and Master. It is also where we remember each other, give gifts to those who are in need and welcome new members into our community, or fellowship.