What to Expect

The people of Glenwood seek to love God and love others in all they do.  When we meet together, we come to praise the God of the Bible, deepen our relationship with Him through song, prayer and the study of His Word, and to encourage one another and build up the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 4; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).  We welcome you to join us as we gather.

Glenwood Gatherings

We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 am in the Worship Center (see the map below).  Each service is the same, incorporating intergenerational music, prayer and the preaching of God's Word.  On occasion, we will also highlight the various ministries of Glenwood. Glenwood typically celebrates communion (or the Lord's Supper) on the first Sunday of each month.  As far as attire is concerned, we invite folks to be comfortable and modest.  Some people come in suits and dresses; others in shorts and T-shirts.   Most come in what could be loosely categorized as “business casual.”  While our music leader will often invite the congregation to stand at various points in the service, please feel free to be seated as you need.

At Glenwood, the Bible is the foundation of all we do.  We highly value the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.  Our Senior Pastor does the majority of the preaching throughout the year, but we are blessed with a gifted team of preachers who help as needed.  Each preacher at Glenwood does his own individual sermon preparation using a variety of study methods, such as: examining the original biblical languages, reading commentaries, and consulting many different English translations.  The goal is always the same: to discover the meaning of God's Word and its significance for today.  Our Senior Pastor usually preaches from a biblical passage using the New American Standard translation.  (See the sermon library to hear past sermons series or our current sermon series to hear where in the Bible we've been lately).

Often while the worship services are happening at 9:30 and 11:00, Adult Equipping classes are offered elsewhere in the building.  The topics of the classes range from Bible and Theology to seeing what Scripture says about Finances or Parenting.  Click to see our current and past classes.  Bible and Theology classes are usually recorded (see both the classes page or the Audio page) for the sake of those unable to attend or for those who may have missed a class.  The classes in which personal information is much more likely to be shared, such as Finances or Parenting, are not recorded.

Children and Students

Children are an important part of the Glenwood church family.  We invite children to take part in a Sunday School class where they will learn about God in a number of ways.  We have a number of children's Sunday School classes, separated by age or grade (see the Children's Ministries page for more information).  Children are dropped off and picked up at their individual classrooms.  A map of the building is available to the right (click to enlarge the images).  If you are new to Glenwood, we recommend you allow for a few extra minutes when you check-in your children.  We will ask you to fill out a registration card for each child.  We do this for two reasons:

• Paging: When your infant through 4 year old children are checked-in for Sunday School, each child will be given a paging number.  You will also be given an identification card with that number on it.  If a child has a medical or behavorial issue, his/her paging number will be displayed in the Worship Center so that you can know that your assistance is needed. 
• Security: The identification card provides teachers a means to ensure that our children are released to their parents or another responsible party when they leave the class.  If a parent is not identifiable as the appropriate party, the teacher will request the parent to show the Child Identification card.

Like the adults and the younger children, middle school and high school students have their own Sunday School classes at 9:30 am.  The middle schoolers meet in the Fellowship Hall, and the high schoolers meet in Room 305.  Please see those respective ministry pages for more information.

Service

Along with worshipping God and connecting with others on Sunday morning, we also value shared service.  Our Sunday morning gatherings are structured so that people can be part of a worship service during one hour and then serve in some capacity during another.  Our Children's Ministries is the biggest area in which to serve on Sunday mornings, but there are a number of other ministries in which you can use your time and gifts to the glory of God.