Your First Time @ GBC

Doing anything new can be a scary prospect. Looking for a place to worship, serve & grow spiritually can be just the same. We’d like to help ease some of that apprehension and help give you a ‘dry run’ of what your first experience at Gladeville will be like…

1. Pick a Service
As we move into our new worship center we will have one worship service at 10:45 am. On September 21, 2008 we will go back to two identical celebration services on Sunday mornings: at 8:00 am, and 10:45 am. Choose the one that is right for you and then plan on arriving at the church about 15-20 minutes early to give yourself plenty of time to find your way around, meet a few people, and find a place in our worship center. You might even have a few minutes to spare to talk with the friendly faces at our Welcome Center!

For more information on our worship ministry, including what you can expect in one of our worship settings, be sure and check out our Come/Worship section. (Don’t worry, it will open in a new window so you can find your way back here easily.)

2 - Get Directions to Gladeville
Jump over to our “Getting to Gladeville” section where you’ll find instructions on how to reach us, no matter which direction you’re coming from. You can even click through to a Google Map of where we are so you can plug in your own address to get turn-by-turn instructions.

Visit the “Getting to Gladeville” section. (Yep, a new window again.)

3 - Parking
We’ve saved the best spaces for you! Drive around to the back of the campus to find plenty of parking. Follow the signs that will direct you into the building and to the…

4 - Welcome Center
This should be either your first or second stop after you arrive (depending on if you want to go ahead & drop your kids off where they need to go - see #5 below). Our Welcome Center is located in our Family Life Center - down the stairs, south of the sanctuary. If you’re entering the building from the south side of the campus you’ll walk right past it as you come in! Our volunteers are trained to help you get answers, find a Sunday morning ongoing Bible study group (or the nearest bathroom), and find out information about our various ministries. Guests also receive a welcome bag filled with information about the church - simply fill out a guest registration card during the worship service & bring it to the Welcome Center afterwords. (Don’t let the guest registration card worry you - check out #6 below.)

5 - If You Have Children...
Children’s and student groups meet at 9:30 am as do most of the adult groups. Caring adults will help make sure your kids feel right at home, learn about God, and have a great time! Groups meet all over the campus, so you’re best bet is to go to the Welcome Center first & someone can help you find your way. At 10:45 am we offer extended care for children Kindergarten & under, for those parents wanting to attend the 10:45 am worship service.

For more information on our preschool, children’s & student ministries check out our Ministries section.

6 - Worship
Be sure and fill out a guest registration card and mark those ministries you have particular interest in. Yeah, we know… we’ve all been in those situations where signing one of these cards can feel like an open invitation for meal time visitors. No worries here, though - we promise no one will show up on your doorstep. All we’ll do is send you a nice letter thanking you for being our guest, and get information into your hands about those things you’d like to learn more about.

7 - Afterwords...
Immediately following the service, pastor Bruce likes to have a chance to meet each of our guests for a few minutes. He has a reception area across the foyer where there are drinks and refreshments. It’s purely optional, of course, but it is a nice chance for you to introduce yourself and meet Bruce one-on-one. You’ll also want to take your completed registration card by the Welcome Center on your way out and pick up your guest bag. And you don’t want to forget about picking up the kids!

When you get home and have some time, we encourage you to explore this web site and learn about the things that we are about as a church family. Also be sure and visit our Group Finder tool to find a small group that matches you that you can check out in the near future.

We understand we probably can’t cover all of the bases for you on a page like this, but hopefully this will help ease your apprehension a little and help make your first Gladeville experience even better! If you still have questions, please let us know by using our online contact form - we’d love to help!