WHAT TO EXPECT
You Are Welcome Here
For most people, visiting a new church can be a fairly nervous experience! But while it’s normal to have some first-time jitters, we want to help you understand what to expect when you walk in the front doors of the Topsham Baptist Church for the first time so you’ll be completely at ease!
It seems the first question we’re often asked is, “what do I wear?” Our answer? “That doesn’t matter.” Wear whatever you think is good for the occasion. Think of it as going to a friend’s house for a relaxed supper. At Topsham Baptist Church, we come from various religious backgrounds, so some wear a full suit and tie on Sunday, while others wear shorts and a t-shirt. What you wear isn’t nearly as important as the fact that you’re here at church!
So on a typical Sunday, our church meeting begins at 9:00 in the morning with some coffee and a light breakfast snack. These are in the back of the auditorium (we also sometimes call the auditorium the “sanctuary”). Don’t worry about crumbs or spills; we’re not too formal here, and we’d rather someone get their coffee with a nice muffin or a donut rather than make sure the carpet stays spotless. You’ll probably be greeted by other people, and you’ll also notice a small welcome station in the back of the auditorium where you can pick up some visitor resources if you’d like.
Feel free to eat and drink throughout our Bible Study (you might hear this being called “Sunday School”), which goes until about 9:45 or so. Pastor Kevin Spencer and Pastor Michael take turns teaching the Bible Study hour; both pastors are warm and down-to-earth and make everyone and anyone feel right at home.
The Morning Meeting, which many would recognize as the “main service,” begins at 10:00 in the morning. During this meeting, we sing some songs, and then give announcements. We also take up an offering, but please don’t feel obligated to give any money — we don’t pass the offering plate to “guilt-trip” people. We just want everyone to have an opportunity to give as they are led to give.
After the offering, there might be another hymn or a time of special music, and then comes the preaching. The pastor will usually preach around 30-45 minutes.
Following this, we sometimes go home, and sometimes we all head downstairs to eat lunch together; please feel free to stay for this! It is provided at no cost to you, and it is sure to give us all an opportunity to know each other better. To see which days we have lunch together, check out the church calendar.
A typical Wednesday meeting is more abbreviated in length, and there’s usually a more casual approach to how we dress, as most of us have worked through the day and are simply getting together at the church for a midweek “lift” from the Word of God. We assemble for the Midweek Meeting, at 6:00 in the evening and spend about 45 minutes to an hour together eating and drinking while sitting in a circle of chairs, working through a book of the Bible or a topic while having a really great time. This meeting concludes with a short time of prayer.
We would love to see you for any of our meetings!