We gather every Sunday at 10am at The Revival Building » 813 7th Street, in the Singer Hill/McLoughlin neighborhood of Oregon City’s midtown district.

Stepping into any new environment for the first time can be a little intimidating. This is just as true of a church as it is of anywhere else. For this reason we want to give you an idea of what to expect when you come.

We hope you’ll find the RENEW church family to be just that … a family. We laugh often, talk a lot, make mistakes, share life, and grow together. We have many diverse interests and personalities, but what we have in common is Jesus Christ.

We invite you to come as you are, observe, and participate however you are comfortable.

We’ve heard visitors describe a Sunday morning worship gathering as “unimpressive yet compelling.” Sounds about right; we’re not trying to ‘wow’ you. We are seeking to be authentic and heart-felt as worshipers of King Jesus.

Renew Sundays

When You Arrive

When you arrive you’ll see a sign at the church entrance on 7th street. You can park in front of the building along 7th street, on the side along Jefferson Street, or at the back of the building in the parking lot off Jefferson street. Please enter through the 7th street entrance up the concrete steps.

When you enter the Revival Building you’ll be greeted by someone dressed casually (and perhaps wearing a RENEW t-shirt) who will hand you a bulletin listing the order of the morning’s service. If you have children, this greeter may show you the RENEW kids’ rooms (more info on Renew Kids here).

At this point feel free to grab a seat anywhere in the sanctuary or visit the hospitality table on the far side of the room for free coffee, hot chocolate, or tea that you can take to your seat. Then simply make yourself comfortable until we officially begin the service just after 10 o’clock.

Once the Service Begins

Opening Song

The service will begin with singing a song to Jesus and/or about Jesus. As we do so many people will sing along, some will stand, some will bow their heads in prayer, some will remain seated and simply listen. We invite you to participate in whatever way you are comfortable.

Welcome/Call to Worship

After our opening song a member of our church will welcome everyone to the worship gathering. The speaker will pray, then invite us all to continue worshiping God through song.

Songs of Praise and Worship

The service will continue with another song to Jesus and/or about Jesus. As always, we invite you to participate in whatever way you are comfortable or simply listen and observe.

Pastoral Prayer/Children Dismissed

After a song or two our lead pastor will come forward and instruct us in a family Scripture or specific theological truth, and then pray. During this time of instruction we’re learning about who God is, what He’s done, and who He desires us to become.

The focus of this prayer will be tied to whatever the theme of the sermon is that night or to whatever is going on in the church community or city at large. The pastor will begin by expressing adoration to God, he will then transition into a time of confession on behalf of the people, followed by an expression of thanksgiving for who God is and what he has done, and concluding with a time of supplication — making requests on behalf of people inside and outside of the RENEW community. He will also pray specifically for the children. Most people sit and listen or pray along silently during this time. The children will then be dismissed to their classes. During this transition please feel free to get coffee, use the restroom, say hello to those around you, and get settled in your seat before the sermon.

‘Half-Time’

Then we have a favorite five-minute time called “half-time.” It’s precisely what it sounds like: a deliberate pause between one thing before another. This is a time to say hello, grab a coffee or tea, or visit the restroom. Because we value children worshiping alongside parents and the whole community, we’ve thought of a creative way to include them at the beginning before the youngest enter an age-appropriate learning environment. (Plus, it seems that a typical thirty-second meet-and-greet isn’t that conducive to fostering relationships, so we made this time longer.)

Sermon

For the next 35-45 minutes we listen to a sermon from one of the leaders of the church. The preacher will read a section of the Bible and then explain what it means and why it matters for our lives today. The emphasis is always on learning more about Jesus because this is the reason the Bible was written. If you want to get an idea of what these sermons sound like before visiting you can stream or download them from our website. » You may also subscribe in iTunes here, listen on Godrenews.us or access the podcast feed directly here.

Time of Response

After the sermon we take about 10-15 minutes to respond to what we’ve heard. There are four basic elements to this portion of the service and your participation in each of them is entirely optional.

  1. Songs of Praise and Worship. The musicians will return to the stage to sing several songs that tie into the theme of the sermon. This gives our congregation an opportunity to celebrate what we’ve just learned about God by singing to him and about him together. As before, everyone participates in this differently and you are free to do so in whatever way is comfortable for you.
  2. Communion/The Lord’s Supper. Before Jesus died he shared a final meal with his closest friends and he gave them specific instructions to continue eating this meal until he returns to the earth a second time. This meal is often called Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist. At Renew, it consists of bread (representing Jesus’ body which he gave for us) and grape juice (representing Jesus’ blood which he spilled for us). These elements are placed on a table at the front of the sanctuary so that Christians can taste and see the Lord’s goodness we together remember Jesus’ death in our place. We partake of this meal at any time while the musicians and singers are leading us in song. Those who are not Christians or who for other reasons wish not to participate choose to simply not go forward to the table.
  3. Prayer. After hearing from God’s Word it is common for people to want to respond to what they’ve learned either by praying themselves or by receiving prayer from others. As the congregation sings some will silently pray from their seats while others will approach our prayer team, standing against the side wall, and share their request for prayer with someone of the same sex. That person will then quietly and privately pray for the other on the spot.
  4. Giving. At back of the center aisle is a wooden box for financial offerings. The members of the church give financially as a way of expressing their gratitude for all that God has given them and as a way of keeping the church’s mission moving forward. These free-will offerings are collected each week and allocated as outlined in the bulletin.(We start by giving away at least 12% for global and local mission.) All are welcome, yet visitors and those who are not Christians are not expected to participate in this hidden portion of the service. (Donations can be made there at any time; we’ve chosen to not do online donations at this time to save on fees.)

Children Return/Final Song/Benediction

Before the final songs or song, some of the children return from their classes, to their parents. (Or they may stay in their class until the very end.) The final song is celebratory, so you may participate with clapping, singing, or dancing. Finally, the lead pastor or an Elder will conclude the service with a benediction (a “good word”), praying and pronouncing a blessing on all who are gathered, and will share any announcements that pertain to the coming week. At that time the formal service is over.

Most will stay behind to enjoy conversation. Since we’re a mobile church family renting a dance studio on Sundays, many people participate in cleaning up, restoring the space to become an empty dance floor again.

Questions? Contact the Renew leadership at hello@Godrenews.us or using the contact page.